Commentary for Tahorot 5:8
שׁוֹטָה אַחַת בָּעִיר, אוֹ נָכְרִית, אוֹ כוּתִית, כָּל הָרֻקִּים שֶׁבָּעִיר טְמֵאִין. מִי שֶׁדָּרְסָה אִשָּׁה עַל בְּגָדָיו, אוֹ שֶׁיָּשְׁבָה עִמּוֹ בִּסְפִינָה, אִם מַכִּירָתוֹ שֶׁהוּא אוֹכֵל בַּתְּרוּמָה, כֵּלָיו טְהוֹרִין. וְאִם לָאו, יִשְׁאָלֶנָּה:
If there was one fool in the town, or a non-Jewish woman, or a Samaritan woman, all spit [found] in the town is impure. Someone whose clothes were stepped on by a woman, or if she sat with him in a boat, if she knows that he is one who eats <i>terumah</i> [and therefore has to be careful to remain pure, then] his clothes are pure; but if not, he must ask her [if she is a <i>niddah</i>, in order to determine whether or not his clothes have become impure].
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
שוטה אחת בעיר – and specifically a woman imbecile, but not a male imbecile. For a woman is regularly in a menstruating status, whereas a male is not normally having a flux.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Introduction
The spit of a woman who is a menstruant is impure. Women who are menstruating are expected not to go around spitting in the public domain. Our mishnah deals with a town in which there are women who may not observe this i.e. they go around spitting. Glad this doesn't seem to happen as much anymore.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
או נכרית – and the same law applies regarding a heathen/gentile, for according to the Torah, there is no distinction between a male and a female, and all of them are ritually pure, but the Rabbis decreed upon them that they would be like those with a flux. And similarly, regarding a female Cuthean (i.e., a member of the sect of Samaritans), there is no distinction between a male Cuthean to a female Cuthean according to the one who says that Cutheans are lion-proselytes (i.e., proselytes from mere fear – referring to II Kings, Chapter 17, verse 25), and even today, they (i.e., the Rabbis) decreed concerning them that they would be like heathens regarding all their matters.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If there was in the town one who was not of sound sense, a Gentile, or a Samaritan woman, all spit encountered in the town is deemed unclean. The woman who is not of sound senses is not assumed to refrain from spitting when she is menstruating. Gentile and Samaritan women also don't refrain from spitting because they don't know or perhaps don't care that their spit defiles (when menstruating). Therefore, if there is one such woman in the city, all found spit is impure. Note that according to rabbinic understanding of the Torah, only Jews transmit impurity. However, the rabbis decreed that Gentiles too can transmit impurity. Thus a Gentile menstruant's spit is impure. Samaritans are sometimes considered as Jews, and sometimes not. The rabbis said that a Samaritan woman is considered as a menstruant from birth. See Nidah 4:1 (we will learn this in a few months).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
כל הרוקין שבעיר טמאים – for it is their manner to walk throughout the city.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If a woman trod on a man's clothes or sat with him in a boat: If she knew that he was one who eats terumah, his clothes remain clean: But if not, he must ask her. A zavah or a menstruant impart midras impurity by pressing on clothing. This includes sitting on something, leaning on it or standing upon something. If a woman stepped on a man's clothing or sat close to her on a boat, he needs to know whether she is impure if he wants to eat terumah. So if the woman knew that he ate terumah, for instance, if she knew that he was a priest, then we can assume that she would have been careful and his clothes are clean. However, if she didn't know him, he must ask her if she is indeed a menstruant or zavah. You can imagine that this would have been awkward. Probably not a good way to start a conversation, especially on the tight quarters of a boat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
או שישבה עמו בספינה – that she defiles through treading/leaning (i.e., Midras – Levitical uncleanness arising from a person with gonorrhea’s immediate contact) even though her clothing does not touch, as is taught in the beginning of the third chapter of [Tractate] Zavim (Mishnah 1).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אם מכירתו שהוא אוכל בתרומה כליו טהורים – that if she was a menstruating woman or a woman with a flux she would not tread on his clothing nor enter with him on the ship.
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