Kommentar zu Kelim 13:12

הסיף והסכין והפגיון – a knife that has two mouths is called a dagger.

The sword, knife, dagger, spear, hand-sickle, harvest-sickle, clipper, and barbers’ whose component parts were separated, are susceptible to impurity. All of these instruments are metal and are therefore susceptible to impurity. The scissors are susceptible even though their two knives have been separated.

מגל יד (an implement combining a knife and saw) – a smooth implement made to break bones and to cut wood.

Rabbi Yose says: the part that is near the hand is susceptible to impurity, but that which is near the top is clean. Rabbi Yose says that when any of these instruments has been separated into multiple pieces, only the part that is near the hand is still susceptible, because only it can be held. The other parts are not susceptible because they can't be held without cutting one's hands.

מגל קציר (sickle/scythe – a implement with indentations) – filled with notches and ridges.

The two parts of shears which were separated: Rabbi Judah says: they are still susceptible to impurity; But the sages say that they are clean. The "shears" referred to here have only one knife, which is bent to aid in cutting. If this type of shears was split into two, Rabbi Judah says that it is still susceptible, since each part is still usable. The other sages say that since it is difficult to use each individual part on its own, both are clean.

השחור (hair-pinchers or razor) – they are small scissors that one shaves with them. And they are called שחור because they remove the hair, that removing and blackening is one thing, and so we state in the chapter "משילין פירות"/ They let down pieces of produce (Tractate Betzah 35b) that the one who taught “you may let fruit slide down [through an aperture in the roof}/משחילין is not erroneous (see also Tractate Bekhorot, Chapter 6, Mishnah 7). But there are those who interpret השחור is a razor.

והזוג של ספרים – larger scissors than the hair-pincher [or] razor.

שנחלקו – that they are of links and they take them apart from each other. And similarly, the razor has those whose handle is not attached and they remove it.

הסמוך ליד – that it is appropriate for work more, but near the head, he fears lest it wound his hand. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yossi.

מספורת שנחלקה (shears which are divided [into two]) – they are women’s scissors, and when they are divided, each one is fit for cutting.

וחכמים מטהרין – since it was broken. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

קוליגריפון (name of a batter’s tool resembling the stylus with one pointed end to pick up the bread called, “the tooth” and one flat and broad end to scrape the ashes out) – a utensil that at its one head is like teeth that we insert in bread or in meat when we remove it from the oven, And with the other head, we scrape out the coals and ashes from the oven.

Introduction Today's mishnah deals with tools that have two ends with which two different types of work can be performed.

ניטלה כפה (that has lost is palm – the flat and broad end – is susceptible to uncleanness on account of its tooth) – the wide side that is made like a spoon that that we scrape the ashes out with it.

A koligrophon whose spoon has been removed is still susceptible to impurity on account of its teeth. If its teeth have been removed it is still susceptible on account of its spoon. The koligrophon has a shovel on one end which was used to remove bread baking on the sides of an oven. On its other end are teeth, used to rake the coals in the oven. As long as one side is still functional, the entire instrument is susceptible to impurity.

טמאה – because the second head that has in it teeth that are appropriate for their use.

A makhol whose spoon is missing is still susceptible to impurity on account of its point; If its point was missing it is still susceptible on account of its spoon. A makhol has a spoon on one end for cleaning out one's ears, and a sharp other end to apply make-up to one's eyes. Again, as long as one side is still functional, the entire instrument is susceptible to impurity.

מכחול (a painting staff the spoon-shaped side of which is broken off) – its one head is pointed/sharp like a kind of thin and pointed side of a double tool to paint the eye with, and the other head is wide to clean the ear with it.

A stylus whose writing point is missing is still susceptible to impurity on account of its eraser; If its eraser is missing it is susceptible on account of its writing point. The stylus has one end used for writing and one end used for erasing.

מכתב (stylus/writing tool) – one head is pointed/sharp to write on a notebook of wax and the other head is thick and smooth to erase/rub out the writing that is engraved in the way and to smoothen it, in order that it would appropriate to return and to write once again on it.

A zomalister whose spoon is lost is still susceptible to impurity on account of its fork; If its fork is missing, it is still susceptible on account of its spoon. A zomalister seems to be the ancient version of the spork, except it had it spoon (actually a ladle for pouring soup) on one end and its fork (for taking meat out of a dish).

