תלמוד על רות 2:21

How do we hold⁶⁰Here starts the discussion of the last sentence of the Mishnah, how xan a child be a nine-months child or a seven-months child with equal probabilities.? If he came to her immediately after her husband’s death, and the fetus was recognized after two months, one should have stated: A nine-month child of either one of them or a seven-month of either one of them! But it may be that he came to her after two months and the fetus was recognized after three months⁶¹Since a widow should not be married in levirate earlier than 3 months after the husband’s death (Mishnah 4:11) in order to avoid situations like the one discussed in the Mishnah, it follows that there are pregnancies that are recognized only after three months., one should have stated: The sister-in-law should not perform ḥalîṣah or be married in levirate until after five months! But it must be that he came to her after 40 days and the fetus was recognized after 50 days. That would be complete months for [a child of] the first [brother] and incomplete ones for the second⁶²If the child was born exactly nine months after the death of the husband, then this would be 7 months and 10 days after the levir had intercourse with her.. This implies that a woman may give birth after full months. This implies that there are two creations⁶³Certain regular pregnancies are terminated naturally during the seventh month; certain others only after 9 full months.. This implies that a woman may give birth after incomplete months. This implies that a woman may become pregnant repeatedly⁶⁴The Babli, Niddah 27 a, disagrees and holds that Jehudah and Ḥizqiah, children of Rebbi Ḥiyya, who were born 3 months apart, were twins; the one a seven-months child and the other a nine-months child.. This implies that a woman cannot become pregnant simultaneously from two men⁶⁵Since the Mishnah excludes the possibility that, even if there were twins, they could come from both brothers as fathers. In that case, according to Rav there would be no reparation offering for a doubt.. And it disagrees with the sermonizing rabbis, since the sermonizing rabbis say “the middleman” “from the orders of the Philistines”, from 100 prepuces of Philistines, that 100 prepuces of Philistines touched her⁶⁶Midrash Ruth 2(21), Midrash Samuel ed. Buber 20(4), Babli Soṭah 42b in the name of R. Joḥanan. These sermons identify (1) the Moabite Orpah, the daughter-in-law of Noemi who did not follow her to Bethlehem, with the Philistine Haraphah (2S. 21:22), and (2) Goliat mentioned in 2S. 21 with the warrior in 1S. 17:23. The latter is introduced in the written text as אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם מִמַּעַרְוֹת פְּלִשׁתִּים interpreted in a slightly pornographic way as “a man [created] in between the touchings (cf. Note 59) of the Philistines”, explaining that Orpah, once she had decided not to become Jewish, went to the enemies of the Jews, the Philistines of Gath, and slept with 100 of their warriors (מִמַּעַרְוֹת = מִמֵּאָה הֶעָרוֹת) in one night to create a super-warrior; in the words of R. Joḥanan, 100 fathers and one mother. One can construct such a sermon only if all gutturals had become silent and pataḥ, qāmeṣ assimilated to one another.. Rebbi Mattaniah said, there is no disagreement. As long as the semen is not spoiled, a woman can become pregnant from several men simultaneously. After the semen is spoiled, a woman cannot become pregnant from several men simultaneously.