Commentary for Zavim 2:1
הַכֹּל מִטַּמְּאִין בְּזִיבָה, אַף הַגֵּרִים, אַף הָעֲבָדִים, בֵּין מְשֻׁחְרָרִין בֵּין שֶׁאֵינָן מְשֻׁחְרָרִין, חֵרֵשׁ, שׁוֹטֶה, וְקָטָן, סְרִיס אָדָם, סְרִיס חַמָּה. טֻמְטוּם וְאַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס, נוֹתְנִין עֲלֵיהֶן חֻמְרֵי הָאִישׁ וְחֻמְרֵי הָאִשָּׁה, מִטַּמְּאִין בְּדָם כָּאִשָּׁה וּבְלֹבֶן כָּאִישׁ, וְטֻמְאָתָן בְּסָפֵק:
All [persons] are made unclean through a <i>zivah</i> discharge, even converts, even slaves, whether they are emancipated or not emancipated, a deaf mute, a mentally deficient person, a child, a eunuch [whether rendered impotent] by man or a eunuch from the time of seeing the sun [from birth]. [With regard to] a <i>tumtum</i> [person of uncertain gender], or an <i>androginus</i> [One possessing both male and female sex organs], we impose upon them the stringencies of the man and the stringencies of a woman; they render unclean through [menstruation] blood like a woman and through egglike substance [semen] like a man, but their uncleanliness remains in doubt.
Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
הכל מטמאין בזיבה (all are susceptible to uncleanness through flux) – everyone, including a baby who is one day old who becomes defiled through flux/gonorrhea.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
All persons become unclean through zivah, even converts, even slaves whether freed or not, a deaf-mute, a person of unsound senses, and a minor, a eunuch whether [he had been castrated] by man, or was a eunuch from [the time of seeing] the sun. The laws of becoming unclean through seeing zivah (zov) apply to any Jew of any status, including converts, freed and non-freed slaves and people who legally are considered as lacking awareness. They apply to all males, even those who have been castrated, either by another human being or were born as eunuchs.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
אף הגרים – as it is written in the portion of the person with a flux (Leviticus 15:2 - which Bartenura reproduces only in the singular): "דברו אל בני ישראל"/”Speak to the Israelite people.” I don’t have other than the “children of Israel” (i.e., born Jews), from where [do I learn] to include converts and slaves? The inference teaches us (Leviticus 15:2 – the Bartenura writes the verse with the fuller spelling): "ואמרתם אליהם איש"/”And say to them: When a man,” to include the converts and the slaves. From where do I learn to include the minors? The inference teaches (Leviticus 15:2): "איש איש"/”When any man.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
With regard to a tumtum and an androgynous [person], they place upon him the stringencies for a man and the stringencies for a woman: they defile through blood like a woman, and through eggy [substance] like a man. Their uncleanness still remains in doubt. The laws of being a zav apply only to a man and the laws of being a zavah apply only to a woman. They also work differently. Our mishnah asks what to do with two categories of people who exist somewhere in between, neither male nor female? A tumtum does not have signs of being either male or female whereas an androgynous person has both (according to the rabbinic definition). The rule with regard to the stringencies that apply to either sex apply to them. So if they have blood flow, it defiles as it does for a woman. And if they have zov discharge (eggy substance) then they defile as it does for a man. However, the status of their defilement is doubtful. For if they see blood, they might be a male for whom blood does not defile. And if they see a discharge of zov, they might be female for whom such discharge does not defile. Therefore, in either case they only doubtfully defile.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
ומיטמאין בדם כאשה – that a woman does not defile with the white matter but rather with the red matter/substance, for blood is written for her, which is red [in color] (as opposed to white gonorrhea substance for a man).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
ובלובן כאיש – for it is written (Leviticus 15:2): "זובו טמא הוא")/”discharge issuing from his member, he is impure.”) "זובו"/his discharge”, regarding a man. And it is like the dough of barley.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
וטומאתן בספק – if they saw white matter, lest they are of a woman, and the white matter is pure in her. But if they saw red matter,, perhaps it is of a man and the red matter is pure regarding him. But if he saw red matter and white matter together, their uncleanness is certain whichever side you take, and they burn the heave-offering over them. But do not require of them coming to the Sanctuary, for concerning sending forth they are unclean; it is written (Numbers 5:3): “Remove male and female alike; [put them outside the camp so that they do not defile the camp of those in whose midst I dwell],” a definite male and a definite female, but not someone whose sexual organs are concealed and a hermaphrodite.
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