זומלסטרא (soup-ladle – with a spoon on one side and a fork on the other) – one head is a spoon, made to receive the filth/smell from the pot and to remove it and the other head is a kind of fork to bring out the meat.

So too with regard to the prong of a mattock. A mattock is a tool shaped like an axe and used to break up the ground before planting. Sometimes they would affix teeth to its other end to aid in breaking up ground. It is susceptible to impurity as long as one side remains.

וכן השן של מעדר (the tooth of the mattock/share of the plough) – at its one head they turn over the soil and at the other head the attach the vessel of the plough one with the other.

The minimum size for all these instruments: so that they can perform their usual work. As is normally the case, as long as the tool is still usable for its original purpose, it is still susceptible to impurity.

שיעור כולן – if the one head was removed that it is necessary that there would remain of the second head in order to be the measurement of the handle that it would be appropriate to do the work.

חרחור (coulter, inserted into the horizontal pole/מרדע in front of the ploughshare/דרבן ) – a vessel made like a hoe that we dig up the ground, and its iron is more pointed/sharp to sever the roots so that it will not detain the plough.

A harhur that is damaged is still susceptible to impurity until its greater part is removed. But if its shaft-socket is broken it is clean. A harhur is the iron vessel into which an ox-goad (see 9:7) can be placed in order to dig and to remove dirt from a plow. It is susceptible to impurity even if damaged, as long as its shaft-socket, the opening into which the ox-goad is placed, is intact.

שינטל רובו – most of the iron or most of the steel-coating of the cutting tools/steel-edge.

A hatchet whose cutting edge is lost remains susceptible to impurity on account of its splitting edge. If its splitting edge is lost it remains susceptible on account of its cutting edge. If its shaft-socket is broken it is clean. The head of the hatchet has a thin side for cutting and a thick side for splitting wood. If either side remains usable, it is still susceptible. If the shaft-socket, the hole into which the head is affixed, is broken, the entire hatchet is unusable and it is pure.

מקופו (the eye of the coulter for the insertion of the horizontal pole) – a hole in which they insert the handle/helve like [Talmud Berakhot 55b]: “the hole of the needle.”

טהור – for further it is not appropriate for work since one is not able to bring in a handle.

קרדום (hatchet) – that is pointed/sharp and cuts from its two sides. The one side is wide and carpenters use it and it is called its cutting edge. The Aramaic translation of the strigil is called its cutting edge. But the second side is short and it is called that part of the spade (or shovel) that is used for chopping, because it is on that side that homeowners cut/split wood. And in the Gemara in Tractate Betza [folio 31b] it calls the wide side its broadside of a double tool. But the short side is called the thin and pointed side of the double tool [of the hatchet used for splitting].

מגריפה (ladle/shovel) – made to remove the ashes from the double-stove and from the oven, but when its blade was removed, its handle remained which is made in the form of a mallet of blacksmiths. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.

An ash-shovel whose spoon was missing is still susceptible to impurity, since it is still like a hammer, the words of Rabbi Meir. But the sages rule that it is clean. The ash-shovel is used to rake out coals from an oven. According to Rabbi Meir even if the shovel was removed, it is still susceptible because its heavy iron body is still usable as a hammer. Although this was not its original use, it still has some use, this use is sufficient for it to remain susceptible. The other sages hold that since it can no longer be used for its original purpose, it is no longer susceptible to impurity.

מגירה (saw) – it is a fattened ox (see Psalms 69:32 and many other examples throughout Scripture) in the language of Scripture, SIGA in the foreign tongue.

A saw whose teeth are missing one in every two is clean. But if a hasit length of consecutive teeth remained it is susceptible to impurity. If one out of every two teeth is missing, the saw is no longer susceptible to impurity, because with so many teeth missing, it is no longer usable. However, if a hasit (some say that this is the length between the forefinger and thumb and some say between the forefinger and middle finger) length of teeth remain in one place, then the saw is still usable and is still susceptible.

אחת מבינתיים טהורה – if he removed from one tooth from all that have two teeth, it is impossible to anymore to drag any further, therefore it is is ritually pure and is not appropriate for use.

