(Mishnah): What is red? It is like blood of a wound. Black is like Cheres (vitriol, used to make ink). Anything more Dehah (faint) than this it is Tahor.

'The radiance of saffron' is like its choice leaves. 'Water of earth' refers to [earth] of Beis Kerem, and one sprinkles water on it (it becomes cloudy). Mixed [wine] is two measures of water and one measure of Sharoni wine.

(Gemara - R. Yakov bar Acha citing R. Ukla of Kisarin citing R. Chaninah, and R. Ba citing R. Shimon ben Menasiya): [Red is] like blood of a wound that was stricken and stricken again.

Support: (R. Yakov bar Susai, in front of R. Yosi - Mishnah): Red is like blood of the wound (i.e. there already was a wound).

R. Yitzchak bar Nachman and Rav Avodama of Chaifa were sitting. A man [with a wound] came;

R. Yitzchak bar Nachman (to Rav Avodama): This is close to Dam Nidah.

Question: Does R. Yitzchak argue (with R. Shimon ben Menasiya, who says that it is like a wound that was stricken twice)?

Note: We ask, for the wound was not stricken twice. If it were, he would not call it close to Dam Nidah! In the answer, R. Yitzchak meant that it is close to Dam Nidah, i.e. it can easily be stricken again, and then it will be just like Dam Nidah!

Answer: [He does not argue. He meant that] if it will be stricken again, it will be like Dam Nidah.

(Mishnah): Black is like Cheres.

Question: How does one do [to estimate this]?

Answer #1 (R. Ba citing Rav Yehudah): He takes the Cheres and puts it on white hide.

Answer #2 (R. Yosi bei R. Bun): He may put it [even] on colored hide.

(R. Ze'ira citing Rabanan): Black like a raven, black like a grape, or black like tar is Tahor.

(Talmidim citing R. Yochanan): Black like ink is Tahor.

(R. Ami citing R. Yochanan): Like [black] head scarves from overseas is Tamei.

Question (R. Ze'ira, to R. Ami): Are all these teachings to be followed in practice?

Answer (R. Ami): Yes.

(Reish Lakish): For all of them, fainter is Tahor, and deeper is Tamei.

(R. Yochanan): For all of them, fainter is Tahor, and deeper is Tahor, except for black (for which deeper is Tamei).

Support (for R. Yochanan - Mishnah): Black like Cheres is Tamei. Anything fainter is Tahor;

Inference: What is deeper is Tamei.

Limitation: This was said only for black. For all other [Tamei colors], even what is deeper is Tahor.

In Rav Yehudah's area, [they rule like] Reish Lakish. Rav Yehudah rules like R. Yochanan.

Bar Kapara supports Reish Lakish, but we do not follow him in practice [due to the following episode];

R. Chaninah mixed [wine] for Bar Kapara, and asked like this - what is the law? He said, it is Tamei (it was deeper than mixed wine of our Mishnah. R. Chaninah diluted it more, and] made it fainter. [Bar Kapara] told him, it is Tahor.

R. Chaninah: There should be Shalom for a man (you,) who erred with his mouth (you rule like Reish Lakish, who is Metamei what is deeper for all of them; the Halachah follows R. Yochanan, who is Metamei what is deeper only for black), and did not err with his eyes (you properly judged what is deeper and what is fainter).

Assumption: The one who says [that deeper is] Tahor, this is when [the appearance] is not shiny (rather, it is absorbed into the cloth). The one who says Tamei, this is when it is shiny.

Rebuttal: We learn [oppositely] from the following! A case occurred in which a woman from Beis Rebbi used to see black blood. The case came in front of R. Yakov bar Zavdi and in front of R. Yitzchak bar Tavlai, and they wanted to be Metamei her;

R. Chelbo: So said Rav Huna citing Rav - if black penetrates (is absorbed), it is Tahor. If it is shiny, it is Tamei. (We explained this like RAMBAN 19a, according to Hagahos of R. I.Z. Meltzar.)

Limitation: This was said only for black. All other [colors that are not exactly like those of our Mishnah], even if they are shiny, they are Tahor.

(Mishnah): 'The radiance of saffron' is like its choice leaves.

This is moist [leaves], and not dry. It is the top, and not the bottom. It is what sees the shade, and not what sees the sun. (I.e. 'top' is not literally the top. Rather, it is the middle, which is in the shade of top.)

R. Avahu brought in front of R. Elazar [saffron attached] to the earth [in which it grew. R. Elazar] said, its appearance already faded. (We explained this like KIKAR LA'ADEN, GILYON HA'SHAS.)

R. Yakov bar Zavdi brought in front of R. Avahu goats' blood [to demonstrate] red, and fish blood [to demonstrate] black. [R. Avahu] said, its appearance already faded.

'Water of earth' refers to [earth] of Beis Kerem, and one sprinkles water on it (it becomes cloudy).

(R. Chaninah and R. Yochanan): He puts water on a rag.

(Mishnah): And like mixed [wine]

(Aba bar Chanah citing R. Yochanan): The cup [that holds mixed wine, in order to estimate blood, it must be [thin, so the wine is] seen from the outside.

Assumption: This is like [glass] cups of Tiverya.

Rebuttal (Rav Avodama of Tziporin, to R. Mana): It is like these [very thin glass] cups that do not make shade on their walls (one side does not darken the other, for all the light passes through).

