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Arakhin 8 for kids: Counting Days and Weeks

ערכין ח׳

📅 This daf asks how to count when the answer is uncertain. It discusses valuation vows, a woman’s cycle, marks on people and houses, and the timing of months, Temple bread, and circumcision.

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Stories from Arakhin 8

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Rashi and Tosafot on Arakhin 8 in simple English

Rashi on Arakhin 8a, in English Tab translation (12)
  1. He gave four toward the first vow — The priest assessed his first vow first. He has not fulfilled it, because according to the Rabbis he had to give everything he possessed. If he later becomes wealthy, he must pay the full valuation; his first payment did not count.
  2. All of them are fit for this vow, etc. — One of the valuation obligations still remains upon him.
  3. But a payment of more than a sela is possible — Even when it is less than fifty sela: if he has five sela, he gives all five. This unattributed ruling follows the Rabbis. According to Rabbi Meir, someone assessed at fifty sela who cannot pay that amount gives either fifty sela or one sela, not an amount in between.
  4. Mishnah: The beginning — This means the beginning of a menstrual period. By Torah law, if a woman sees blood today, she counts six more days along with today; if she sees blood for two days, she counts five more. Even if she sees blood throughout all seven days, once it stops she may immerse that evening and have intercourse. After the seven days come eleven days of ziva. If she sees blood for one or two days during them, she observes one clean day corresponding to each day and immerses. If she sees blood for three consecutive days, she becomes a full zava and requires seven clean days and a sacrifice. Even if her ziva continues for a month or a year, she does not return to the beginning of a menstrual period until she has observed seven clean days. Her next sighting then begins a menstrual period. But if she did not see blood for three consecutive days during those eleven days, her next sighting begins a menstrual period, whether it comes soon or much later. Even if she then sees blood for three consecutive days, she counts only four more days along with those three. The days of ziva are only the eleven days between one menstrual period and the next, as explained at the end of tractate Niddah.
  5. The beginning of a period for a woman who is uncertain cannot be established in fewer than seven days — She saw blood today but does not know whether she is in her menstrual days or the eleven days of ziva. She cannot be certain she has returned to the beginning of a menstrual period without seven clean days.
  6. Nor in more than seventeen — That is, seventeen clean days, as the Gemara explains.
  7. Gemara: The Sages taught: A woman who is uncertain and says, “I saw one impure day” — She saw blood today but does not know whether it began a menstrual period, requiring six more days of counting, or occurred during the eleven days of ziva, requiring only one clean day corresponding to it.
  8. Her beginning is after seventeen days — If she sees no blood for seventeen full days after this sighting, her next sighting certainly begins a menstrual period. If the first sighting was during ziva, those days have ended; if it began a menstrual period, the remaining six menstrual days and eleven days of ziva have passed. But a sighting on day seventeen is uncertain: the first sighting may have begun a menstrual period, making day seventeen the last day of ziva, or it may have occurred during ziva, making day seventeen the start of a menstrual period. An earlier sighting is likewise uncertain. Until she has seventeen clean days, each single-day sighting may require her to count the remaining menstrual days, while three consecutive sightings may make her a zava requiring seven clean days and a sacrifice out of doubt; that sacrifice is not eaten. After seventeen clean days, her next sighting certainly begins a menstrual period. If she then sees blood for three consecutive days, she counts four more days; later, during the days of ziva, she observes a corresponding clean day for a single-day sighting and becomes a zava after three consecutive days.
  9. I saw two impure days; her beginning is after seventeen days — These seventeen days are in addition to the two days she saw blood. Her next sighting then certainly begins a menstrual period: if those two days were in ziva, ziva has ended; if they began a menstrual period, the menstrual and ziva days have ended. But a sighting on day seventeen remains uncertain. The two days may have begun a menstrual period, making this a new beginning; or the first may have been the last day of ziva and the second the first menstrual day, making day seventeen the last day of ziva. Earlier sightings can also remain uncertain. For example, on day thirteen, she may be beginning a menstrual period if the original two days were at the end of ziva, or she may be in ziva if they began a menstrual period. The uncertainty lasts until she has seventeen clean days.
