QUESTION: The Gemara asks whether various parts of the body are considered "Galgalin" which prevent the Rekev of a corpse from being Metamei. "Galgalin" refers to any matter external to the body which decomposes with the body and prevents the Rekev from being Metamei. The Gemara first asks whether hair or nails which are ready to be cut are considered "Galgalin." Later, the Gemara asks whether a fetus ("Ubar") which decomposes within and together with the mother's body is "Galgalin." It then asks whether waste products ("Peresh") inside the body are considered "Galgalin." Rav Acha brei d'Rav Ika asks whether the skin of a Mes ("Oro") is considered "Galgalin." Others ask whether the phlegm and mucus ("Kicho v'Ni'o") are considered "Galgalin."

Rav Shmuel bar Acha asks that if all of these things are considered "Galgalin," how will any Rekev ever be Metamei? The body always includes some of these things! Rav Papa answers that the case is one in which the person drank an enema ("Mei Dekalim") before he died, which emptied the body of its fluids, and a depilatory agent was smeared over his hair which removed his hair, and his body was boiled in the hot springs of Teverya.

The Gemara is suggesting that the skin might be considered external to the body and not an integral part of the body itself. The Gemara follows the opinion in Chulin (121a) that rules that the skin of a person is not Metamei mid'Oraisa like the rest of his body, as the ROSH cited by the Shitah Mekubetzes points out.

Nevertheless, why does the Gemara assume that skin is considered "Galgalin" and external to the body? The Gemara earlier clearly teaches that hair and nails which are not long enough to cut are considered part of the body and are not "Galgalin." Similarly, the Gemara writes that the callous flesh at the heel is not "Galgalin" as long as it is attached to the person. Why, then, does the Gemara here suggest that the skin on the person is not considered part of the body? (BIRKAS ROSH)

(a) The MEFARESH (in one explanation) asserts that the "Or" which the Gemara mentions does not mean skin, but rather it refers to loose saliva in the mouth which can be shaken out ("Me'ar'er") easily. According to this interpretation, why does Rav Papa say that the body must be boiled in water in order to be Metamei because of Rekev? The purpose of boiling the body is to remove the skin, but according to the Mefaresh the skin does not need to be removed since it is part of the body! The Mefaresh himself (DH v'Shalku) answers this question when he writes that the purpose of boiling is to remove the saliva and phlegm from the body (the saliva does not come out with the "Mei Dekalim").

(b) TOSFOS RABEINU PERETZ suggests that the skin which may have the status of "Galgalin" is skin which was removed from the body and buried with it.

According to Tosfos Rabeinu Peretz, the purpose of the boiling in Chamei Teverya must be to remove the saliva, as the Mefaresh explains, and not to remove the skin (because if the skin is already removed, there is no need to boil it).

(c) The ROSH explains that Rav Acha brei d'Rav Ika, who questions whether or not skin is "Galgalin," also would question whether or not hair which is not yet long enough to be cut is considered "Galgalin." Although Rabah bar bar Chanah and Chizkiyah earlier imply that hair which is not yet long enough to be cut is certainly considered part of the body, Rav Acha is in doubt and seeks a proof from a Mishnah or Beraisa for this Halachah. (See also TOSFOS DH v'Sachya and next answer.)

According to the Rosh, what is the difference between skin on the body and the callus on the heal? The Gemara already proved from a Beraisa that the callus on the heal is considered part of the body as long as it is attached!

The answer is implicit in the words of Tosfos and the Rosh there who describe the callus at the bottom of the heal as "dead flesh" and not "dead skin." Dead flesh is certainly part of the body, while dead skin is questionable.

(d) TOSFOS (DH v'Sachya) seems to understand that the body must be boiled in order to remove the hair and for no other purpose, and thus Tosfos wonders why the depilatory agent does not suffice. He answers that before the depilatory agent is applied, the skin must be removed so that the depilatory will reach the roots of the hair. Accordingly, Tosfos writes that the Gemara here maintains that even the roots of hairs which are not yet long enough to be cut are considered external to the body. The BIRKAS ROSH points out that Tosfos apparently does not have the Girsa, "Oro Mahu," but rather "Se'aro Mahu." His text of the Gemara is questioning whether hair which is not yet long enough to cut is considered part of the body. Skin, however, certainly is considered part of the body.

(e) The SHITAH MEKUBETZES and the MEFARESH (in his second explanation) explain that the Gemara indeed is asking about the skin of the corpse. They explain, however, that hair which is not long enough to be cut certainly is considered part of the body. Why, then, do they explain that the Gemara is in doubt about whether the skin is considered part of the body?

Perhaps they understand that the question of the Gemara is not whether normal skin is part of the body, but whether skin that is peeling off or mostly removed from the body (see Shabbos 94b) is considered "Galgalin." The boiling in hot water removes all of the pieces of skin that are falling off, so that the remaining skin will not prevent the Rekev from becoming Metamei. (M. Kornfeld)

QUESTION: The Gemara teaches that a corpse which is "Chaser" (missing body parts) "Ein Lo Rekev" -- has no status of "Rekev"; the Rekev of that body is not Metamei.

This teaching seems to contradict the Gemara earlier (51a) which states that an Ekev (heel) might have the status of "Galgalin" and prevent the Rekev from being Metamei if one limb rotted and the Ekev was part of that limb. If a limb, such as a leg, is severed from the body, the entire leg is not considered Rekev (since it is "Chaser"), and every part of the leg should be "Galgalin" and not just the Ekev!

(a) The CHAZON ISH explains that when the Gemara states that a single limb that decomposed with the Ekev attached is considered Rekev, it means that the limb is still attached to the rest of the body and only that limb decomposed.

(b) TOSFOS (DH Mes she'Chasar, as explained by the SIDREI TAHAROS) explains that even when body parts were severed, as long as they are buried with the Mes the body can become Rekev and be Metamei. (See also answer (b) in previous Insight.)