Quoting%20commentary for Eduyot 6:2

הֵעִיד רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא בֶּן אֱלִינָתָן אִישׁ כְּפַר הַבַּבְלִי, עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַמֵּת שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא, שֶׁרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, וַהֲלֹא קַל וָחֹמֶר. וּמַה מִן הַחַי שֶׁהוּא טָהוֹר, אֵבֶר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ טָמֵא, הַמֵּת שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אֵבֶר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ טָמֵא. אָמַר לָהֶם, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי. דָּבָר אַחֵר, מְרֻבָּה טֻמְאַת הַחַיִּים מִטֻּמְאַת הַמֵּתִים, שֶׁהַחַי עוֹשֶׂה מִשְׁכָּב וּמוֹשָׁב מִתַּחְתָּיו, לְטַמֵּא אָדָם וּלְטַמֵּא בְגָדִים, וְעַל גַּבָּיו מַדָּף לְטַמֵּא אֳכָלִים וּמַשְׁקִין, מַה שֶּׁאֵין הַמֵּת מְטַמֵּא:

R. Yehoshua and R. Nechunia b. Elinathan of Kfar Habavli testified about a part [less than an olive-size], which had become separated from a dead body, that it is tamei. [(For all agree that an olive-size of a dead body is tamei like the body itself. They argue only about a small part, less than the size of an olive)]. For R. Eliezer says: They (the sages) said [that body parts have no (minimum) size (for tumah] only about a part from a living animal, [but a part from a dead animal requires a (minimum) size for tumah]. They said to him: Is it not derivable by kal vachomer (a fortiori) [that a part from a dead animal (even less than an olive-size) is tamei, viz.] If from a living animal, which is tahor (clean), a part (even less than an olive-size) which separates from it is tamei — a dead animal, which is tamei, does it not follow (a fortiori) that a part which separates from it is tamei? He said to them: They spoke only about a part from a living animal. And, furthermore, [in rebuttal of the kal vachomer], the tumah of the living is greater than that of the dead! For the living [i.e., a zav, when he is alive,] renders unclean via mishkav and moshav (couch and seat uncleanliness) [all of the vessels] beneath him, [even one hundred of them] to render a man unclean and to render garments unclean, [viz. (Leviticus 15:5): "And a man who touches what he (a zav) lay upon shall wash his clothes."] And he renders what is above him "madaf" [All the vessels above the zav, though they be a hundred, one above the other, acquire madaf uncleanliness; that is "light" tumah, not rendering men and vessels unclean, as do mishkav and moshav which are beneath him, but (only) food and drink. ("madaf" as in Leviticus 26:36: "the sound of a driven [nidaf] leaf") — that is, "light" tumah. Or, as in "its open nodef (spreads)," the "odor" of the tumah of the zav spreading far to render unclean all of the vessels above him, even though he did not touch them] —- which is not effected by a dead body. [For of the vessels beneath a dead body, only the first, second, and third acquire uncleanliness, by maga (contact). The vessel touching the dead body becomes like the dead body itself, rendering the vessel that touches it "av" (a "father" of uncleanliness.) And the third that touches becomes a rishon ("first"), after which vessels are not rendered tamei in turn, vessels acquiring tumah only from the av of tumah. Likewise, of the vessels above the dead body, only the first, second, and third are tamei, by way of maga, (contact), and not by way of mishkav and moshav.]

Explore quoting%20commentary for Eduyot 6:2. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.