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Text Excerpt
בקילעא דרב אושעיא, אתו ושאלו לרב אסי. אמר להו: לא שנו אלא לחולה המרגיל, אבל לחולה לאונסו פטור מכלום. אמר רב יוסף: אצטמיד חצביה דרב נחמן.
that this problem was raised in Rav Oshaya’s chamber, and they came and asked Rav Asi. He said to them: They only stated the obligation to pour water over one who is impure because of a seminal emission with regard to a sick person who experienced a normal seminal emission, but a sick person who experienced an involuntary seminal emission is clearly exempt from anything and requires no immersion whatsoever. Rav Yosef said: In that case, Rav Naḥman’s jug is rejoined, meaning that it is effective with regard to purification.
Up to now, discussion has focused on various problems pertaining to the laws of immersion as they concern one whose impurity is due to seminal emission. The Talmud asks: Since all of the amora’im and tanna’im disagree with regard to the decree of Ezra, let us examine how Ezra instituted this ordinance, as this is not an uncommon circumstance and we can see how they conducted themselves.
Abaye said: Ezra did not institute a sweeping ordinance concerning every case of one who experienced a seminal emission; rather, he instituted only that a healthy person who experienced a normal seminal emission is required to immerse himself in 40 se’a, while for a healthy person who experienced an involuntary seminal emission, 9 kav are sufficient. And the amora’im came and disagreed with regard to a sick person. One Sage held that a sick person who experienced a normal seminal emission is considered like a healthy person who experienced a normal seminal emission, while a sick person who experienced an involuntary seminal emission is considered like a healthy person who experienced an involuntary seminal emission. However, another Sage maintained that a sick person who experienced a normal seminal emission is considered like a healthy person who experienced an involuntary seminal emission, and consequently requires only that 9 kav be poured over him, while a sick person who experienced an involuntary seminal emission is exempt from any form of immersion or purification.