Commentary for Kelim 16:7
הַמַּלְקוֹט שֶׁל בָּקָר, וְהֶחָסִים שֶׁלּוֹ, וְהַמַּדָּף שֶׁל דְּבוֹרִים, וְהַמְּנָפָה, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ טְהוֹרִין. כְּסוּי שֶׁל קֻפְסָא, טָמֵא. כְּסוּי קַמְטְרָא, טָהוֹר. כְּסוּי תֵּבָה, כְּסוּי טֶנִי, וְהַמַּכְבֵּשׁ שֶׁל חָרָשׁ, וְהַכֶּסֶת שֶׁתַּחַת הַתֵּבָה, וְהַקִּמְרוֹן שֶׁלָּהּ, וְאַנְגְּלִין שֶׁל סֵפֶר, בֵּית הַנֶּגֶר, בֵּית הַמַּנְעוּל, וּבֵית הַמְּזוּזָה, וְתִיק נְבָלִין, וְתִיק כִּנּוֹרֶת, וְהָאֵמוּם שֶׁל גּוֹדְלֵי מִצְנָפוֹת, וְהַמַּרְכּוֹף שֶׁל זַמָּר, וּרְבִיעִית שֶׁל אַלָּיִת, וּגְנוֹגְנִית הֶעָנִי, וְסָמוֹכוֹת הַמִּטָּה, וּטְפוּס שֶׁל תְּפִלָּה, וְאֵמוּם שֶׁל עוֹשֵׂה סוּתוֹת, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ טְהוֹרִים. זֶה הַכְּלָל, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, כָּל מְשַׁמְּשֵׁי מְשַׁמְּשָׁיו שֶׁל אָדָם בִּשְׁעַת מְלָאכָה וְשֶׁלֹּא בִשְׁעַת מְלָאכָה, טָמֵא. וְכֹל שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בִשְׁעַת מְלָאכָה, טָהוֹר:
The dung bag of a bull, its muzzle, the bottom board of a beehive, and a fan are pure. The cover of a small box is susceptible to impurity; the cover of a clothes chest is pure. The cover of a box, the cover of a basket, a carpenter's vice, a cushion under a box or its arched cover, a reading-desk for a book, a bolt-socket, a lock-socket, a mezuzah case, a lyre case, a violin case, the block of the turban-makers, a wooden musical toy horse, the clappers of a wailing woman, a poor man's parasol, bed posts, a tefillin mold, and the mold of string makers — all these are pure. This is the general rule, Rabbi Yose said: all objects that serve as a protection to objects that a person uses, both when they are being used and when they are not being used, are susceptible to impurity; but those that [serve them as a protection] only when they are in use are pure.
Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
מלקוט (the bag – for receiving the excrements of working cattle) – leather that they place in the eyes of the cow in order that it should turn around and thresh.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The dung bag of a bull and its muzzle, a bee shelf, and a fan are clean.
The cover of a small box is susceptible to uncleanness;
The cover of a clothes chest is clean.
The cover of a box, the cover of a basket, a carpenter's vice, a cushion under a box or its arched cover, a reading-desk for a book, a bolt-socket, a lock-socket, a mezuzah case, a lyre case, a violin case, the block of the turban-makers, a wooden musical toy horse, the clappers of a wailing woman, a poor man's parasol, bed posts, a tefillin mould, and the mould of string makers all these are clean.
This is the general rule which Rabbi Yose stated: all objects that serve as a protection to objects that a man uses, both when the latter are in use and when they are not in use, are susceptible to uncleanness; but those that serve them as a protection only when the latter are in use are clean.
Section one: The dung bag is attached to the bull and used to collect its dung when it is threshing. Think of it as a bull-diaper (I wouldn't want to be one to change it!). The muzzle keeps the bull from eating. The bee shelf is placed in front of the hive and the bees sit on it before entering. None of these objects is susceptible because none of them are considered to be vessels.
Section two: Since people will use the cover of the small (jewelry) box to hold things, even temporarily, it is susceptible.
Section three: In contrast, people don't use the cover of a clothes chest, so it is not considered a vessel.
Sections four-five: The mishnah now contains a long list of items that are clean. Rabbi Yose's general rule in section five explains why they are pure. If an item is used to protect and store other objects then it is susceptible. The fact that it is used to store something when not in use proves that we consider it a container. However, if it is only used when the object it serves is in use then it is not considered to be susceptible. For instance, if a lid is only used on a container when the container is full, then the lid is pure. But if the lid is always on the vessel, then it is susceptible.
We should note that some of the objects in section four would seem to be used for storage. Therefore commentators explain that the "cases" here do not have receptacles and therefore are not susceptible to impurity.
The cover of a small box is susceptible to uncleanness;
The cover of a clothes chest is clean.
