Commentary for Kelim 25:8
כֵּיצַד. הָיוּ יָדָיו טְהוֹרוֹת וַאֲחוֹרֵי הַכּוֹס טְמֵאִים, אֲחָזוֹ בְּבֵית צְבִיעָתוֹ, אֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא נִטְמְאוּ יָדָיו בַּאֲחוֹרֵי הַכּוֹס. הָיָה שׁוֹתֶה בְכוֹס שֶׁאֲחוֹרָיו טְמֵאִים, אֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא נִטְמָא הַמַּשְׁקֶה שֶׁבְּפִיו בַּאֲחוֹרֵי הַכּוֹס וְחָזַר וְטִמֵּא הַכּוֹס. קֻמְקוּם שֶׁהוּא מַרְתִּיחַ, אֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא יָצְאוּ מַשְׁקִין מִתּוֹכוֹ וְנָגְעוּ בַאֲחוֹרָיו וְחָזְרוּ לְתוֹכוֹ:
How so? If one's hands were pure, and the outsides of a cup were impure, one who grasps it by its holding-place need not be concerned that his hands may have been rendered impure by the outsides of the cup. If one was drinking from a cup whose outsides were impure, he need not be concerned that the liquids in his mouth may have been rendered impure by the outsides of the cup, and then gone on to render [the inside of] the cup impure. Regarding a boiling kettle [whose outsides are impure], one need not be concerned that liquids may have emerged from it and touched its outsides and then returned to its inside [and rendered it impure].
Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
If one's hands were clean and the outer side of a cup was unclean, one may hold it by its holding-place and need not be concerned lest his hands have contracted uncleanness from the outer side of the cup. If one has clean hands that have some liquid on them, and he wants to hold an impure cup without defiling the liquids on his hands which would then defile his hands, he can hold the cup by the bet tzviah, the holding place. In such a case he need not be concerned lest his hands accidentally touched the outside of the cup.