  10. I saw three impure days; her beginning is after seventeen days — As explained above. A sighting on day seventeen is still uncertain: the first two days may have been the end of ziva and the third the beginning of a menstrual period, making day seventeen the end of ziva; or all three may have been at the beginning of a menstrual period, making day seventeen the beginning of a new one. By day eighteen the uncertainty is gone.
  11. I saw four days, etc.; her beginning is after sixteen days — If she sees no blood for sixteen full days after the four, her next sighting certainly begins a menstrual period. This is true whether the four days began a menstrual period, occurred in ziva, or consisted of two days at the end of ziva followed by two at the beginning of a menstrual period. We cannot suggest that the first three were at the end of ziva and only the fourth began a menstrual period: three consecutive days of bleeding in ziva make her a full zava, who does not return to the beginning of a menstrual period until she has observed seven clean days. A sighting on day sixteen, however, remains uncertain: if the first two days were at the end of ziva, day sixteen is its last day; in other possible cases she has already reached the beginning of a menstrual period.
  12. I saw five impure days; her beginning is after fifteen days — A sighting after fifteen clean days certainly begins a menstrual period. A sighting on day fifteen remains uncertain: the first two of her five bleeding days may have been at the end of ziva and the other three menstrual days, making day fifteen the last day of ziva. Throughout this baraita, the uncertainty concerns the possibility that the first two days were at the end of ziva and the remaining days were menstrual days. Three days cannot have been at the end of ziva, for that would make her a zava; the later days could not begin a menstrual period until she had observed seven clean days. After those clean days, her next sighting begins a menstrual period.
Tosafot on Arakhin 8a, in English Tab translation (3)
  1. Because he made both vows at once, they take effect equally — When the priest assesses him, perhaps he should give two and a half sela toward each vow. Or perhaps, since all five sela are available for either vow, the priest must direct him to pay all five toward one vow: the money is pledged to one obligation, not divided between two. If he pays two and a half toward each, he fulfills neither, just as when he pays four toward the first vow. This question must concern a priest assessing both vows together. If he assessed them one after the other, paying the second and then the first would certainly be valid: the two claims are equal, and what one creditor has collected is no worse than if his claim arose later.
  2. Her cycle becomes certain after seventeen days — This means seventeen days without bleeding. If she bleeds on the eighteenth day, she is certainly menstruating. But if she bleeds on the seventeenth, it may still be bleeding during her days of ziva: her original bleeding may have begun on the first day of menstruation, making the seventeenth day the last of the eleven days of ziva.
  3. Three impure days — The first two days of bleeding may have fallen within the eleven days of ziva, and the third may have been the first day of menstruation. She therefore needs seventeen days without bleeding. With four impure days, her cycle becomes certain after sixteen days in any case. If the first three days were days of ziva, three consecutive days of bleeding would make her a major zava. The fourth day could not then begin menstruation, since she must first count seven clean days; once she has counted them, she reaches the start of her menstrual cycle. The possibility requiring the full sixteen days is that the first two days were days of ziva and menstruation began on the third. Two menstrual days have then passed, leaving five menstrual days and eleven days of ziva before her cycle begins again.
Rashi on Arakhin 8b, in English Tab translation (27)
