Menachem b. Signai testified about the rim of the vat of the boilers of olives that it is tamei; and of dyers, that it is tahor. For there were those that said the opposite. [The olive boilers and the dyers used to have large vats on whose rims they placed a border of clay to contain the water when it boiled over. That (i.e., the rim) of the olive boilers was tamei because that addition was needed for the vessel and was used; and the Torah stated in respect to an oven or a stove (Leviticus 11:31): "They shall be unclean to you" — "to you," to all that you need; that is, the thing in the vessel that you need and use — it is that which is susceptible of tumah. ("and of dyers, that it is tahor":) The dyers do not make use of that addition, for they are afraid that it will spoil their dye.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
מוסף היורה של שולקי זיתים – it is the manner of those who seethe olives and dyers who have large boilers and make for them additional plaster on their rims so that they will bring forth water at the time of their boiling. That of those who seethe olives is ritually impure, because that supplement is necessary for the utensil and it is used, and the Torah stated concerning the oven and portable stoves on feet (Leviticus 11:35): “an oven or stove shall be smashed. They are unclean and unclean they shall remain for you.” And they (i.e., the Rabbis) expound upon the word לכם/”for you,” everything that they need, that is a substance from the utensil that one you need it for and use it – that it receives defilement.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Introduction
Olive-boilers and dyers would both use large metal cauldrons for boiling. In order to prevent the water from spilling out they would put a plaster ledge around the sides of the cauldron. The question in our mishnah is: are these plaster ledges receptive to impurity? In other words, are they considered “vessels” which receive impurity or raw material which does not.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
ושל צבעים טהור – for dyers do not use the same supplement since they are fearful lest they lose their color.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Menahem ben Signai testified concerning the ledge attached to an olive-boiler’s cauldron, that it is [liable to become] impure; and concerning that of dyers, that it is not [liable to become] impure, whereas they used to say the reverse. According to Menahem ben Signai, the ledge attached to the olive-boiler’s cauldron can become impure. This is because it is necessary for the proper use of the cauldron; it allows the olive-boiler to fill the entire cauldron with water. The ledge that the dyer uses cannot become impure because the dyer is careful not to fill the cauldron up to the top with water so that it might boil over. Previously people reasoned the opposite. Evidently they thought that the dyer’s made more use of the ledge than did the olive-boilers. The principle, however, remains the same. If the ledge is normally used to keep the water in, than it receives impurity. Unfortunately, I must admit, never having boiled olives or dye, that I cannot fully understand the reason why people would change their minds about which is a “vessel” and which is not.