An adze, scalpel, plane, or drill that was damaged remains susceptible to impurity, but if its steel edge was missing it is clean. In general, these instruments remain usable and therefore susceptible to impurity even when damaged. They would put a piece of steel in all of these instruments to strengthen and sharpen it. If this piece of steel was removed, then the instrument is no longer susceptible.

נשתייר בה – from the complete teeth the measurement of a סיט/the distance between the tip of the thumb and the index finger when held apart in one place.

In all these cases if it was split into two parts both remain susceptible to impurity, except for the drill. Except for the drill, all of these instruments are usable even if split in two. Therefore, they are all still susceptible. Since the drill is not usable when it is split in two, it is not susceptible.

טמאה – the saw [is ritually impure]. For with that full extent of the distance between the tip of the thumb and the index finger when held apart which is complete is appropriate for dragging. And the measurement of the full extent of the distance between the tip of the thumb and the index finger when held apart, all what is possible for a person to distance between the finger and the forearm.

The block of a plane by itself is clean. The block of a plane whose steel edge has been removed is no longer usable and therefore it is clean.

מעצד (adze)– an iron vessel that the carpenter planes the boards.. DOLDORA in the foreign language.

איזמל – a small razor that one circumcises a baby with. The Aramaic translation of חרבות צורים/flint knives (see Joshua 5:2-3) which is “sharp knives.”

והמפסלת (plane/sculptor’s chisel) – sharp/pointed iron that is fixed within wood and they take it and bring it over the board and smooth it out. It is the [Scriptural] language of (Exodus 34:1): “"פסל לך/”Carve for yourself.”

מקדח (borer – used by carpenters) – a vessel/utensil that they make holes/perforate boards.

שנפגמו (which have been damaged) – that were split/broken apart.

ניטל חיסומן (if their steel-edge is worn off) – in the mouth of the sword and in the mouth of the knife and in the mouth of a hatchet/mattock and in the thin part of the borer they place good and considered iron, ATZALAV in the foreign tongue, and they muzzle their mouths with it in order that it will be sharp/pointed to cut/sever well, and this is called, חיסומן/their steel-edge.

והרוקני (the plane [the wooden body] by itself) – the wood that the sculptor’s chisel/plane is fixed in it is called רוקני. But if the iron was worn off that makes ritually impure and smoothens, and the wood remains alone without iron, it is ritually pure.

חרירה (the eye-needle) – like its hole. The hole that one threads/brings the thread through (see also Tractate Shabbat 52b for a similar expression).

A needle whose eye or point is missing is clean. If he adapted it to be a stretching-pin it is susceptible to impurity. If the needle is missing its eye or point it is pure because it cannot be used. However, if he fixed this needle to use it as a stretching-pin (to stretch out canvases or laundry for them to dry), it is susceptible because stretching-pins don't need points or eyes to be usable.

עוקצה (whose point is broken off) – the sharp head that they bring into the clothing when they sew. Like the peduncle of a fig (that is attached to the tree when it is cut off).

A pack-needle whose eye was missing is still susceptible to impurity since one writes with it. If its point was missing it is clean. A "pack-needle" is generally used to sew packs. However, due to its large size it can be used to write with on wax, and therefore it is still susceptible to impurity even without an eye through which to thread it. But if its point is missing, it is not at all usable and is clean.

אם המתינה למתוח (if he made it into a stretching pin) – it is the manner of weavers that take a broken needle and place it into the rim of the cloth in order to stretch its rims.

A stretching-pin is in either case susceptible to impurity. As we learned in section one, a pin without an eye or a point can still be used as a stretching pin. Therefore it is susceptible in all cases.

מחט של סקאים (sack-maker’s needle) – a large needle that they sew with it the sacks that are made from the hair of goats and similar animals from the thick clothing.

A needle that has become rusty: If this hinders it from sewing it is clean, But if not it remains susceptible to impurity. A needle which has become rusty is susceptible to impurity as long as the rust does not hinder it from use.

שהוא כותב בה – on a tablet of wax.

A hook that was straightened out is clean. If it is bent back it resumes its susceptibility to impurity. The hook loses its usability if it is straightened out. Thus it is pure. If he bends it back to make it a hook, it is again susceptible to impurity. The Rambam explains this line as meaning that it returns to its original state of impurity, as is the rule with metal vessels that are broken and then fixed (see 11:1).

של מתוח – if he prepared to stretch with it the rim of the cloth in the manner that the weavers do.

