GITIN 70 (7 Av 5783) - Dedicated in memory of Dr. Simcha Bekelnitzky (Simcha Gedalya ben Shraga Feibush) of Queens, N.Y., Niftar 7 Av 5757, by his wife and daughters. G-d-fearing and knowledgeable, Simcha was well known in the community for his Chesed and Tzedakah. He will long be remembered.

1)

EXTERNAL MALADIES [line 1]

(a)

For a wart, one roasts fat wheat kernels on a new shovel. He applies the exuding oil to the wart.

1.

Rav Simi bar Ashi healed Tzara'as in this way.

(b)

(Shmuel): One struck by a poisoned spear will not live;

1.

Eating fatty meat roasted on coals and drinking diluted wine can prolong his life so he can instruct how to apportion his estate.

(c)

(Rav Idi bar Avin): One who swallows a wasp will not live;

1.

Drinking a Revi'is of strong vinegar can prolong his life so he can instruct how to apportion his estate.

(d)

(R. Yehoshua ben Levi): One who eats ox meat with turnips and sleeps under the moon on the night of the fourteenth or fifteenth of the month in summer will contract a fever of the bones.

(e)

(Beraisa): One who fills his stomach with anything will contract Achilu (inflammation of the bones).

(f)

(Rav Papa): Even eating too many dates causes it.

(g)

Question: Why would I think not?

(h)

Answer: One might have thought that since dates satiate, warm, stop constipation, energize and do not make one finicky, also they do not cause Achilu. He teaches that this is not so.

(i)

(Abaye): All other liquid medicines are taken for three, seven or 12 days. The cure for Achilu is taken until he recovers;

1.

All other liquids are taken on an empty stomach. For Achilu, the patient first eats, drinks, and relieves himself;

2.

He then kneads lentil flour with old wine and drinks it. He wraps himself in sheets and sleeps until he wakes up on his own, and immediately takes off the sheets.

2)

SUGGESTED HEALTH PRACTICES [line 21]

(a)

(R. Nasan citing Eliyahu): One should eat a third of what his stomach can hold, drink the same amount, and leave a third empty;

1.

In case he gets angry, his stomach will have room to handle it.

(b)

(Beraisa - R. Chiya): To avoid intestinal problems, one should dip his bread in wine or vinegar all year round. If one enjoys his food, he should beware to cease before he fills his stomach; one should not delay excreting when he feels the need.

(c)

(Mar Ukva): One who drinks Tilya (bad wine) will become weak.

(d)

(Rav Chisda): There are 60 types of wine. The best is scented red wine, the worst is white Tilya.

(e)

(Beraisa): If a man has Bi'ah after letting blood, the children will be weak. If also she just let blood, the children will contract Ra'asan (a severe Tzara'as in which a rodent resides in the brain).

1.

(Rav Papa): If he ate in between, there is no concern.

(f)

(Rabah bar Rav Huna): One who has Bi'ah upon returning from a journey will have weak children.

(g)

(Beraisa): One should not have Bi'ah after leaving a privy for the time to walk a half Mil (nine or 11 minutes), for the Shed of the privy accompanies him for that long.

1.

If he did, the children will be epileptic.

(h)

(Beraisa): One who has Bi'ah while standing will get cramps. If he was sitting, or if he lies below her, he is afflicted with Delarya (Aruch's text - Alarya (yawning)).

1.

(R. Yehoshua ben Levi): The cure for Delarya is saffron that grows in hedge.

2.

Rav Papa would chew it and swallow it. Rav Papi would chew it and spit it out.

(i)

One who lacks strength for Bi'ah should drink saffron boiled in wine.

1.

R. Yochanan attributed his return to youth to this cure.

(j)

Three things weaken a person - fear, travel and sin.

1.

We learn about fear from "my heart is worried; my strength abandoned me."

2.

We learn about travel from "my strength was afflicted on the way."

3.

We learn about sin from "my strength stumbled in my sin."

(k)

One's body is weakened by eating, drinking or having Bi'ah while standing.

(l)

If one does any of five things and immediately stands up, he is closer to death than life: eating; drinking; letting blood; sleeping; or Bi'ah.

