Kiddushin, Daf Lammed Heh, Part 5

Introduction

The sugya continues to discuss women with beards.

ואלא הא דתניא זקן האשה והסריס שהעלו שער הרי הן כזקן לכל דבריהם למאי הלכתא

אמר מר זוטרא לטומאת נגעים

Then when it was taught: The beard of a woman and that of a eunuch who grew hair, are like a [man’s] beard in all respects : to what law [does it refer]?

Mar Zutra said: To the impurity of scale disease.

If women are exempt from the prohibition of marring their beards, then what does the baraita mean when it says that their beards are like a man s beard in all respects?

Mar Zutra answers that it refers to the impurity of scale disease. Scale disease on a woman or eunuch s beard is treated differently than it would be if it was on another part of the skin.

טומאת נגעים בהדיא כתיבא (ויקרא יג, כט) ואיש או אשה כי יהיה בו נגע בראש או בזקן אלא אמר מר זוטרא לטהרת נגעים טהרת נגעים נמי פשיטא כיון דבת טומאה היא בת טהרה היא

איצטריך סד"א לצדדים כתיב איש או אשה כי יהיה בו נגע בראש או בזקן הדר אתאן לאיש קמ"ל

The impurity of scale disease is written explicitly: If a man or a woman has an affliction upon the head or the beard (Leviticus 13:29)?

Mar Zutra said: [it is] in respect of purification from scale disease.

But purification from scale disease too is obvious; since she is liable to impurity [through her beard], she needs [the same] purification!

It is necessary, lest I would say, it is written with separate subjects: If a man or a woman have an affliction upon the head [and] or the beard reverts to the man [alone];

Therefore it teaches us.

The Torah explicitly refers to a man or a woman when discussing an affliction upon the head or beard. So why do I need this baraita to tell me something learned directly in the Torah?

The answer is that I might have thought that beard refers only to the man. The baraita comes to teach us that with regard to scale disease, women too can have beards.