Commentary for Kelim 17:2

הַחֵמֶת, שִׁעוּרָהּ בִּפְקָעִיּוֹת שֶׁל שֶׁתִי. אִם אֵינָהּ מְקַבֶּלֶת שֶׁל שְׁתִי, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמְּקַבֶּלֶת שֶׁל עֵרֶב, טְמֵאָה. בֵּית קְעָרוֹת שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל קְעָרוֹת, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל אֶת הַתַּמְחוּיִין, טָמֵא. בֵּית הָרְעִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל מַשְׁקִין, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל אֶת הָרְעִי, טָמֵא. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל מְטַהֵר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין מְקַיְּמִין אוֹתוֹ:

A skin bottle [becomes clean if the holes in it are of] a size through which warp-stoppers [can fall out]. If a warp-stopper cannot be held in, but it can still hold a woof-stopper, it remains impure. A dish holder that cannot hold dishes but can still hold trays remains impure. A chamber-pot that cannot hold liquids but can still hold excrement remains impure. Rabban Gamliel declares it pure since people do not usually keep one that is in such a condition.

Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim

פקעיות של שתי (measured by ordinary size of warp/longitudinal clews) – the yarn of the warp/longitudinal clews is thinner than that of the latitudinal ones, as is found in [Tractate] Ketubot 64b, in Chapter [Five]"אף על פי" /Even though. And the longitudinal/warp clews are smaller than the latitudinal/woof clews. And the explanation of פקעיות is GLOMARI in the foreign tongue. Alternatively, MATASI in the foreign tongue.

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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim

A skin bottle [becomes clean if the holes in it are of] a size through which warp-stoppers [can fall out].
If a warp-stopper cannot be held in, but it can still hold a woof-stopper it remains unclean.
A dish holder that cannot hold dishes but can still hold trays remains unclean.
A chamber- pot that cannot hold liquids but can still hold excrements remains unclean.
Rabban Gamaliel rules that it is clean since people do not usually keep one that is in such a condition.
Section one: The warp-stopper is smaller than the woof-stopper. According to the opinion in this section, if the smaller stopper can fall out, the skin-bottle is impure.
Section two: Albeck explains that this section, and sections two through four, are all the opinion of the sages who disagree with Rabban Gamaliel, whose opinion is in section one. The sages hold that as long as the skin can hold the larger woof-stopper it is usable and remains unclean.
Sections three and four: This is a continuation of the sages' opinion. The sages hold that as long as the original vessel can hold something similar to that which it was designated to hold, or one of the things that it was designated to hold, the vessel is still unclean.
Section five: Rabban Gamaliel disagrees and holds that since people generally discard such things, they are no longer unclean. This accords with what Albeck ascribes to him in section one.

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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim

אע"פ שמקבלת של ערב טמאה – this is what he said: But even though it does not receive warp clews, if it receives woof clews, it is ritually unclean. That its measure is the removal of the woof, which is larger than removing the warp. And similarly, even though it holds trays, it is ritually impure, that is to say, even though the incision is large and it doesn’t hold/receive the dishes, if it holds/receives the trays which are larger than the dishes, it is still called worthy of its first usage and is ritually impure.

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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim

אע"פ שמקבל את הרעי – even though it (i.e., a night chamber/chamber pot) [which is too defective] does not receive/retain the liquids, if it retains solid excrement, like the chamber pot/night chamber, it is ritually impure. The digestive organ, like the night chamber/chamber pot. A vessel that one eases oneself in and it has excrement and urine in it.

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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim

מפני שאין מקיימין אותו – is our reading (“because they do not keep it”). But there are those who have the reading of “because they keep it.” But it refers to the matter of the first Tanna/teacher, who stated, that if it keeps the woof and the trays and the digestive organ is ritually impure, because they keep it and protect it, since it is appropriate for this. But the Halakha is not according to Rabban Gamaliel.

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