  1. Twelve [days of bleeding]—her interval is eight [clean days]. For after she has observed eight clean days, she is out of doubt in either case: even if you say that the first two of the twelve days were the end of her zivah period, eighteen days have now elapsed from the start of her most recent cycle. The days of menstruation and zivah have passed, so any new bleeding begins a menstrual period. But the eighth day itself, if she sees blood on it, is uncertain. It may be that two of the twelve days were the end of her zivah period, and that of the remaining ten days, seven belonged to her menstrual period and three to her zivah period. She then observed seven clean days; the eighth day, on which she saw blood, would still be within the eleven days of zivah. It would not begin a menstrual period, since there cannot be fewer than eleven days between the end of one menstrual period and the beginning of the next: those eleven days would not be complete until the twelve days of bleeding and eight full clean days had elapsed. Or perhaps the eighth day does begin a menstrual period. The first of the twelve days may have begun a menstrual period; its seven days would then have ended, and the days of zivah would have begun on the eighth. By the twelfth day, five days of zivah would have passed. Its days would therefore end after another six days. By the end of those six days, the days of menstruation and zivah would both have passed; she would have observed [seven] clean days for her zivah, and this eighth day would begin a menstrual period. That is the uncertainty, and it creates a serious difficulty: she will not know for certain when her menstrual period begins again until after seventeen days. She is once more like a woman who has lost track of her cycle and says, ‘I saw blood on one day, but I do not know whether it was during my menstrual days or my days of zivah.’ If, after seeing blood on this eighth day, she stops bleeding for seven days, then sees blood again and wishes to observe one clean day corresponding to the day she bled, we must be stringent with her: perhaps the day on which she saw blood was the end of her zivah period, and now she is beginning a menstrual period. Or, if she sees blood for three days and wishes to count another four days to complete a menstrual period, we must be stringent with her: perhaps that eighth day on which she saw blood began a menstrual period, while she is now in her days of zivah and has become a zavah. She remains in this state of uncertainty until she observes seven clean days.
  2. Thirteen days: her new menstrual cycle is certain after seven clean days — The first two days might have been the last days of ziva; the eleven remaining days and seven clean days then complete an eighteen-day cycle.
  3. There is no certainty for an uncertain woman in fewer than seven clean days — Even if she bled for fourteen days, she cannot be sure she has left the status of a zava until she has counted seven clean days.
  4. Rav Adda said to him — Rav Adda mistakenly thought that all the counts of seventeen, sixteen, and fifteen clean days were needed to permit the woman to her husband.
  5. Her menstrual status and the start of her cycle — This lets her know when to count menstrual days. If she then bleeds for three or four days, she will count only the days that fall within her menstrual period as menstrual days; the others will be days of ziva, and a later day of bleeding may require her to keep one clean day.
  6. All uncertain women are zavot — The Gemara later corrects this to 'all zavot whose status is uncertain': women among those discussed above whose bleeding might make them zavot. This excludes women who reported only one or two days of bleeding, since becoming a zava requires at least three.
  7. They bring an offering — After seven clean days, they bring two turtledoves, one as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering, as a zava does, because they might have been zavot.
  8. But it is not eaten — The priests may not eat the sin offering: the woman might not have bled during days of ziva, in which case the bird is not an offering and its slaughter by pinching the neck leaves it forbidden to eat. The burnt offering is brought conditionally, either to fulfill her obligation or as a voluntary offering. A sin offering cannot be brought voluntarily.
  9. Except for those whose cycle begins after seven or eight clean days: they bring an offering, and it is eaten — A woman who bled for twelve consecutive days is certainly a zava. Even if her first two days were the last days of ziva, ten days remain: seven menstrual days and three days of ziva. Other possible starting points also make her a zava. With the women discussed earlier, by contrast, it remains possible that fewer than three days of bleeding fell during days of ziva.
  10. Are all uncertain women zavot? — Their status is only in doubt; they are not definitely zavot.
  11. Rather, all zavot whose status is uncertain — This means women whose bleeding might make them zavot, beginning with one who reports three days of bleeding.
  12. Mishna: There is no shorter period — A leprous mark cannot be declared pure after less than one week of quarantine.
  13. Gemara: Marks on a person — As the relevant passage of Scripture indicates, some can be decided after one week.
  14. Marks on houses — Some require three weeks. The Sifra derives this from the verses about the priest returning to and entering the house: just as one of those visits can lead to removing the affected stones, scraping and replastering the house, and granting another week, so can the other. If the mark persists through the first two weeks, the same procedure grants a third week.
