The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com
1. The boil and the burning cause uncleanness in one week with two marks, with white hair and with spreading.
[paragraph continues] "What is a boil?" "If one receive a knock with wood, or. stone, or oil dregs, or the waters of Tiberias, everything which is not through fire. This is the boil." "What is a burning?" "If one receive a burn from live coals, or hot ashes, everything which is from fire. This is the burning."
2. The boil and the burning are not identified one with the other, and they do not spread from one to the other, and they do not spread in the skin of the flesh, and the skin of the flesh does not spread in them. "If they become a running sore?" "They are clean." "If they form a skin like the peeling of garlic?" "This is the scab of the boil mentioned in the law." "They are changed and healed even though in their place there be a scar?" "They are judged to be skin of flesh."
3. They questioned R. Eliezer, "if there sprung up in the palm of the hand a white spot like a dollar, 1 and in its place the scab of a boil?" He said to them, "it must be inclosed." They said to him, "whereforeit is not suitable for the growth of white hairand as for spreading, it is not spreading, and as for quickflesh it does not render it unclean?" He said to them, "perhaps it will contract and spread." They said to him, "but if its space be only as large as three lentils square?" He said to them, "I have not heard it." R. Judah, the son of Bethirah, said to him, "I will study it." He said to him, "if thou dost study it for the confirmation of the opinions of the Sages, yes." He said to him, "perhaps there will be produced another boil outside of it, and this boil will spread to it." He replied to him, "thou art a great sage, because thou hast confirmed the words of the Sages."
284:1 Or selah.