The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com
The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com
1. He who has turned all white after uncleanness, is clean. If the extremities of his members took another turn he is unclean, till his white spot diminish to be less than three lentils square. From the time of his cleansing he is unclean. If his extremities have taken another turn, he is unclean until his white spot return as it was before.
2. "A white spot as large as three lentils square, in which there is quickflesh as large as three lentils square, if it grew all over him and afterwards the quickflesh in it went away, or the quickflesh went away and afterwards it grew all over him?" "He is clean." "If quickflesh be produced in him?" "He is unclean." "If white hair be produced in him?" R. Joshua pronounced him "unclean," but the Sages pronounced him "clean."
3. A white spot in which there is white hair, if it grew all over him, even though white hair continued in its place?" "He is clean." "A white spot in which there is spreading, if it grew all over him?" "He is clean." And all these things when the extremities of the members took a turn, cause uncleanness. "If it grew only in part?" "He is unclean." "If it grew all over him?" "He is clean."
4. Every growth in the extremities of the members which in its growth cleansed the man, renders, in its changing, the man again unclean. All changes in the extremities of the members which in their change rendered unclean the man who was clean; while they are covered they are clean, but while they are discovered they are unclean, even though they changed an hundred times.
5. Every fresh part which becomes unclean with the plague of the white spot, prevents its growth all over the
leper, so that he could be pronounced clean. Every part which does not become unclean with the plague of the white spot, does not prevent its growth all over him. "How?" "It has grown all over him, but not in the head and beard, in the boil, in the quickflesh, and in the inflammation, and in issues; the head and beard changed and became bald, the boil and quickflesh and inflammation have formed a scab—he is clean. It has grown all over him, but not in the measure of half a lentil, next to the head and beard, to the boil, to the quickflesh, and to the inflammation; the head and beard changed to baldness, the boil and quickflesh and inflammation formed a scab, even though the place of the quickflesh formed a white spot—he is unclean, until it be grown all over him."
6. "Two white spots, one unclean and one clean, have grown from one to the other, and afterwards have grown all over him?" "He is clean." "They have grown in the upper lip, in the lower lip, in two fingers, in the two eyelids, even though they coalesce one with the other, and they appear as one?" "He is clean." "If it have grown all over him, but not in the freckled spot?" "He is unclean." "The extremities of his members have turned to a kind of freckled spot?" "He is clean." "The extremities of his members have turned to a freckled spot, in size less than a lentil?" R. Meier pronounces him "unclean." But the Sages say, "a freckled spot less than a lentil is a mark of uncleanness in the beginning, but no mark of uncleanness in the end."
7. "He came (to the priest) all white?" "The priest must inclose the place." "If white hair be produced in him?" "He is to be decided unclean." "Have the two hairs turned black, or one of them? Have both of them become shorter, or one of them? Has the boil inclined towards both of them, or to one of them? Has the boil encompassed both, or one of them? Or has the boil divided them, or the quickflesh of the boil, the burning or the quickflesh of the burning, and the freckled spot?" "Or has there been produced in him quickflesh or white hair?" "He
is unclean." "There was not produced in him quickflesh nor white hair?" "He is clean." And all these marks when the extremities of the members again changed in appearance, are reckoned as they were before. "If the white spot grew in part of him?" "He is unclean." "If it grew all over him?" "He is clean."
8. "If the white spot grew all over him at once, during his cleansing?" "He is unclean." "But if it grew all over him during his uncleanness?" "He is clean." "If he be declared clean during his inclosure?" “He is declared free from uncovering his head and from rending his garments, and from shaving, and from “the birds.” 1 "If he be declared clean during his being decided unclean?" "He is indebted for all these." Both these men equally cause uncleanness in their entrance into (a house).
9. "If he came (to the priest) all white, and there was in him quickflesh as large as a lentil, if it have grown all over him, and afterwards the extremities of his members have changed?" R. Ishmael said, "so that the extremities of the members changed to a large white spot." R. Eliezer, son of Azariah, said, "so that the extremities of the members changed to a small white spot, he is unclean."
10. There is in the showing of the leprosy to the priest gain; and there is in the showing of it loss. "How?" "He who was decided unclean, and the marks of uncleanness went away, there was not sufficient time to show them to the priest until they again grew all over him. He is clean." "When he showed them to the priest?" "He is unclean." "A white spot in which there is nothing, he did not take time to show it to the priest, until it grew all over him?" "He is unclean." "When he showed it to the priest?" "He is clean."
283:1 Lev, xiv. 4.