If a baby was found next to a pile of dough and a piece was in his hand [and it is unclear whether he himself took the piece off rendering all the dough impure, or if someone else tore the piece off for him], Rabbi Meir considers it pure. And the Sages consider it impure, because it is the way of babies to touch [the dough]. Dough which has peck-holes from chickens and there are impure liquids in the house, if there is enough space between the liquids and the loaves for them to wipe their beaks on the ground, then they are pure. And regarding a cow or a dog, enough space for them [to have time] to lick [their lips with] their tongues. And with all other animals, enough space [for them to travel] for it to be dried up. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov considers it pure in the case of a dog, since he is intelligent, and it is not his way to leave the food and go get water [first, before he finishes eating; and therefore it can be assumed that he did not touch the loaves after touching the impure liquids].
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
תינוק שנמצא בצד עיסה – a ritually impure child that is found at the side of started dough and a piece of this started dough was in his hand.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
A child was found next to dough with a piece of dough in his hand: Rabbi Meir says that the dough is clean; But the sages say that it is unclean, since it is the nature of a child to slap dough. A child can be assumed to have had contact with unclean things, such as a sheretz (a creepy crawly thing) or something else that was unclean (children play with yucky stuff). If a child is found playing next to some dough and he has some dough in his hands, we would think that it is nearly certain that the dough came from there. Nevertheless, Rabbi Meir rules leniently he says that it is possible that a pure person gave the dough to the kid. The other sages are not so lenient. They say that even if the child is not holding on to the dough, it is impure because children like to play with dough. Sort of like ancient play-doh!
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ר' מאיר מטהר – Rabbi Meir according to his reasoning who took into consideration the minority (i.e., the possibility of the rarer cases) and held that the majority of small children slap the started dough, and perhaps he himself took the risen dough and defiled the started dough, but the minority [of young children] do not slap but perhaps a ritually pure person took it and gave it to him, this started dough remains in the presumption of ritual purity, for this minority is near to a presumption and the majority was impaired/weakened, and it was half-and-half and that is ritually pure regarding a young child who lacks the awareness/knowledge to be interrogated.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Dough that bears traces of hens’ pickings and there is unclean liquid in the same house: if there was distance enough between the liquid and the loaves for the hens to dry their mouths on the ground, the dough is clean. The rest of the mishnah deals with dough that bears traces of an animal having pecked or licked it. Near the dough there is some liquid. We need to now figure out how likely it is that the animal licked the liquid and then brought it over to the dough before the dough dried. If the marking was made by a hen, then the dough is pure if the liquid is far enough away such that the hen could have dried its mouth on the ground. Evidently, hens do this. Who knew?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
וחכמים מטמאים – according to their rationale that they are not concerned about a minority, for most young children slap [the dough]. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
And in the case of a cow or a dog, if there was distance enough for it to lick its tongue. If the mark was made by a dog or cow, then they must have had enough time for their tongue to dry out. Dogs and cows lick their lips this I knew.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
נקירת – there are small incisions/pickings in the started dough on account of the hens that pecked in it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
And in the case of all other beasts, if there was distance enough for their tongue to dry. If it was made by any other animal, there must have been enough time for the liquid to dry off their mouths or tongues. In all of these cases, if the liquid can be assumed to have dried, the dough is pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
שינגבו את פיהן בארץ – it is the manner of hens after they drank [water], they dry their mouths on the ground. Therefore, if there is land that forms a partition between the liquids to the loaves [of dough] in order that they can dry their mouths on it after they drank, the loaves [of dough] are ritually pure. But if not, they are impure, for they were defiled with impure liquids that were in the mouths of the hens. But even though that when the land forms a partition, we are doubtful if their mouths were dried or not, this is a doubtful defilement in a matter that there isn’t awareness/knowledge to be interrogated, and its doubt is [nevertheless deemed] ritually pure.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob holds the dough to be clean in the case of a dog who is smart; for it is not its habit to leave food and go after the water. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob appreciates that dogs are not stupid. Since there are water and food in the area, the dog would not be foolish enough to go for the water and not the food. Therefore the dough remains pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
שהוא פיקח – for it is not his manner to drink all the time that he finds food [to consume]. For he (i.e., Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov) says that whenever liquids are found but food is not always found. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov.
