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Text Excerpt
המפלת אור לשמונים ואחד, בית שמאי פוטרין מקרבן, ובית הלל מחייבים.
from a Mishnah that deals with the offering of a woman who miscarries on or of the 81st day after her previous childbirth: The Torah obligates a woman to bring an offering after childbirth, including a miscarriage. However, one offering suffices for any births or miscarriages that occur within 80 days of the original birth, as the halakhic ramifications of that birth last 80 days (see Leviticus 12:1–6). The Mishnah cited addresses the borderline case of a woman who miscarries on the night of the 81st day following the birth. Beit Shammai exempt her from bringing another offering, as the offering she brought for the previous childbirth exempts her from bringing another for the miscarriage. And Beit Hillel obligate her to bring a second offering.
אמרו (להן) בית הלל לבית שמאי: מאי שנא אור שמנים ואחד מיום שמנים ואחד? אם שיוה לו לטומאה — לא ישוה לו לקרבן? מדקאמר בית הלל לבית שמאי: מאי שנא אור שמונים ואחד מיום שמונים ואחד, שמע מינה ״אור״ אורתא הוא! שמע מינה.
Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: What is different between or of the 81st and the day of the 81st? If they are equal with regard to the halakhot of ritual impurity, i.e., the blood of this woman is no longer ritually pure and all of the standard strictures of ritual impurity apply to her, will the two time periods not be equal with regard to the offering as well? In terms of the meaning of or, from the fact that Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: What is different between or of the 81st and the day of the 81st, learn from it that or is night. Indeed, learn from it that or means night.
מיתיבי: יכול יהא נאכל אור לשלישי, ודין הוא: זבחים נאכלים ליום אחד, ושלמים נאכלים לשני ימים. מה להלן — לילה אחר היום, אף כאן — לילה אחר היום!
The Talmud raises an objection with regard to the meaning of the word or from a baraita: One might have thought that a peace-offering, which may be eaten for two days, may also be eaten on or of the 3rd day. And it is a logical derivation that leads to that conclusion. How so? Other offerings, e.g., sin-offerings, are eaten for one day, and peace-offerings are eaten for two days. Just as there, with regard to other offerings, the night follows the previous day, i.e., the offering may be eaten during the day and the subsequent night, so too here, with regard to peace-offerings, say that the night follows the day, and rule that they may be eaten on the night after the 2nd day.