Kommentar zu Oholot 6:3
כֹּתֶל הַמְשַׁמֵּשׁ אֶת הַבַּיִת, יִדּוֹן מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה. כֵּיצַד. כֹּתֶל שֶׁהוּא לָאֲוִיר וְהַטֻּמְאָה בְתוֹכוֹ, מֵחֶצְיוֹ וְלִפְנִים, הַבַּיִת טָמֵא, וְהָעוֹמֵד מִלְמַעְלָן טָהוֹר. מֵחֶצְיוֹ וְלַחוּץ, הַבַּיִת טָהוֹר, וְהָעוֹמֵד מִלְמַעְלָן טָמֵא. מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה, הַבַּיִת טָמֵא. וְהָעוֹמֵד מִלְמַעְלָן, רַבִּי מֵאִיר מְטַמֵּא, וַחֲכָמִים מְטַהֲרִין. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַכֹּתֶל לַבָּיִת:
Eine Mauer, die einem Haus dient, wird halb und halb regiert. Wie? Eine Wand, die zur Luft hin offen ist und in der sich die Unreinheit befindet, ist vom Mittelpunkt nach innen das Haus unrein, aber einer, der darüber steht, ist rein, vom Mittelpunkt außerhalb des Hauses ist rein und einer, der darüber steht, ist unrein . Wenn es auf halbem Weg ist, ist das Haus unrein und einer, der darüber steht, Rabbi Meir erklärt ihn für unrein, aber die Weisen erklären ihn für rein. Rabbi Yehuda sagt, die ganze Mauer sei dem Haus entsprechend geregelt.
Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
כותל שהוא לאויר – that its one side is the airspace of the world, and its other side serves the house, as for example, the wall that separates between the house and the courtyard or between the house and its garden.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
Introduction
Today's mishnah deals with a case where corpse impurity is found inside a wall. The question is does the impurity defile the house which is towards the inside of the wall? Also, does it defile a person standing on top of the wall?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
וטומאה בתוכו – that the wall was split/chipped and there is defilement in its cavity within the split/chip.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
A wall serving a house is treated as if it was separate halves. The wall that serves a house is treated as if it was two separate halves. The inner half of the wall is part of the house and the outer half of the wall is not part of the house.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
מחציו ולפנים – if the defilement is from the half of the wall to the side of the house.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
How so? A wall serving an open space, that has uncleanness within it: If it is in the inward half, the house is unclean, But what is above [the wall] remains clean. If the source of uncleanness is in the inside half of the wall, then it defiles the contents of the house. However, someone who is above the wall remains clean as if he were standing on the roof of a house (who is clean if there is uncleanness in the house, because the ceiling is a barrier to the impurity).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
הבית טמא – as it was within the house. And this half follows the house that we cast. But the person who stands at the wall from above even standing facing the defilement,
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
If it is in the outward half, the house remains clean, But what is above [the wall] becomes unclean. If the source of uncleanness is in the outer half of the wall, then we don't consider it to be in the house and the contents of the house are unclean. What is above the wall is unclean for the impurity in the wall goes up without anything to stop it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
he is pure, for it is not considered like pressed ritual impurity/טומאה רצוצה, and it doesn’t break through and ascend, for we consider it as it is lying/placed in the tent.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
If it is exactly in the middle, the house becomes unclean, And as for what is above, Rabbi Meir declares it unclean, But the sages declare it clean. If the source of uncleanness is right in the middle of the wall, the mishnah rules stringently with regard to the contents of the house, and says that they are unclean. With regard to what is above the house, Rabbi Meir again rules stringently. However, the sages are consistent with opinion found in section one. If the contents of the house are unclean, then it means that we look at the uncleanness as if it was in the house. In that case, the person standing above the wall is pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
מחציו ולחוץ – to the side of the airspace, we do not cast it after the house, and therefore, a person who stands from above is impure, because he is not like he is lying/placed in the tent, and this is pressed ritual impurity which breaks through and ascends.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
Rabbi Judah says: the whole of the wall belongs to the house. Rabbi Judah disagrees with the opinion in section one. He holds that if the uncleanness is found anywhere in the wall it is considered to be in the house. The contents of the house are unclean but a person standing above the wall is clean because the impurity is in the house.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
מחצה למחצה – and the defilement is in the middle.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
רבי מאיר מטמא – that we cast it to the wall after the house and after the airspace as a stringency.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
וחכמים מטהרין – that we completely cast it after the house. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
כל הכתל לבית – even if the defilement stands half of on the side of the airspace, it is as if it is ling within the house (according to Rabbi Yehuda).
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