Commentary for Oholot 7:3
הַמֵּת בַּבַּיִת וּבוֹ פְתָחִין הַרְבֵּה, כֻּלָּן טְמֵאִין. נִפְתַּח אַחַד מֵהֶן, הוּא טָמֵא וְכֻלָּן טְהוֹרִים. חָשַׁב לְהוֹצִיאוֹ בְאַחַד מֵהֶן, אוֹ בְחַלּוֹן שֶׁהוּא אַרְבָּעָה עַל אַרְבָּעָה טְפָחִים, הִצִּיל עַל כָּל הַפְּתָחִים. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, יַחְשֹׁב עַד שֶׁלֹּא יָמוּת הַמֵּת. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, אַף מִשֶּׁמֵּת. הָיָה סָתוּם וְנִמְלַךְ לְפָתְחוֹ, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, כְּשֶׁיִּפְתַּח אַרְבָּעָה טְפָחִים. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, כְּשֶׁיַּתְחִיל. וּמוֹדִים בְּפוֹתֵחַ בַּתְּחִלָּה, שֶׁיִּפְתַּח אַרְבָּעָה טְפָחִים:
One who dies in a house that has many openings, they all become impure. If only one of them was open, it is impure and all the others are pure. If he thought to take out [the corpse] through one of them, or through a window that is four by four handbreadths, he protects all the other openings [from impurity]. Beit Shammai say he must decide before the corpse dies, but Beit Hillel say even after he dies. If it was sealed and he decided to open it, Beit Shammai say once he opens four handbreadths [it protects the other openings] but the House of Hillel say [even] once he starts. And they agree that if he opens it in the beginning he must open four handbreadths.
Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
כולן טמאים – all of the vessels that are lying underneath the lintel of the opening in the empty space of the openings from the outside, all are ritually impure, even though that the openings are locked, for the Sages decreed defilement/impurity on the place which is the path for the removal of the defilement, for ultimately the corpse will leave through that path.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
Introduction
A dead body that is found in a house will eventually be removed, and when it is it will defile the exit through which it is removed. The rabbis move this defilement up and consider any potential exit for the dead body to already be impure, even before the body is removed. However, there are cases in which the exit is not impure because the dead body will not be taken out through there.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
חשב להוציאו באחד מהן – even though it was not opened.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
If a corpse is in a house in which there are many doors, they all become unclean. Since the corpse may be removed through any of the doors of the house, even if they are all locked, the area of the entrance of all of them is defiled immediately. Practically this means that if any vessels are in that space, they are defiled.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
או בחלון שיש בו ארבעה – that through this the Sages estimated that it is appropriate for the removal of the corpse.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
If one of them was opened, that one becomes unclean but all the rest remain clean. If there are several doors, and one of them is open and the others are locked, then only that entrance is impure because the corpse will almost certainly be taken out that way.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
הציל על כל הפתחים – that are locked.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
If he intended to carry out the corpse through one of them or through a window of four hand breadths square, he protects all the other doors. Bet Shammai says: the intention must have been formed before the person died. Bet Hillel say: even after he died. If he intends to take the corpse out through one of the doorways, the other doors are not defiled. There is an interesting debate between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel concerning this intention that protects the other doors from being defiled. Bet Shammai says that one must have the intention before the person dies. Once the person dies and he has not yet decided which doorway to use to remove the body, all of the entrances are automatically defiled. Bet Hillel seems to say that even if he decides to take the dead body out through one of the doorways after the person dies, the other doorways are saved from being defiled.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
יחשוב עד שלא ימות המת – that from when the designation of defilement descended to the openings through the death of the corpse, it further does not ascend from them through intention but rather through action, such as when it is opened.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
If [a door] was blocked up and it was decided to open it: Bet Shammai says: [it is effective] as soon he opens a [a space] four handbreadths square. Bet Hillel says: as soon as [the process] has begun. In this case one of the doorways is blocked up with stones and the others are locked. It is not sufficient just to think about taking the body out of one of the doorways, as it was if the doors were merely locked. Since this doorway is blocked up with stones, he must actually do something to the entrance for it to protect the other entrances from being defiled. Bet Shammai says that he must open up a hole that is at least four square handbreadths. Such a hole seems to be large enough to remove a (rather small) corpse. Bet Hillel is more lenient. Once he begins to cut out a hole, he has revealed his intention to remove the body through that door, and all of the other doors are pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
ובית הלל אומרים אף משמת – for intention releases the designation of defilement from the openings from here and onwards. But vessels that were in the openings prior to the intention, the School of Hillel agrees that they are impure.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Oholot
They agree, however, that when making an opening for the first time, four handbreadths must be opened up. If there was no door there in the first place, and one is making a new hole in a house through which to take out a corpse, Bet Hillel agrees with Bet Shammai that he must open up four handbreadths for it to protect the other doors. Since this is a new door, he must exhibit a greater demonstration of intention for it to be clear that he will take the corpse out through the new exit and not through one of the other doors.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
היה – one of the openings was blocked up with stones.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
סתום – with stones.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
כשיפתח ד' טפחים – the rest of the openings were protected.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
כשיתחיל – to open them, the remainder of the openings were protected.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Oholot
בפותח תחלה – as for example a wall that lacks an opening and one comes to make a new opening, the other openings are not protected until he opens it four [handbreadths] by four [handbreadths].
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