It is permitted to eat dry foods with unclean hands, with terumah, but not with kodesh. [This is the intent: It is permitted to eat dry foods of chullin with unclean hands, with terumah but not with kodesh, i.e., If one stuck food of kodesh into his friend's mouth with clean hands, the hands of the eater being unclean; or if he himself stuck such food into his mouth with a reed or a rod, and he desired to eat radish or onion of chullin with it, in which instance his unclean hands, which are of second-degree uncleanliness, do not make the chullin unclean, still, the rabbis decreed that he not eat them with kodesh, lest he touch the kodesh food in his mouth with his unclean hands. But in respect to terumah, even though unclean hands render it unfit, they did not establish this higher level, but assumed that he could take care and not touch it. "Dry foods" is stated, for if liquid were now upon them the liquid would become first-decree uncleanliness because of his hands and would make the chullin second-degree uncleanliness, so that when it touched the terumah in his mouth, it would render it unfit.] A mourner [who did not become unclean through (contact with the body of) his dead one] and one lacking atonement [one who immersed and whose sun set, but who did not yet bring his offerings] require immersion for kodesh, but not for terumah. [After he brings his offerings, if he wishes to eat kodesh, he must immerse. For since until now they were forbidden to eat kodesh, the rabbis required immersion. One who lacks atonement renders kodesh unfit by touching it. And a mourner, even though he may not eat it, does not render it unfit by touching it. And even though a mourner may not eat second-tithe, he is permitted to eat terumah, this being derived from (Leviticus 22:10): "And every stranger (i.e., non-priest) shall not eat the holy thing (terumah)" — "Strangeness" (disqualifies), and not mourning.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
אוכלין אוכלים נגובים בידים מסואבות בתרומה – this is how it should be read: they eat dry foods of Hullin/non-holy, fully tithed with soiled/unwashed hands with Priest’s due/Terumah, but not with Holy/sanctified things. He whose fellow inserted/stuck sanctified foods into his mouth with ritually pure hands. But this one who is eating had soiled hands or that he inserted by himself sanctified foods in his mouth with a reed or a whorl [of the spindle], and he requested to eat a radish or an onion of Hullin/non-holy, totally tithed produce with them, for the soiled hands which are second degree of Levitical uncleanness do not defile the Hullin; nevertheless, the Rabbis decreed that he should not eat them with the sanctified foods, lest his soiled hands come in contact with the sanctified food that is in his mouth. But regarding the matter of Priest’s due/Terumah, even though soiled hands do defile, they do not make this gradation, but we say that he is careful and doesn’t come in contact. And for this reason, [the Mishnah uses the word "נגובים /”dried” for if he were now to place liquid upon them, these liquids would become first-degree of Levitical uncleanness on account of the hands, and makes the Hullin/non-holy, totally tithed produce second-degree of Levitical uncleanness and when he touches the Terumah/priest’s due that is in his mouth, he defiles it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Introduction
Another two stringencies for sacred things.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
האונן – who did not become defiled through his dead [lying before him – i.e., yet unburied].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
They may eat dry foods with impure hands when it comes to terumah, but not when it comes to sacred things. Wet food is susceptible to impurity whereas dry food is not (see Leviticus 11:34, 38). This is true in all cases except for the case of sacred food. The idea is that “the love of the sacred makes it susceptible to impurity.” [This is a fascinating concept, demonstrating well that the concept of sacredness and susceptible to impurity are intimately connected.] Therefore one cannot eat sacred food with impure hands, even if the hands are dry. Terumah is like normal food and doesn’t receive impurity unless it becomes wet.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
ומחוסר כפורים – he immersed and sunset had occurred, but he had not brought his sacrifices.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
The one who has not yet buried his dead (an and one who lacks atonement require immersion for sacred things but not for terumah. When one of a person’s seven close relatives dies, he/she is an onen on that day and the night thereafter. An onen may not eat sacrifices. Similarly a person who needed to bring certain sacrifices in order to complete his period of impurity (such as a leper, see Leviticus 14:10) cannot eat other sacrifices until he brings these mandated sacrifices. The rabbis decreed that before these people can eat sacrifices they must go to the mikveh. This immersion would aid in the transition between their former state of not being able to eat sacrifices to a state of being able to eat sacrifices. In contrast, an onen and a formerly impure person who had not brought sacrifices can eat terumah, therefore upon the completion of the period of being an onen and after bringing the sacrifice he may continue to eat terumah without another immersion.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
צריכין טבילה – for after he will bring his sacrifice, if he wants to eat sanctified food, since for up to the present time, they were prohibited to consume sanctified things, the Rabbis required of him ritual immersion. But those lacking atonement defiles the sanctified food through contact, and the mourner before the burial of a kinsman/Onen is prohibited [to consume] Second Tithe, but is permitted [to consume] Terumah [assuming that he is a Kohen or she is married to one], for we include him from [the verse] (Leviticus 22:10): “No lay person shall eat of the sacred donations.” I said to you, those who are “foreign” but not those who are in the status of mourning before the burial of a kinsman.
