A stringency of kodesh over terumah: Vessels inside vessels may be immersed for terumah [when they are both unclean], but not for kodesh. [For we say that the weight of the inner vessel against the outer one acts as a partition against the water, and the immersion avails for neither. Outside, and inside, and handle (beth hatzvitah) (are considered distinct vessels) in respect to terumah, but not in respect to kodesh. [A vessel whose inside and outside and handle can be used — every function that it serves renders it a distinct vessel vis-à-vis terumah. So that if one (of the three) became unclean, the others do not become unclean. This, with rabbinical uncleanliness. So that if the outside became unclean through unclean liquids, the inside and the handle do not become unclean. And if the handle became unclean, the outside and the inside do not become unclean. "beth hatzvitah," "a place for holding," as in (Ruth 2:14): "Vayitzbat lah kali" ("And he held out parched corn for her." Some read it as "beth hatzviah" ("the place of the finger"), a place being made in the vessel to put his finger in when he drinks, so that he not put his hand into the vessel. ("but not in respect to kodesh":) If one of the three areas becomes unclean with rabbinical uncleanliness, the whole vessel is unclean for kodesh.] One who carries a midras [a shoe of a zav] may carry terumah [if he wishes in an earthen jar; for he does not touch the inside.], but not kodesh, [because of an actual occurrence. Once, a man was carrying a jug of libational wine and the strap of his sandal (the midras of a zav) tore. When he took it in his hand, it fell into the jug and rendered the kodesh in it unclean. At that time they said: If one carries a midras, he may not carry kodesh. And because the incident was with kodesh, they decreed only with kodesh, but not with terumah.] Not as the "measure" of kodesh [vis-à-vis a chatzitzah (partition) in immersion] is the "measure" of terumah. For with kodesh, [if he has an unclean garment and he comes to immerse it, if it is tied], he frees the tie, [for it is like a chatzitzah], dries it [If it is moist, he dries it, for the oiliness on it is like a chatzitzah], and he immerses it and then he re-ties it. But with terumah, [if he wishes], he ties it and then immerses it [tied, and there is no cause for concern.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
חומר בקודש. שמטבילין כלי בתוך כלי – when both of them are ritually impure.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Introduction
In the previous two mishnayot we learned that the rules regarding eating “sacred things,” namely sacrifices, are more stringent than the rules regarding eating terumah. Our mishnah teaches several more aspects in which eating sacred things is treated more stringently.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
אבל לא לקודש – since we say that the heaviness of the inner utensil which weighs upon the outside which is placed within it, leaves a space before the defilement (tit must say, “before the water, and so it is in Rashi and in the Gemara – Tractate Hagigah 21a), for Ritual immersion is not effective for either one (i.e., Terumah/Priest’s due or Holy things).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Greater stringency applies to sacred things than to terumah, that they may immerse vessels within vessels [together] for terumah, but not for sacred things. When it comes to immersing impure vessels in order to purify them, if they are going to be used to hold terumah, one vessel may be immersed inside another vessel. If the vessel is going to be used for sacrifices, then the vessels cannot be immersed one inside the other.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
אחוריים ותוך ובית הצביטה לתרומה – a utensil that is appropriate to use inside it and at its back/outside and its handle. Each and every usage with it is considered a utensil in and of itself with regard to Terumah/priest’s due, for if one part became defiled, the other part did not become defiled. And we are speaking of Rabbinic defilements, for if the back/outside became defiled win ritually impure liquids, the inside is not defiled, nor the handle, but if the handle was defiled, the back and insides were not defiled. And the explanation of בית הצביטה – is something you grab hold of, such as the language of (Ruth 2:14): “He handed her roast grain, [and she ate her fill and had some left over].” But there are those who have the reading "בית הצביעה" – from the language for a finger – that they for the utensil a handle to place one’s finger inside it. When he drinks, in order that he not place hand inside the utensil proper.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
The outside and inside and handle [of a vessel are regarded as separate] for terumah, but not for sacred things. When it comes to terumah, each part of the vessel is considered as being separate. So if an impure thing touches the handle of the vessel, only the handle is impure and the contents inside the vessel are still pure. If something touches the outside of the vessel, only the outside is impure and not the inside. Finally, if something impure touches the inside only the inside is impure. When it comes to sacred things, if one part of the vessel is impure, the whole vessel is impure and will cause other things to become impure as well.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
אבל לא לקודש – for if one of them became ritually defiled in Rabbinic defilements, it is entirely impure for Holy things.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
One that carries anything possessing midras-uncleanness may carry [at the same time] terumah, but not sacred things. I explained “midras-impurity” in yesterday’s mishnah. Today’s mishnah teaches that if someone is holding an object that had become impure through midras (someone sat, stood, lied or applied pressure on it) he can hold in his other hand terumah. The vessel does not make him impure such that he makes the terumah impure. However, he cannot hold sacred things at the same time.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
הנושא את המדרס – [A person who comes in contact with] the shoe of the individual with a flux.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
The garments of those who eat terumah posses midras-uncleanness for [those who eat] sacred things. This is the exact same halakhah as that found in section three of yesterday’s mishnah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
נושא את התרומה – [he can carry priest’s due] if he wants in an earthen wine-jug, which does not touch its airspace.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
The rule [for the immersion of garments] for [those who would eat terumah is not the same as the rule for [those who would eat] sacred things: for in the case of sacred things, he must [first] untie [any knots in the unclean garment], dry it [if it is wet, then] immerse it, and afterwards retie it; but in case of terumah, it may [first] be tied and afterwards immersed. When one wants to immerse something to be used for sacred things must first untie all of the knots, dry them all off, then he may immerse it and then once it’s been immersed he may retie the knots. In contrast, if a vessel is going to be used for terumah, the knots don’t have to be taken out before it is immersed.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
אבל לא את הקודש – because of an incident that had taken place with an individual who had been carrying a jug of wine of drink-offerings, and his sandal-strap of his shoe broke that had Levitical uncleanness arising from an individual with a flux’s immediate contact by treading/leaning against, etc., and he took it in his hand and as a result, it fell into the atmosphere of the jug, and the Holy thing was ritually defiled; at that hour they said that whomever carries Levitical uncleanness arising from an individual with a flux’s immediate contact by treading/leaning against, should not carry any Holy thing, and because I was an incident that happened with something that was considered a Holy thing. Therefore, they did not make a decree other than with something that was Holy and not priest’s due.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
לא כמדת הקדש – with the interposition (of an intervening object) of his ritual immersions, is the measure of the priest’s due.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
שבקדש – if there is a ritually impure cloth and he comes to ritually immerse it, if it is tied, he releases the knot, because it is similar to an interposition [of an intervening object].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
ומנגב – if it is moist, he dries it first for the fatty, oily substance that is upon it is like an interposition [of an intervening object] of his ritual immersion.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
ובתרומה – if he desires, he can tie it up and afterwards he immerses it while it is tied and it has no effect.
