Niddah

Mar Zutra further stated: Even according to him who holds that a woman who bears at nine months does not give birth before the full number of months has been completed,  a woman who bears at seven months may give birth before the full number of months has been completed, for it is stated in Scripture. And it came to pass, after the cycles of days  that Hannah conceived, and bore a son;  the minimum of 'cycles'  is two,  and the minimum of 'days  is two. R. JOSE AND R. SIMEON RULED: PROTRACTED LABOUR CANNOT CONTINUE FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS. Samuel stated: What is the reason of the Rabbis? Because it is written in Scripture. Then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation,  which implies: Only 'as in her menstruation' but not as in her zibah; from which it follows that her zibah is clean for  'two weeks'. Our Rabbis taught: A woman may sometimes be in labour  for twenty-five days and no major zibah would intervene.  How? Two days preceding her menstruation period;  seven days of menstruation, two days following menstruation and the fourteen days which  the childbirth causes to be clean. It is impossible, however, for her to be in labour for twenty-six days, where there is no child,  without giving birth to it is in zibah.  But if there was no child would not  three days suffice?  — R. Shesheth replied. Read: Where there is a child. Said Raba to him: But was it not stated 'where there is no child'? Rather, said Raba, it is this that was meant: It is impossible for her to be in labour for twenty-six days, where there is a child, without giving birth to it in zibah; and where there is no child but an abortion she is a zabah even after three days. What is the reason? — The law of protracted labour  does not apply to abortions. MISHNAH. IF A WOMAN WAS IN PROTRACTED LABOUR DURING THE EIGHTY DAYS  PRESCRIBED FOR THE BIRTH OF A FEMALE, ALL KINDS OF BLOOD THAT SHE MAY OBSERVE  ARE CLEAN,  UNTIL THE CHILD IS BORN, BUT R. ELIEZER HOLDS THEM TO BE UNCLEAN.  THEY SAID TO R. ELIEZER: IF IN A CASE WHERE THE LAW WAS RESTRICTED IN REGARD TO BLOOD DISCHARGED IN THE ABSENCE OF PAIN,  IT WAS NEVERTHELESS RELAXED.  IN REGARD TO BLOOD DISCHARGED DURING PROTRACTED LABOUR, IS THERE NOT EVEN MORE REASON TO RELAX THE LAW  IN REGARD TO THE BLOOD OF LABOUR IN A CASE WHERE  IT WAS RELAXED  EVEN IN REGARD TO A DISCHARGE IN THE ABSENCE OF PAIN?  HE REPLIED: IT IS ENOUGH THAT THE CASE INFERRED  SHALL BE TREATED IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE ONE  FROM WHICH IT IS INFERRED. FOR IN WHAT RESPECT WAS THE LAW RELAXED FOR A WOMAN IN THE LATTER CASE?  IN THAT OF THE UNCLEANNESS OF ZIBAH  ONLY; WHILE SHE IS STILL SUBJECT TO THE UNCLEANNESS OF THE MENSTRUANT. GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: She shall continue [in the blood of her purification],  includes a woman who was in protracted labour during the eighty days  prescribed for the birth of a female, viz., that all kinds of blood that she may observe are clean, until the embryo is born,  but R. Eliezer holds them to be unclean. They said to R. Eliezer: If in the case where the law was restricted in regard to blood discharged in the absence of pain before the child was born,  it was nevertheless relaxed in regard to blood discharged in the absence of pain after the child was born,  is there not even more reason to relax the law in regard to the blood of labour after the child was born  in a case where it was relaxed in regard to the blood of labour before the child was born? He replied: It is enough that the case inferred  shall be treated in the same manner as the ones from which it is inferred. For in what respect was the law relaxed for a woman in the latter case?  In that of the uncleanness of zibah only, while she is still subject to the uncleanness of the menstruant. They said to him, We would submit to you an objection in a different form: If in the case where the law was restricted in regard to blood discharged in the absence of pain before the child was born,  it was nevertheless relaxed in regard to blood discharged at such a time  in protracted labour, is there not even more reason that, where 'the law was relaxed in regard to blood discharged in the absence of pain after the child was born,  the law should be relaxed in regard to blood discharged at such a time  during protracted labour? He replied: Even if you were to offer objections all day long it must be enough that the case inferred  shall be treated in the same manner as the one  from which it is inferred. For in what respect was the law relaxed for a woman in the latter case?  In that of the uncleanness of zibah only, while she is still subject to the uncleanness of the menstruant. Raba observed, R. Eliezer could successfully have offered the Rabbis the following reply: Did you not explain Her blood  thus: 'Her blood' refers to blood that is normally discharged, but not to such as is due to childbirth?  Well, here also, it may be explained: And she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood,  'her blood' refers to blood that is normally discharged but not to such as is due to childbirth.  But might it not be suggested  [that if a discharge occurred] during the days of menstruation she is a menstruant, [while if it occurred] during the days of zibah she is clean? — Scripture said, She shall continue,  which implies: One form of continuation throughout all these days. MISHNAH. THROUGHOUT ALL THE ELEVEN DAYS  A WOMAN IS IN A PRESUMPTIVE STATE OF CLEANNESS.