• הפילה – throwing down a knife without any cutting intent is a valid shechitah

The next Mishnah states: נפלה סכין ושחטה – if a knife fell and shechted an animal, although it shechted it properly, it is פסול, as the passuk says: "וזבחת...ואכלת" – and you shall slaughter…and you shall eat, implying: מה שאתה זובח אתה אוכל – that which you slaughter (with your own force), you may eat, but not from shechitah which happened on its own. The Gemara infers: הא הפילה הוא – but if he threw down [the knife] and it shechted, it would be valid, ואף על גב דלא מיכוין – even though he did not intend that the knife should cut at all. Rava says this follows Rebbe Nassan, who ruled that זרק סכין לנועצה בכותל – if one threw a knife to plunge it into a wall and it shechted, the shechitah is valid (the Rabbonon say it is פסול). Although Rava already taught that the Mishnah on Daf 2a, which validates shechitah performed by a חרש, שוטה, or קטן, follows Rebbe Nassan, there he at least had intent לשום חתיכה בעולם – for some kind of cutting, but here Rava teaches that even throwing down a knife with no intent for cutting is still valid. The Mishnah on Daf 2a teaches that even shechitah which results from an incompetent person is valid.

• Machlokes if tevilah requires intent regarding chullin (e.g., a נדה to her husband)

Amoraim discuss: נדה שנאנסה וטבלה – a niddah who accidentally immersed herself, Rav says: טהורה לביתה – she is tahor for her house (i.e., permitted to her husband), ואסורה לאכול בתרומה – but she is still prohibited from eating terumah, since the tevilah was without intent. Rebbe Yochanan says she is not even permitted to her husband with such a tevilah. Rava explained why Rav ruled leniently regarding the husband, because her husband is "חולין" (non-sacred), and tevilah for chullin does not require intent. This is supported by a Mishnah teaching that if someone whose hands were tamei reached into a water channel to take fruit from the water, his hands become tahor, without any intent for tevilah. This is further supported by a Baraisa teaching that if someone immersed himself ולא הוחזק – and had no intent, he is permitted (i.e., tahor) for chullin. Rebbe Yochanan ruled like Rebbe Yonasan ben Yosef, who darshens a passuk (regarding צערת of clothing) to require intent for any tevilah. Still, he agrees that shechitah does not require intent, inferring from the Torah requiring intent for shechitah of kodashim that ordinary shechitah does not.

• The case of “accidental” tevilah of a נדה

The Gemara wonders about the case of the niddah שנאנסה וטבלה – who accidentally immersed herself. If her friends forcibly immersed her, כוונה דחברתה כוונה מעלייתא היא – the intent of her friends to immerse her is a perfect intent, and all would agree such a tevilah would permit her to her husband, and would even permit her to eat terumah!? This is based on a Mishnah which states that if a mentally competent woman directs the tevilah of a חרשת, שוטה, etc., she may eat terumah. Rav Pappa answered that according to Rebbe Nassan (who does not require any intent at all regarding shechitah), the case here can be שנפלה מן הגשר – where she fell from a bridge, and likewise had no intent to enter the water. According to the Rabbonon (who require intent to cut the סימנים regarding shechitah), the case is שירדה להקר – where she descended into the water to cool off, and then fell fully into the water.