If a pure person took a bite from some food, and it fell [along with his saliva] onto his clothes and onto a loaf of <i>terumah</i>, it is pure [i.e. the loaf has not been primed for impurity]. If one was eating split olives, or moist dates, as long as he wanted to suck on its pit, if it fell onto his clothes and onto a loaf of <i>terumah</i>, it is impure [i.e. the loaf has been primed to be susceptible to being rendered impure]. If one was eating dried olives, or dry dates, as long as it he did not want to suck on its pit, if it fell onto his clothes and onto a loaf of <i>terumah</i>, it is pure. Like these [cases, this rule applies] regarding both a pure person and a <i>tevul yom</i>. Rabbi Meir says: these and those [i.e. both cases] are impure with regard to a <i>tevul yom</i>, since liquids from an impure person prime [things to become susceptible to being rendered impure], whether in accordance with his desire or not in accordance with his desire. And the Sages say: a <i>tevul yom</i> is not considered an impure person [i.e. and therefore his liquids do not prime for impurity against his desire].
Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
שנגס (break off, bite off - who took a bite of some food, and something mixed with his saliva fell on his garments) – he turned the food over in his mouth (i.e., chewing). It is the language of stirring the pot.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tevul Yom
Introduction
Today's mishnah deals with a person who is chewing food and the food falls out of his mouth. First it falls onto his clothes and then onto a terumah loaf of bread (and then my poor meatball, it rolled out the door!). The question is does the moisture on the food cause the loaf of terumah to be susceptible to impurity.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
ונפל – the food [fell] with the moistness of the spittle that is upon it on his clothing and on the loaf of [bread of] heave-offering.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tevul Yom
A clean person who chewed food and it fell on his garments and on a loaf of terumah, it [the loaf] is not susceptible to uncleanness. The person did not want this food to end up on his clothes. Therefore, this is considered a case of liquids that are "not to his liking." For liquid to make food susceptible to impurity it generally has to be that he wanted the liquids to come into contact with his food (see introduction to Makhshirin). We should note that the mishnah describes a terumah loaf even though the same halakhah is true even if the loaf is hullin. As far as liquid causing susceptibility to impurity, it makes no difference whether the food is terumah or hullin. The reason the mishnah mentions a terumah loaf is that in section four the tevul yom is discussed and a tevul yom disqualifies terumah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
טהור – the loaf, meaning to say it is not susceptible to receive ritual defilement. And even though mere spittle makes it susceptible. It is different here, for he did not consider to spit and it isn’t on purpose/intentional, for it fell upon his garments and it is obvious that it was not satisfactory to him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tevul Yom
If he ate crushed olives or moist dates, [or] if his intention was to suck out the pit, and it fell on his garments and on a loaf of terumah, it is susceptible to uncleanness. In this case he gathered up a lot of spit in his mouth in order to get the pit out of the olives or dates. Thus the spit was originally something he wanted. Even though later he didn't want the food to fall on his clothes, since originally he did want this spit, it causes the loaf to be susceptible.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
כל שהוא רוצה למוץ את גרעינתו (anything on the pit of which he wishes to suck) - if he intended to suck the moisture that is on the pit and the pit/seed fell with the spittle that is upon it on the loaf of heave-offering, the loaf is made susceptible [to receive ritual uncleanness] with the spittle that is on the pit, and that is what he intended.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tevul Yom
If he ate dried olives, or dried figs or it was not his intention to suck out the pit, and they fell on his garments and on a loaf of terumah, it is not susceptible to uncleanness. In this case, the dates or olives were dry and he didn't want to (or perhaps couldn't) suck out the pit. Since he didn't need the liquid of his own spittle it does not cause the loaf to be susceptible to impurity.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
זיתים נגובים ומרים יבשות כל שאינו רוצה למוץ גרעינתו – he did not have an inappropriate intention regarding this liquid and it is not susceptible [to receive ritual defilement].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tevul Yom
This is the case irrespective of whether it was a clean person or a tevul yom [who was eating]. Rabbi Meir says: in either case it becomes susceptible to uncleanness in the case of a tevul yom, since liquids issuing from unclean persons render anything susceptible whether it was to his liking or not. But the sages say: a tevul yom is not regarded as an unclean person. According to the first opinion, the above halakhot are true even if the person was a tevul yom. A tevul yom is not treated as if he were impure as we see in the sages' response to Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Meir says that a tevul yom is considered like an impure person, and an impure person who causes liquids to come into contact with produce causes the produce to be susceptible (and impure) regardless of whether it was to his liking. This halakhah was taught in Makshirin 1:1. While this debate is about one particular and obscure case, we see here a broad dispute. Rabbi Meir holds that a tevul yom, a person who went to the mikveh but the sun has not yet set, is treated as if he was impure. The sages disagree.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
אחד טהור ואחד טבול יום באלו – meaning to say that both of them are equivalent in this law.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tevul Yom
טמאים בטבול יום – as he explains the reasoning, that liquids of an impure person make it susceptible and defile even unintentionally/not on purpose, and a person who had immersed himself that day/Tevul Yom is like an impure person with regard to this law. But the Rabbis consider the person who had immersed himself that day as ritually pure. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.