בין כך ובין כך טמאה – for it is appropriate for stretching without its point and without its eye [of the needle].

אם מעכבת את התפירה – that he is unable to sew with it because of the rust. But there are those who interpret, all the while that the rust makes a known impression in the cloth, that is the delaying of sewing, and it is ritually pure, and this is implied in the Chapter [Five of Tractate Shabbat], “With what does a beast [go out on the Sabbath – folio 52b].”

צנורא – a curved small fork at its head and it is customary to turn over the meat with it over the coals, but some of them are small that they trim the wicks with them and cleanse/wipe off the candles. But when it is straightened/flattened it is like a needle whose needle-eye or point is removed and it is ritually pure.

הפין (bit of a key) – the teeth of a key with which they open the door. And this form of this key is known in the Egyptian kingdom and throughout the land of Israel.

Introduction Our principle teaches and illustrates the general principle that a vessel is considered to be made of the material which makes up its function part. This principle is of importance because the rules governing wooden and metal vessels are different.

אפילו אחת טמאה – and even though that the teeth on their own without a lock are ritually pure, they (i.e., the Sages) established it that with a lock they are ritually impure , nevertheless the teeth are considered as essential and the lock serves [the teeth].

Wood that serves a metal vessel is susceptible to impurity, but metal that serves a wooden vessel is clean. If the functional part of a vessel is made of metal, it is susceptible to impurity even if its ancillary parts are made of wood. But if the functional part is made of wood, it is not susceptible even if its ancillary parts are metal.

אלמוג (coral- a species of cedar tree) – KORALI in the foreign language, and it grows in the depth of the sea. And its beginning is soft prior to the air making it float/become thick and they open with it something sealed. And in Scripture, it is עצי אלמוגים (I Kings 10:11): “[Moreover, Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a huge quanity] of almog wood/sandalwood [and precious stones].”

How so? If a lock is of wood and its clutches are of metal, even if only one of them is so, it is susceptible to impurity, but if the lock is of metal and its clutches are of wood, it is clean. The mishnah now illustrates this through several examples. The first example is a lock. The clutches are the functional part. Therefore, even if only one of them is of metal, the lock is susceptible.

השן שבטס (the key-ward fastened to a thin plate) – it is not similar to the bit of a key of that which opens for the tooth is used on its own, what is not the case with the bit of the key. Therefore, it is ritually impure on its own.

If a ring was of metal and its seal of coral, it is susceptible to impurity, but if the ring was of coral and its seal of metal, it is clean. The main part of the ring is the ring itself. Therefore if it is of coral, the ring is clean (coral is never susceptible to impurity), but if it is of metal, it is susceptible.

The tooth in the plate of a lock or in a key is susceptible to impurity by itself. Since the mishnah discussed locks, it adds that if the tooth in the plate of a lock is separate from the lock or key, it can still be susceptible to impurity, because it is considered a vessel in and of itself.

הכדומין (a sort of lever with which a pitcher is fished out of the wall/grappling iron) – a big long piece of wood and hooks come out from it here and there and they suspend on those hooks flasks of water in the air in order to cool them off. But Maimonides explained, that is a kind of seed-pot with hooks all around them and on it they raise the utensils that fell into the pit.

Introduction This mishnah deals with vessels that are basically wooden, but have one part made of metal.

האשקלונין – that are made in Ashkelon.

If Ashkelon grappling-irons were broken but their hooks remained, they remain susceptible to impurity. Since the hooks are the main parts of the grappling-irons, as long as they remain, the vessel is susceptible to impurity. Furthermore, although the vessel is made of wood, since its hooks are of metal, it is susceptible.

המעבר והמזרה ומגוב (pitchfork – for the first stage of winnowing – passing the grain from one side to the other; winnowing fan; rake – an agricultural implement with many teeth, forming a sort of sieve to separate the grain from the chaff) – utensils that are made to clean the grain from the straw and to transfer the straw from place ot place. The pitchfork/המעבר has teeth and it is similar to the hand of humans, and with it, they transfer the straw from place to place. And the winnowing fan they winnow the wheat in the granary/threshing floor , therefore it is called a מזרה/winnowing fan, and its teeth are greater in umber than the teeth of the pitchfork. And the מגוב/rake has even more teeth than that of the winnowing fan, and with it, they separate/sift the grain after they winnowed it with the winnowing fan.