(Shmuel): Anyone who does not know how to see Tahor blood (distinguish it from Tamei blood), he may not see [rule about] Tamei blood.

(Rav): He [may not rule about appearances of blood] unless he is expert in them and their names.

Support #1: R. Yochanan said 'I know all Tahor bloods, and I know all Tamei bloods. What is Tahor in red, is Tamei in (i.e. if you gauge it based on) water of earth. One who does not know [all of this], he does not know [how] to see blood.

Support #2 (Beraisa): [Water of earth -] one must make it clear, and not cloudy.

R. Chaninah made it cloudy.

They told R. Yochanan 'R. Chaninah made it cloudy, and you do not make it cloudy'!

R. Yochanan: R. Chaninah drank old wine (he learned from Chachamim of the previous generation).

Question: Did R. Yochanan not drink old wine?! (Also he learned from Chachamim of the previous generation!)

Answer: R. Chaninah drank ancient wine (he learned from greater Chachamim than those that R. Yochanan learned from. We explained this like ALEI TAMAR.)

(R. Hoshayah): Since R. Chaninah's eye was satiated with cases, even cloudy did not disqualify [his ability to rule about blood].

(R. Shamai citing R. Acha): R. Chaninah gauged with a clump of earth.

(R. Avun citing R. Shamai citing R. Acha): Since we know that R. Chaninah is Kosher (did everything according to Halachah), do we rely on him [to gauge so ourselves]?!

R. Chaninah dwelled in Tzipori, and cases came in front of him, and he ruled. R. Yochanan and Reish Lakish dwelled there, and he did not join them with himself [to rule together].

They said, that elder (R. Chaninah) is a big Chacham. His knife is very sharp (he relies on his Chachmah to rule by himself)!

Once, he joined them with him. They said, why did Rebbi see [that it is proper] to pay attention to us today?

R. Chaninah: [Punishments] should come upon me if not that every case that I ruled about it, I heard it from Rebbi l'Halachah (not in an actual case) as many times as the hairs on my head, and in practice (I saw him rule so at least) three times. This case came in front of Rebbi only twice, therefore I joined you with me.

R. Yitzchak bar Nachman learned from R. Lazar Tahor [colors of] blood.

Question: Did he not learn Tamei bloods? Didn't R. Yitzchak bar Nachman say to Rav Avodama of Chaifa 'this [wound] is close to Dam Nidah'?!

Answer: After [R. Yitzchak] learned from [R. Lazar Tahor bloods], he learned from [him Tamei bloods].

Yitzchak bar Yonason and Rav Huna were sitting. A woman came and asked them [about an appearance of blood].

Yitzchak (to the woman): Did you see unlike this (it changed from what it was initially)?

Rav Huna (to Yitzchak): Rav said that what comes in front of you, rule about it! (Do not ask that perhaps it changed. We explained this like PANIM ME'IROS.)

Support (R. Yakov bar Acha citing R. Shimon bar Aba): Many 'boxes' of cases came in front of R. Chaninah. What came in front of him, he said (if it is Tahor or Tamei, and did not ask whether it changed.)

Question: May one see stains at night?

Answer: [A case occurred in which] Rebbi saw at night, and he was Metamei. He said, leave it until morning. He saw in the morning, and he was Metaher. He said, great are Chachamim's words, who said that we do not see stains at night!

He said, leave it until evening. He saw it at night, and he was Metaher. He said, I did not err, rather, it became fainter! (PESACH EINAYIM, Megilah 14a DH Emnam - Rebbi did not transgress Chachamim's words. He did not see it at night in order to rule about it, rather, to see for himself why they said so. In the conclusion, there was no support for their words; even so, he followed their words and relied only on what he saw during the day.)

Question: If she saw [blood] on a pillow, is she believed to say 'I saw like this, or like this'?

Answer (R. Ba citing Rav Yehudah, and R. Chelbo citing R. Chiyah citing R. Yochanan): If she saw on a pillow, she is believed to say 'I saw like this, or like this.'

Support (Beraisa): She is believed.

Suggestion: Perhaps just like she is believed to see her stain, so she may see appearances of Tzara'as!

Rejection: "V'Huva El Aharon ha'Kohen Oh El Echad mi'Vanav ha'Kohanim.''

Note: Nega'im 2:4 explains how women pose to enable inspection of underarms, Beis ha'Ervah and under the breast. How may a Kohen see these? Minchas Chinuch (169:13) and Ezras Kohanim (on Toras Kohanim, Tosfos ha'Azarah 1:11) say that a Kohenes cannot rule about Nega'im. I did not see anyone disagree. Rambam (Hilchos Tum'as Tzara'as 9:2) says that a Chacham can see and tell the Kohen to say 'Tahor' or 'Tamei'. (An expert woman can see, and tell the Kohen what to say.) Rashi and Tosfos (Erchin 3a) say that also the Kohen must see the Nega. Tiferes Yisrael (2:4:24) says that only the Nega is exposed; the rest of her body is covered. However, if the Tzara'as spread to her entire body, perhaps the Kohen must see everything to be Metaher! The Griz (Nazir 57b DH Tosfos) says that a minor Kohen may see Nega'im. Perhaps we use a boy below nine years; there is no concern lest Hirhurim bring him to Tum'ah.