22A- gemara asks why the talmidei chacamim are lenient? is it because water is too cold etc... why doesnt gemara reply they are lenient because of bitul torah or procreation (according to opinion earlier that he taught and not whispered the teaching)
Zev Farkas, Canada
The leniency of Bitul Torah and procreation was mentioned earlier in connection with pouring nine Kavim of water instead of going to a Mikvah, but it did not mention there the possibility of not doing anything at all, and it did not accept bathing in place of nine Kavim. This is what Rav Huna is asking: why do you act like Rebbi Yehudah ben Beseira and do nothing? If it is because of cold water, you could use a warm bath instead.
Thus, Rav Huna -- who wants to be even more lenient than using nine Kavim -- cannot use the answer of Bitul Torah because then he would require the nine Kavim, so he says maybe because the water is cold, but if so you can use warm water and She'uvim, meaning you can take a warm bath. The Gemara then quotes Rebbi Zeira who used to bathe in warm water but also used nine Kavim as he maintained that they need to be poured on a person.
Yoel Domb