The cover of a box, the cover of a basket, a carpenter's vice, a cushion under a box or its arched cover, a reading-desk for a book, a bolt-socket, a lock-socket, a mezuzah case, a lyre case, a violin case, the block of the turban-makers, a wooden musical toy horse, the clappers of a wailing woman, a poor man's parasol, bed posts, a tefillin mould, and the mould of string makers all these are clean.
This is the general rule which Rabbi Yose stated: all objects that serve as a protection to objects that a man uses, both when the latter are in use and when they are not in use, are susceptible to uncleanness; but those that serve them as a protection only when the latter are in use are clean.
Section one: The dung bag is attached to the bull and used to collect its dung when it is threshing. Think of it as a bull-diaper (I wouldn't want to be one to change it!). The muzzle keeps the bull from eating. The bee shelf is placed in front of the hive and the bees sit on it before entering. None of these objects is susceptible because none of them are considered to be vessels.
Section two: Since people will use the cover of the small (jewelry) box to hold things, even temporarily, it is susceptible.
Section three: In contrast, people don't use the cover of a clothes chest, so it is not considered a vessel.
Sections four-five: The mishnah now contains a long list of items that are clean. Rabbi Yose's general rule in section five explains why they are pure. If an item is used to protect and store other objects then it is susceptible. The fact that it is used to store something when not in use proves that we consider it a container. However, if it is only used when the object it serves is in use then it is not considered to be susceptible. For instance, if a lid is only used on a container when the container is full, then the lid is pure. But if the lid is always on the vessel, then it is susceptible.
We should note that some of the objects in section four would seem to be used for storage. Therefore commentators explain that the "cases" here do not have receptacles and therefore are not susceptible to impurity.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
החסום (muzzle) – like a kind of small net/trap of ropes that muzzle the in it the mouth of the cow in order that it cannot eat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
מדף של דבורים (vessel used for smoking the bees out) – a vessel that they place in it fire and the dung of cattle and they fumigate in order that the swarms of bees from the beehive will flee and he will take the honey. [This is] from the language of (Psalms 1:4): “[they are like the chaff] that wind blows away/אשר-תדפנו רוח.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
והמנפה (and the fan) – a vessel/utensil that they wave on the hot days to bring the wind.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
קופסא (the lid of a box) – a kind of small box/chest that the woman places in it her ornaments and places upon it a cover from above.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
קמטרא – a chest that they protect clothing in it. We translate in Aramaic [the Biblical phrase] (2 Kings 10:22): “[He said to the man in charge] of the wardrobe, [‘Bring out the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal]” as on the chest protecting the clothing.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
והמכבש (the carpenter’s vise – for straightening wood) – [every wood carpenter/artisan] has, according his trade a place that he stores and gathers the wood that is crooked and curved until he straightens it out.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
והקמרון (arched lid) – the cover that is upon the chest that is made like a kind of arched compartment.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
אנליגין (reading desk/pulpit) – a leather case that they make for a Scroll and they place it inside of it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
בית הנגר (door-bolt socket) – a leather case that the carpenter puts inside of it, which is the peg that they place on the back of the door.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
ובית המנעול (lock-socket)– the leather case that they place in it the lock that locks the door.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
ובית המזוזה – the metal beam that they place the Mezuzah in.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
והאמום של גודלי מצנפות (the block of the cap-makers) – a frame like a kind of head of a person that they prepare for him the priest’s turban.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
והמרכוף (name of a musical instrument for he accompaniment of songs) – it is like a kind of wooden horse that the jesters/scoffers play with. But there are those who interpret/explain this, a wooden utensil of cedar that is made for music.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
ורביעית של אליית (wailer’s musical instrument) – and “with sistrums and cymbals,”(see II Samuel 6:5) that we translate in the Aramaic: “a sistra and cymbals.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
של אליית – of the female wailers. Like (Joel 1:8): “Lament – like a maiden girt with sackcloth [for the husband of her youth!].”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
וסמוכות המטה (supports/pillars of the bed) – beams that support the bed that it would not fall.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
טפוס של תפילין (block on which the case of the Tefillin is shaped) – like the frame of the Tefillin.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
אמום של עושי סאגוס (model/frame of dressmakers) – frame of those who make chains. That they make them on top of a model/frame, that is [on top of] a block. But Maimonides has the reading, עושי סותות/those who make dresses. It is the language of (Genesis 49:11): “His robe in blood of grapes.” And it is a wooden frame that one sews clothing upon it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
משמשי משמשיו של אדם (all accessory items of essential equipment) – as for example, the coverings of utensils/vessels and the cases of vessels, which are made to serve the utensils that human beings use.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
בשעת מלאכה ושלא בשעת מלאכה – at the time when the covering services the vessel to protect what is within it, which is at the time of its service. But when there is nothing inside the vessel, that it doesn’t require a covering, it is called, not at the time of its service. But there are vessels that they always place the covering upon them whether it is full or whether it is empty, even though the covering is not attached to it, since it us generally always upon it. And this general principle of Rabbi Yossi refers to flat wooden vessels that service the vessels, but receptacles defile in every matter. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yossi.
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