One who leaves an <i>am ha'aretz</i> in his house to guard it, as long as he [the homeowner] can see those who are entering and those who are exiting, the food and the drinks and the earthenware vessels that are unsealed are all impure, but the beds and couches and the earthenware vessels closed with a tight seal are all pure. And if he cannot see those entering nor those who are exiting, even if he [the <i>am ha'aretz</i> guard] was being lead [by someone] or was tied up, everything is impure.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
בזמן שהוא רואה – at the time when the owner of the house is able to see those who enter the house and those who depart from the house.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
One who left am haaretz in his house to guard him, if he can see those that enter and leave, only food and liquids and uncovered earthenware are unclean, but couches and seats and earthenware that have tightly fitting covers remain clean. The owner of the house left an am haaretz in his house for the am haaretz to be guarded there. If the owner can see whoever comes in and comes out then only food, liquid and uncovered earthenware vessels are impure. Couches and seats are impure because the sages did not decree that an am haaretz defiles place that he sits that they should become "fathers of impurity." Similarly, earthenware vessels with tightly fitting lids are not impure because a male am haaretz does not defile such vessels just by shifting them, and they can't be defiled by touch.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
האוכלין והמשקין וכו' טמאין – for we are concerned that perhaps this guard touched them since he is a commoner/not careful in his observance of the laws of Levitical impurity and tithing.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
And if he cannot see either those who enter or those who leave, even though the am haaretz has to be led and even though he was bound, all is unclean. However, if the owner cannot see who is going in or out, then we must be concerned lest someone else came in and defiled the vessels in the house. Thus everything is deemed impure, even if we can be sure that the am haaretz himself didn't touch anything because he was tied up.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אבל המשכבות והמושבות וכו' טהורין – for a commoner does not perform acts of lying or sitting and doesn’t defile through shaking, for they (i.e., the Rabbis) did not decree other than on the defilement of his contact alone.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ולא את היושבים – even though that if he stands he sees him, since he doesn’t see the person who is sitting, everything is ritually impure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אפילו מובל (even someone immobilized) – even if this guard/watchman who is a commoner/not careful in his observance of the laws of Levitical purity and tithing is immobilized, that he is unable to walk unless they carry him.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ואפילו כפות – and tied up.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
הכל טמא – for we don’t defile them because of the lying or sitting of a commoner, but rather because we are concerned that perhaps a heathen or a menstruating woman enters there and she sat or shook something and defiled everything.