  15. These are marks on a person — Within one week it can be determined whether to declare the person pure or definitively impure. That is a great kindness.
  16. Were it not for Your benevolence — Its meaning is explained below.
  17. What do they disagree about? Rabbi Elazar says, 'He suppresses' — The Holy One suppresses and conceals sins beneath the place of the Throne of Glory, so that merits will outweigh them.
  18. He lifts — God raises the side of the scale holding the sins, so that the merits will outweigh them.
  19. Rabba follows Rabbi Elazar — He reads the verse to mean: 'Your benevolence is like mighty mountains,' for You act kindly toward us by suppressing and concealing 'Your judgments'—our sins—'in the great deep.'
  20. Rav Yehuda follows Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina — He reads it to mean: Were it not for Your mountain-like benevolence in lifting our sins, who could withstand Your judgments, which would tip the scale down to the great deep?
  21. Mishna: There are no fewer than four full months — At least four months of the year have thirty days. Ulla explains the reason in the Gemara.
  22. No fewer than two — They are eaten on the second day after they are baked.
  23. And no more than three — They may be eaten on the third day after baking, but not later. If Shavuot falls on Sunday, the loaves are baked on Friday, since baking them overrides neither Shabbat nor the festival; they are eaten on the festival after being waved, on their third day. If Shavuot falls on another day, they are baked the day before and eaten on the festival, their second day.
  24. The showbread — It is baked on Friday and eaten on the following Shabbat, the ninth day after baking. If the two days of Rosh Hashanah fall on Thursday and Friday, it is baked on Wednesday, arranged on Shabbat, and eaten on the next Shabbat, the eleventh day after baking.
  25. A baby — A baby can be circumcised on the twelfth day after birth. For example, if he is born at twilight on Friday, he is not circumcised the following Shabbat: twilight might still have been Friday, making Shabbat his ninth day, and a circumcision performed after the eighth day does not override Shabbat or a festival. If the next two days are Rosh Hashanah, he is circumcised on Tuesday, the twelfth day from his birth.
  26. The Sages did not consider it proper to make more than eight months full — The beginning of the mishna says that no fewer than four months may be full. That means no more than eight may be short, though eight are permitted. The Gemara does not explain this now; Ulla explains it later, and Rav Huna agrees with him.
  27. For if so — If we made nine months full, the new moon would arrive three days before Rosh Hashanah. From one Tishrei new moon to the next is four days, eight hours, and 876 parts of an hour beyond a full number of weeks. If this Tishrei new moon occurred at the beginning of Sabbath night, the next would occur eight hours into Wednesday. When we arrange the months alternately, one full and one short, Rosh Hashanah falls on the day of the new moon. This follows the moon’s cycle: a lunar month is 29 days, half a day, two-thirds of an hour, and 73 parts. Thus, two months span 59 days—one month of 29 days and one of 30. If we make seven months full, Rosh Hashanah is delayed one day beyond the new moon; eight full months delay it two days, and nine delay it three.
Tosafot on Arakhin 8b, in English Tab translation (3)
  1. And no more than three weeks — This refers to marks on houses. Sometimes we cannot know whether a house is completely pure until three weeks have passed: if the mark remains unchanged through the first and second weeks, the affected stones are removed, the surrounding area is scraped, and the house is replastered. It is then given another week. If the mark returns, the house must be demolished; if not, it is pure. For a person, the ruling is always known within two weeks: if the mark remains unchanged in the second week, the person is immediately pure. Its status cannot be determined in fewer than seven days, since quarantine lasts at least seven days.
  2. Your judgments are like the great deep — This refers to marks on houses, whose determination can be delayed for three weeks.
