Sota 16: Dust Detail, Shaved Like a Gourd, Enough is Enough

We learn about dust in much greater detail today.   As was described in our last Mishna, dust from the floor of the Temple is placed on top of the water that the sota drinks.  It must be visible.  But what if there is no dust on the floor?  Can dust be brought in from outside of the Temple?  If not, can ashes substitute as dust?  What about decomposed vegetables that were left on the Temple floor?  The rabbis decide that the dust must be found within the Temple, and that any substance that is used as dust must behave as dust would behave when placed in water.

As part of a discussion of halachot that supercede their verses, we learn more about shaving.  People are expected to shave as a demonstration of purity in a number of circumstances.  These include ending one's isolation as a metzora, a leper, when one is shaved twice.  But what is included when the body is shaved?  When the metzora is shaved like a gourd, is s/he shaving all parts of the body, including nose hair? Or only visible hair - including pubic and armpit hair?  

The rabbis use this opportunity to teach about a generalization followed by a detail and then followed by another generalization (shave all of one's hair, shave one's head and beard and eyebrows, even shave all of one's hair) (Leviticus 14:9).  In such a case, the detail informs us that all visible hair is shaved from the entire body.  Rabbi Akiva argues that in fact this is an amplification followed by a restriction followed by an amplification.  In such a case, he argues, all hair is shaved (except for nose hair, which is not visible).  Does this mean that a person with nose hair does not shave that hair?  Or is s/he obliged to shave that hair as well, because it shows?

Just like dust of the Temple must be visible in the sota's water, the saliva of a yevama must be visible  in the ritual of chalitza.  As well, the blood of a slaughtered sparrow must be visible in water as part of the metzora's purifying ritual.  I found one particular argument very entertaining.  Rabbi Yirmeya wonders if a large sparrow or a small sparrow might spoil this ritual due to the amount of blood that is placed in the water.  To that suggestion, Rabbi Zeira says, "Haven't I told you not to take yourself out of the halacha?"  One of our rabbis actually chastises another rabbi for splitting hairs unnecessarily.  Obviously, he believe, a sparrow can only be so big/small, and we should not waste time on such a detail!  But our rabbis spend inordinate amounts of time on similar questions.