Commentary for Kelim 12:1

טבעת אדם – as for example the ring of a finger. But the ring that they established to gird his loins and to and to tie it between his shoulders is ritually pure, and that is a ring of vessels. And the reason is because Scripture did not include anything other than ornaments of a man, but not the ornaments of an animal and vessels.

A man's ring is susceptible to impurity. The ring that a man wears is susceptible to impurity, just as is a ring worn by a woman.

קורת החצים (beam of arrows) – there are those who interpret the dung heap that the arrows are placed upon. And there are those who interpret the target of the arrow.

A ring for cattle or for vessels and all other rings are clean. On its own and not used as jewelry, a ring is not considered a vessel. Therefore, if it is used for cattle or for other vessels, the ring is clean.

ושל אסירין (and that of prisoners) – that they make like a kind of notch in the beam to bring into it the foot of a man [and they place a long piece of wood on top of it] and one is not able to go out/escape. And in the language of Scripture, they call it a סד/stocks (Job 13:27 – though the verse is slightly misquoted by Bartenura who writes: וישם בסד רגלי – while the Biblical text writes): "ותשם בסד רגלי"/”that You put my feet in the stocks [and watch all my ways].” But the beams of arrows and of prisoners that are mentioned here are of metal and not of wood.

A beam for arrows is susceptible to impurity, but one for prisoners is clean. The beam described here is made of metal, and is used as a target for shooting arrows. It is susceptible because it is considered a vessel. On the other hand, the beam used to shackle prisoners is not considered a vessel and is therefore not susceptible.

קולר (prisoner’s chain/collar around the neck) – that they place on the neck of prisons. [And it closes]. The Aramaic translation of "ויתנהו בסוגר" (Ezekiel 19:9)/”With hooks he was put in a cage, [They carried him off to the king of Babylon and confined him in a fortress],” with the prisoner’s chain/collar around the neck, and because the prisoner’s collar was made that he would carry with him in every place that he goes, it is considered a usable vessel more than the beam of prisoners which does not move with it from its place. Therefore, the prisoner’s collar/chain is ritually impure.

A prisoner's collar is susceptible to impurity. The collar which is put on the necks of multiple prisoners is susceptible because it is considered a vessel.

שיש בה בית נעילה – they make for the chain a lock-piece [and place them on the foot of the horses, and close them with a key, and it is considered a vessel.

A chain that has a lock-piece is susceptible to impurity. But that used for tying up cattle is clean. A chain that has a place for a lock is susceptible, but if it is just used to tie up cattle it is not susceptible.

לכפיתה (for binding, color-band for animals) – chains that they bind with them the money and the cubs/young animals of small dogs. And they are made for the adornment/beauty and they are an ornament of animals and do not ritually defile.

The chain used by wholesalers is susceptible to impurity. That used by householders is clean. Rabbi Yose said: When is this so? When it attaches to one door, but if it attaches to two doors or if it had a snail[-shaped] piece at its end it is susceptible to impurity. Albeck explains that the chain used by the wholesalers was used to lock up their storehouses. It is susceptible because it is used as a means of locking up something. In contrast, the chain used by householders is only decorative and therefore it is not susceptible. Albeck explains that according to Rabbi Yose, if this chain attaches to only one door, then it is merely decorative, but if it attaches to multiple doors, it is susceptible. It is also susceptible if it has a vessel at its end (the snail-shaped piece). This vessel gives the entire chain the status of vessel. [I should note that I have explained this mishnah according to Albeck. There are other interpretations of the last section].

סיטונות (wholesale provision dealers – of wheat) – large merchants who sell in big measure. And they have a chain that they affix at one end of the measure, a Seah or a dry measure of three Kabs/Tarkab, and its second end they place in a ring that is I the door or in the beam and close it with a key in order that the measure not be stolen.

ושל בעלי בתים טהורים – for it is merely made for adornment/beauty and it is an ornament for the vessel.

מפתח אחד – from one link. People don’t make use of a chain in one link, and it is not a vessel.

או שקשר חלזון בראשה – like the image of snail which is a fish in the see that from its blood they dye the Tekhelet [for the ritual fringes of the Tallit]– he ties it by its head which is made of iron, and it is like a vessel.