  3. Why not nine? — Because then the new moon would precede the calendar date by three days. If last year’s conjunction for Tishrei was at the start of Friday night, this year’s would be on Wednesday, eight hours into the day. With months alternating between full and deficient, Rosh Hashanah would be set for Wednesday. Nine full months would delay it until Saturday, three days after the conjunction. Even with eight full months, the calendar date would be Friday, two days after Wednesday’s conjunction. Rashi therefore asks why the Gemara does not answer that the moon might not be visible two days early. For example, if last year’s conjunction was on Wednesday, six hours into the day, the moon would remain hidden until Thursday, so it would be visible only one day before the calendar date. This accords with the explanation that the new moon is not visible on the day of its conjunction because it remains hidden for six hours. Rashi explains the case as a leap year: adding a leap month shifts the conjunction by five days, twenty-one hours, and 589 parts, placing this year’s Tishrei conjunction on Thursday, twenty-one hours into the day. With the moon hidden for six hours, it will not be visible until Friday night. Because of the leap month, this year’s calendar date is only five days later than last year’s. Without the two extra full months, it would fall on Thursday; those months delay it through Thursday and Friday, setting it on Saturday as it was last year. Thus the moon is visible only one day before the calendar date. Rashi adds that sometimes it would be visible two days early. If last year’s conjunction was on Friday, eighteen hours into the day, and Rosh Hashanah was set for Saturday, adding the shift for the leap month places this year’s conjunction on Thursday, fourteen hours into the day. The moon is visible that day, while eight full months set Rosh Hashanah for Saturday. This is no objection, since the Gemara can be speaking of a case in which visibility precedes the calendar date by only one day. But Rashi raises another difficulty: the Gemara’s wording suggests that a two-day gap never occurs, whereas today a conjunction subject to the GaTRaD postponement is deferred to Thursday, creating just such a gap. We cannot simply say that present practice differs from practice in the Amoraim’s time—for example, that they did not postpone a date because of the willow-branch ritual as we do. Rashi himself explains why we do not now postpone a Rosh Hashanah falling on Saturday to preserve the blowing of the shofar: that could produce a two-day gap if the conjunction occurred on Thursday, eighteen hours into the day, and the date was postponed to Saturday because of the two Sabbaths. Postponing it again to Sunday would leave the moon two days ahead. The same reasoning applies here. Rashi answers that we do not count a GaTRaD postponement as making the moon two days early: for people in Babylonia, the new moon remains hidden for eighteen hours after its conjunction, as stated at the end of the first chapter of Rosh Hashanah. Since not everyone sees it until the next day, it is not visible two days early. But if so, why does the Gemara object that eight full months would put the moon two days ahead? If last year’s conjunction was at the start of Friday night, this year’s would be on Wednesday, eight hours into the day, and there would be no two-day gap in visibility. The answer is that Rav Huna understands last year’s conjunction to have been on Friday, eighteen hours into the day or earlier, just before the calendar date. This parallels the opening clause, ‘No fewer than four full months and eight deficient months,’ which must be understood that way according to Rav Huna; Ulla also explains it this way below. Ulla’s explanation of eight deficient months works only when last year’s conjunction preceded the calendar date. Rav Huna therefore takes the closing clause the same way: last year’s conjunction preceded the calendar date, occurring on Friday at eighteen hours. This year’s conjunction would then occur on Wednesday at two hours, and even if the moon remained hidden for eighteen hours, it would be visible on Wednesday. This also explains why the Gemara does not answer that last year’s conjunction occurred on Saturday at ten hours: it assumes, as in the other clause, that the conjunction preceded the calendar date. One might ask: if we count the moon as early only when it precedes the calendar date by eighteen hours, why does the Gemara initially object that two extra full months would make it two days early? The conjunction might occur nine hours into the day, in which case people in Babylonia would not see the moon that day. The objection concerns a case in which last year’s conjunction occurred before the calendar date, on Friday at the first hour. This year it would occur on the calendar date, so that even after eighteen hours of concealment the moon would become visible afterward.

Sources

Kid summary and story cards written by Tab from the William Davidson Edition English (Sefaria, CC BY-NC 4.0).

Tab translation (machine-assisted) of Rashi and Tosafot, from the Vilna Edition Hebrew (public domain) on Sefaria. May contain mistakes.

In the app, the Gemara text comes from Sefaria (William Davidson Edition, CC BY-NC 4.0; Hebrew/Aramaic Vilna Edition). Rashi and Tosafot Hebrew: Vilna Edition (public domain) via Sefaria.

Also spelled: Arachin, Erchin 8.