(m)

These six things will cause death - if one returns weary from travel, lets blood, enters the bathhouse, gets drunk, sleeps on the ground and has Bi'ah.

1.

(R. Yochanan): This is only if he does them in order.

2.

(Abaye): Even if he does them out of order, they will weaken him.

i.

A case occurred in which a weak slave died after doing only three of them.

(n)

Eight things are harmful if overdone, but are good if done sparingly - travel, Bi'ah, wealth, work, wine, sleep, hot water (for bathing and drinking) and bloodletting.

(o)

Eight things diminish semen - salt, hunger, Tzara'as, crying, sleeping on the ground, eating coriander, eating gourds out of season, and letting blood below the belt. The last is doubly bad.

1.

Letting blood higher than the belt is doubly good.

70b----------------------------------------70b

2.

(Beraisa): Summer is the season for gourds. Then, they are beneficial. In winter, they are harmful. In spring and fall, they are neutral.

3)

ONE WHO AUTHORIZED A GET AND FELL SICK [line 5]

(a)

If a man appointed Sheluchim to write a Get for his wife, then was seized by Kordaikus, then said that the Get should not be written, his latter words are void.

(b)

Opinion #1 (Reish Lakish): The Get may be given immediately.

(c)

Opinion #2 (R. Yochanan): The Get may be written only after he recovers.

1.

Reish Lakish learns from the Mishnah - 'his latter words have no effect';

2.

R. Yochanan explains that this means only that he need not give another command to give the Get when he recovers, but it cannot be written while he is sick.

(d)

Reish Lakish compares a seized man to a sleeping man. R. Yochanan compares him to an insane man.

1.

R. Yochanan does not compare him to a sleeping man, for he will not recover automatically, but a sleeping man awakes automatically.

2.

Reish Lakish does not compare him to an insane man, for we have a cure for Kordaikus, but not for insanity.

(e)

Question: Does R. Yochanan disagree with the following?!

1.

(Shmuel): If a man's windpipe and foodpipe were cut, and he gestured to witnesses to write a Get for his wife, they write and give it;

2.

(Beraisa): If a man was found cut up or hanging, and he gestured to witnesses to write a Get for his wife, they write and give it.

(f)

Answer: In those cases, the man is totally sane, just weakness has begun. If one was seized by Kordaikus, his mind is deranged.

(g)

Question: Shmuel contradicts himself!

1.

(Shmuel): If a man's windpipe and foodpipe were cut, and he fled, we may testify that he died, permitting his wife to remarry.

2.

Here, Shmuel rules that he is alive. We cannot allow his wife to remarry!

(h)

Answer: He is alive, but he will (soon) die.

(i)

Question: If so, the one who slaughtered him should be exiled (to a city of refuge, if it was unintentional). This is not true!

1.

(Beraisa): If Reuven slaughtered Shimon's windpipe and foodpipe b'Shogeg, he is not exiled.

(j)

Answer (R. Hoshaya): We are concerned lest Shimon did not die from the slaughter alone, rather a wind contributed, or Shimon precipitated his own death (by moving around).

(k)

Question: What difference is there between these reasons?

(l)

Answer: If Shimon was in a marble house and moved about, only the latter concern applies. If he was outside and did not move, only the former concern applies.

(m)

(Mishnah): If a man became unable to speak, and others asked him if we should write a Get for his wife and he nodded his head, we test him three times. If he answers properly no and yes, we write and give the Get.

(n)

Question: We should be concerned lest a sickness causes him to nod his head as people nod to indicate 'no' or to indicate 'yes'!

(o)

(Rav Yosef bar Minyomi): We test him so he must alternate answers of 'yes' and 'no,'

(p)

Question: Perhaps a sickness causes him to nod alternatively in these two ways!

(q)

Answer: We do not ask in the order of a simple alternation.

(r)

(Tana d'Vei R. Yishmael): We ask him questions relevant to the season.

(s)

Question: What are examples of this?

1.

Suggestion: We ask if he would like to be covered with a coat or sheets.

2.

Rejection: (Failing this test does not show that his mind is disturbed. Perhaps he was struck by a chill, or felt hot!

(t)

Answer: Rather, we ask if one can now find fruits that are out of season.