[Avodah] Shiur for Kesem today

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

The justification for the shiur of a geris for kesmamim on clothing
is that any spot that is a kegeris or less in area could be from a
crushed parasite. So the kesem proves nothing. Also (Niddah 58b) points
out that they couldn't make a gezeirah that would mean she would never
be tahor leba'alah.

I am wondering, how can we today be toleh bema'akholes? BH we live in a
place and time where healthy people are not plagued with lice and whatnot,
that this is a likely alternative explanation.

Or do we say that when they were gozerin on kesamim, the gerzeirah didn't
include a kesem equal to or smaller than a kegeris, and therefore we
make no assumptions at all about where the kesem came from?

For comparison:

Tosafos (58b, "ukidvarav") say that if she were infested with many
ma'akhalos, one could be toleh even a larger kesem on that. We do not
hold like Tosafos. The AhS (YD 190:18) pins that on these bugs being
loners. They don't scamper in pairs. Multiple crushed lice would make
multiple kesamim. Alternatively (se'if 27, in the name of the Rosh se'if
6) lo pelug chakhamim.

Then there is the that if one can be be toleh on pishpeshin, in which
case the shiur goes up to anything less than a turmos. Literally,
pishpeshin are "finders". Jastrow said these are bedbugs, but I've
unfortunately have seen bedbugs, I doubt they have more capacity than
lice. Also, unlike bedbugs, pishpeshin smell, which is one of the
ways of knowing whether such blame is possible.

(A ma'akholes is apparently too common or too unnoticable to warrant
needing to know if there was one around.)

And the AhS (se'if 31) says that because pishpeshin can't be found where
he lives, this din doesn't apply. This is based on Rashi ("R"N") saying
"there are places where pishpeshin are found, and in those places..."

Would people living in modern settings have to say the same about the
ma'akholes?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 22nd day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        3 weeks and 1 day in/toward the omer.
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