Quoting%20commentary for Eduyot 1:14

כְּלִי חֶרֶס מַצִּיל עַל הַכֹּל, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית הִלֵּל. וּבֵית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, אֵינוֹ מַצִּיל אֶלָּא עַל הָאֳכָלִין וְעַל הַמַּשְׁקִין וְעַל כְּלֵי חָרֶס. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית הִלֵּל, מִפְּנֵי מָה. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא עַל גַּב עַם הָאָרֶץ, וְאֵין כְּלִי טָמֵא חוֹצֵץ. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית הִלֵּל, וַהֲלֹא טִהַרְתֶּם אֳכָלִים וּמַשְׁקִין שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי, כְּשֶׁטִּהַרְנוּ אֳכָלִים וּמַשְׁקִין שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ, לְעַצְמוֹ טִהַרְנוּ. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁטִּהַרְתָּ אֶת הַכְּלִי, טִהַרְתָּ לְךָ וָלוֹ. חָזְרוּ בֵית הִלֵּל לְהוֹרוֹת כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמָּאי:

An earthenware vessel [whose cover is (completely) fastened upon it] protects all that is in it (from tent-uncleanliness) according to Beth Hillel, [it being written (Numbers 19:15): "And every open vessel whose cover is not fastened upon it is unclean." But if its cover is fastened upon it, it and what is in it, whether vessels or food and drink, is clean. And the verse speaks of an earthenware vessel, it being written: "And every open vessel," connoting a vessel that contracts tumah through its opening and not through its back (i.e., an earthenware vessel).] And Beth Shammai say: It protects only food and drink and earthenware vessels (that are in it), [but not other vessels]. Beth Hillel asked them: Why? Beth Shammai answered: Because it (the earthenware vessel containing them) is tamei through an am ha'aretz (ignoramus) [For everything found with an am ha'aretz, both vessels and food and drink, are all in a status of tamei, because they are not versed in the halachoth of tumah and taharah, and think that what is tamei is tahor], and an unclean vessel does not intervene [i.e., it does not protect against tumah, but only a clean vessel does. An unclean vessel does not protect what is in it (from tent-uncleanliness). And the vessels of an am ha'aretz, since they are in a status of tamei, do not protect.] (At this,) Beth Hillel asked them: But did you not rule "tahor" the food and drink in it? Beth Shammai answered: When we ruled the food and drink in it "tahor," we did so for him, [the am ha'aretz himself. And we have no fear that a Torah scholar will come to use them, for they separate themselves from them. And even without this, all of their food is tamei. Therefore, as to food and drink and earthenware vessels, which cannot be purified in a mikveh, which were in the vessel of an am ha'aretz, whose cover was (completely) fastened — we tell them that they are tahor. And we have no fear that a Torah scholar will borrow from them and use them, for they are in the status of tamei to them and can never be made tahor. But with vessels that can be immersed (in a mikveh), we fear that a Torah scholar may borrow from them and use them without haza'ah (sprinkling the purification waters) on them the third and seventh days, not knowing that they had become tamei in a tent of the dead and thinking that immersion (in a mikveh) itself is sufficient for them, to free them of their tumah that they had contracted through the am ha'aretz], but when you (Beth Hillel) ruled the vessel "tahor," you did so for you and for him. [For a Torah scholar might come to use it. Therefore, they (Beth Shammai) ruled the same for all, that a vessel that could be immersed is not protected by a sealed covering, neither for a Torah scholar nor for an am ha'aretz. If they came to decree that the earthenware vessel of an am ha'aretz never "protects" (even) with a fastened cover, because it is in the status of tamei, the amei ha'aretz would never accept this, thinking that they are expert (in these laws) and that they keep their vessels tahor, and that their vessels "protect."] And Beth Hillel retracted, to rule in accordance with Beth Shammai.

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