If a pitch-fork, winnowing-fan, or rake, and the same applies to a hair-comb, lost one of its teeth and it was replaced by one of metal, it is susceptible to impurity. These are all tools with teeth. Most of the tool is made of wood, but one of the missing wooden teeth was replaced with metal. This one metal tooth gives the entire vessel the status of a metal vessel and it is therefore susceptible to impurity.

דבר חדש חידשו סופרים – they were appropriate to be ritually pure, for they are straight/flat wooden vessels, but because of one metal tooth, they were not put down as defiled.

And concerning all these Rabbi Joshua said: the scribes have here introduced a new principle of law, and I have no explanation to offer. Rabbi Joshua adds here a fascinating note, one which I don't believe we have encountered elsewhere in the Mishnah. In all of the above cases, since the basic vessel was of wood, and it was a simple vessel without a receptacle, the vessel should not have been susceptible to impurity. The innovation that the earlier scribes innovated was that although only one part was of metal, the entire vessel is susceptible. Rabbi Joshua accepts this innovation, but nevertheless admits that he does not understand it. We can see here his deference to tradition, and yet his striving to understand it, and his sense of frustration when he cannot. This is an attitude that I believe is very typical among rabbis. They have a strong sense of respect for tradition, and yet they do not simply accept all that they have received. Rather, they constantly attempt to understand the early halakhot, to make sense out of them, and to use the principles that they perceive as underlying these halakhot to derive further halakhot.

ואין לי מה להשיב – for what reason did they say this [to the critics].

מסרק של פשתן – it has multiple teeth like long needles that are inserted in wood, and through it, they comb the flax.

Introduction The final mishnah of chapter thirteen deals with various types of combs that have their teeth missing.

ונשתייר בו שתים טמא – if there did not remain on it anything other than two teeth alone, the comb is ritually impure, for it is still worthy for their work.

A flax-comb: if the teeth were missing but two remained, it is still susceptible to impurity. If only one remained it is clean. As long as two teeth of the flax-comb remained, the comb is somewhat usable and is therefore susceptible to impurity. If only one tooth remains, it is useless and therefore clean.

אחת אחת בפני עצמו טמאות – each and every tooth on its own that had been removed from the comb is ritually impure, for it is worthy to write with it in a wax tablet.

As regards all the teeth, each one individually is susceptible to impurity. According to the Tosefta one can use the teeth of this type of comb as a writing instrument, and therefore if they are separated from the comb they can still become impure.

ושל צמר – a wool comb.

A wool-comb: if one tooth out of every two is missing it is clean. If three consecutive teeth remained, it is susceptible to impurity. If the outermost tooth was one of them, the comb is clean. The rules governing a wool-comb are slightly different. If one out of every two teeth is missing, it is not usable and it is clean. But if three remain in one place, it can be used so it is susceptible, but only if the outer, wider tooth is not one of them. Since this tooth can't be used for combing, it doesn't count for the requisite three.

אחת מבינתיים – from every three adjacent [teeth], the middle one was removed, it furthermore is not worthy [for use].

If two teeth were removed from the comb and made into a pair of tweezers, they are susceptible to impurity. Even if only one was removed but it was adapted to be used for a lamp or as a stretching-pin, it is susceptible to impurity. As was the case with the flax-comb, it is possible for the teeth to be removed and put to secondary use. Thus, if one uses the teeth of the wool-comb as tweezers, they are susceptible. And even a single tooth can be impure if it is removed and fixed to be used for a candle (to trim the wick) or for a stretching pin (see above, mishnah five).

היה החיצונה אחת מהן טהור – the outer tooth of the comb is wide and is not appropriate to comb with it, for it is like the outer [tooth] that is on the head of our com, therefore, if the outer [tooth] is one from the three that remained, the comb is ritualluy pure, for it is not appropriate to comb with it for there are only two teeth here.

ועשאן למלקטת (he makes use of them as pinchers) – to gather the hair in them.

והתקינה לנר – to remove the wick and/or to cleanse the lamp through it.

ולמיתוח (stretching pin) – We have the reading [מיתוח], that is to stretch the rim of he cloth in the manner of the weavers who [insert] a needle in the rim of the cloth in order that they can stretch its rims.