נגעים ב׳Negaim 2

Mishnah 1א׳

בַּהֶרֶת עַזָּה נִרְאֵית בַּגֶּרְמָנִי כֵּהָה, וְהַכֵּהָה בַכּוּשִׁי עַזָּה. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲנִי כַפָּרָתָן, הֲרֵי הֵן כְּאֶשְׁכְּרוֹעַ, לֹא שְׁחוֹרִים וְלֹא לְבָנִים, אֶלָּא בֵינוֹנִיִּים. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, יֵשׁ לַצַּיָּרִים סַמְמָנִין שֶׁהֵן צָרִין צוּרוֹת שְׁחוֹרוֹת, לְבָנוֹת וּבֵינוֹנִיּוֹת. מֵבִיא סַם בֵּינוֹנִי וּמַקִּיפוֹ מִבַּחוּץ, וְתֵרָאֶה בַבֵּינוֹנִי. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מַרְאוֹת נְגָעִים לְהָקֵל אֲבָל לֹא לְהַחְמִיר, יֵרָאֶה הַגֶּרְמָנִי בִּבְשָׂרוֹ לְהָקֵל, וְהַכּוּשִׁי בַּבֵּינוֹנִי לְהָקֵל. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, זֶה וָזֶה בַּבֵּינוֹנִי:

A bright Baheret [type of diseased patch that creates impurity] looks dull on a light-skinned person [lit. German] and a dull one looks bright on a dark-skinned person [lit. Ethiopian]. Rabbi Yishmael says: Bnei Yisrael, may I be their atonement, behold they are like box-wood, not black and not white, but intermediate. Rabbi Akiva says: Painters have pigments with which they paint forms black or white or intermediate. One brings an intermediate pigment and surrounds it [the Nega] from outside, and it will appear in the intermediate. Rabbi Yehudah says: The appearances of Negaim [diseased patches on skin, clothes, or houses that create impurity, should be decided] for leniency [when in doubt] but not for stringency: he [the examining priest] should look at the light-skinned person in [comparison with] his skin for leniency and the dark-skinned person in [comparison with] intermediate [dye] for leniency. The Sages say: Both this and this [case should be looked at in comparison with] intermediate [dye].

Mishnah 2ב׳

אֵין רוֹאִים הַנְּגָעִים בַּשַּׁחֲרִית וּבֵין הָעַרְבַּיִם, וְלֹא בְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת, וְלֹא בַיּוֹם הַמְעֻנָּן, לְפִי שֶׁהַכֵּהָה נִרְאֵית עַזָּה. וְלֹא בַצָּהֳרַיִם, לְפִי שֶׁעַזָּה נִרְאֵית כֵּהָה. אֵימָתַי רוֹאִין. בְּשָׁלשׁ, בְּאַרְבַּע, וּבְחָמֵשׁ, וּבְשֶׁבַע, וּבִשְׁמֹנֶה, וּבְתֵשַׁע, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בְּאַרְבַּע, בְּחָמֵשׁ, בִּשְׁמֹנֶה, וּבְתֵשַׁע:

One may not examine Negaim [to check them] in the morning or towards evening, and not inside the house and not on the cloudy day, because the dull [Nega] seems bright [in these circumstances]. And [one may not examine] at noon, because the bright [Nega] seems dull. When does one examine? During the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth [hours of the day]. These are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehudah says: During the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth.