Gittin - Daf 69
- Determining the source of bleeding from the mouth
This Daf is entirely comprised of numerous remedies for various ailments. Among them: לדמא דאתי מפומא – For blood coming from the mouth, בדקינן ליה בגילא דחיטתא – we examine him with a straw of wheat. If the blood sticks to the straw, the blood is coming from the lungs, and it can be healed. If the blood does not stick to it, it is coming from the liver and cannot be healed. Rav Ami asked Rav Ashi that a Mishnah’s list of injuries which make an animal a tereifah implies the opposite: ניטל הכבד ולא נשתייר הימנה כלום – If the liver was removed and nothing remained of it, הריאה שניקבה או שחסרה – or a lung which was punctured or partially missing. We see that a smaller injury to the lung is fatal than one to the liver!? Rav Ashi answered: כיון דמפומיה קאתי – Since [the blood] is coming from his mouth, a greater distance from the liver, אימר איתמוחי איתמח – we presume it is completely dissolved and cannot be remedied.
- Remedies for a faint or heavy heart
Another remedy: לפירחא דליבא – For a faint heart, ליתי תלת ברושייאתא דשערי –Bring three loaves of barley bread, ונשטרינהו בכמכא דלא עבר עילויה ארבעין יומין וניכול – and soak them in camcha (a dip made of breadcrumbs and whey) less than forty days old, and eat them, ונשתי אבתרייהו חמרא מרקא – and drink afterwards watered-down wine. Rav Acha of Difti asked Ravina: וכל שכן דפרח ליביה – Then his heart will certainly feel faint, because these weak foods reduce a person’s strength!? Ravina answered: אנא ליוקרא דליבא אמרי – I said this remedy for heaviness of the heart, not for a faint heart. For a faint heart, the opposite type of remedy should be used: ליתי תלת ברושייאתא דחיטי – Bring three loaves of wheat bread, ונישטרינהו בדובשא וניכול – and soak them in honey and eat them, ונישתי אבתרייהו חמרא חייא – and drink after them undiluted wine.
- Remedies for a bloated spleen
The Gemara offers numerous cures for טחלא – a spleen bloated by disease. Among them is: ניתי ביניתא – He should bring a fish, וניטווייה בי נפחא – and roast it in coals of a blacksmith, וניכליה במיא דבי נפחא – and eat it with the blacksmith’s water, which he used to cool his iron, ונישתי ממיא דבי נפחא – and then drink the blacksmith’s water. The Gemara reports that there was a goat which used to drink a blacksmith’s water and was found to have no spleen at all when it was slaughtered. Another remedy: ליפתח חביתא דחמרא לשמיה – Open a barrel of fine wine for his personal use, from which he should drink often. Rav Acha the son of Rava asked Rav Ashi: אי אית ליה חביתא דחמרא – If one has a personal barrel of wine, לא אתי לקמיה דמר – he would not come before the master for a remedy, because he will not be stricken with this ailment since the wine will have already healed him!? אלא מרגל בפת שחרית – Rather, if one cannot obtain wine, he should become accustomed to eating morning bread, דמעליא לכולי גופיה – which is beneficial to the entire body.
