Mishnah Keritot 1:6-7

Sugya Map

• Issue: The liability for a korban yeladah (childbirth offering) for a woman who miscarries on the night preceding the eighty-first day after giving birth to a female.
• Nafka Mina: Whether a separate korban is required for this miscarriage, or if it's subsumed under the initial birth's chiyuv.
• Primary Source: Mishnah Keritot 1:6-7.

Text Snapshot

"המפלת אור לשמונים ואחד בית שמאי פוטרין מן הקרבן ובית הלל מחייבין."^Mishnah Keritot 1:6:1(https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Keritot_1:6:1) The debate centers on "אור לשמונים ואחד" – the night of the 81st day, after the 80 days of milo (completion) for a female are over.

Readings

Rambam's Framing

Rambam clarifies that all agree a miscarriage on day 80 is exempt (within milo), and on day 81 is liable (after milo). The machloket is only for the night of the 81st, with Beit Hillel arguing that milo has passed, akin to the day itself.^Rambam on Mishnah Keritot 1:6:1(https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Keritot_1:6:1)

Mishnat Eretz Yisrael's Insight

Mishnat Eretz Yisrael notes the linguistic shift to Aramaic "מאי שנא" and suggests the underlying dispute hinges on the definition of a "day" for korban purposes: Beit Hillel considers the night part of the subsequent day (fit for tumah, hence for korban), while Beit Shammai insists on a period actually fit for hakravah (sacrifice).^Mishnat Eretz Yisrael on Mishnah Keritot 1:6:3(https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnat_Eretz_Yisrael_on_Mishnah_Keritot_1:6:3)

Friction

Beit Hillel's kushya: "אם שוה לו לטומאה לא ישוה לו לקרבן?" If the night of the 81st is tamei like the day, why not be chayav a korban?^Mishnah Keritot 1:6:3(https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Keritot_1:6:3) Beit Shammai's terutz: The blood's tumah doesn't prove chiyuv korban; a miscarriage within the milo period is tamei but exempt from korban. The key is zman hakravah: Shabbat, though unfit for korban yachid, is fit for korban tzibur. Night, however, is completely unfit for any korban – "לא לקורבן יחיד ולא לקורבן ציבור."^Mishnah Keritot 1:6:8(https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Keritot_1:6:8)

Intertext

The conceptual framework of determining chiyuv korban based on the fetus's development and form is foundational to hilchot yeladah, paralleling discussions in Mishnah Niddah 3:6 regarding an uncertain miscarriage: "המפלת ואין ידוע מה הוא תשב לזכר ולנקבה."^Mishnah Niddah 3:6(https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Niddah.3.6)

Psak/Practice

The halakha generally follows Beit Hillel, meaning a woman who miscarries on the night of the 81st day is obligated to bring a korban. This reflects the principle that the night is considered part of the subsequent day for chiyuvim, even if hakravah itself is day-bound.

Takeaway

This sugya illuminates the intricate relationship between tumah, zman hakravah, and the conceptual start of a new halakhic day in determining korban obligations.