Reference for Shekalim 8:3

סַכִּין שֶׁנִּמְצֵאת בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר, שׁוֹחֵט בָּהּ מִיָּד. בִּשְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר, שׁוֹנֶה וּמַטְבִּיל. וְקוֹפִיץ, בֵּין בָּזֶה וּבֵין בָּזֶה שׁוֹנֶה וּמַטְבִּיל. חָל אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, שׁוֹחֵט בָּהּ מִיָּד. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר, שׁוֹחֵט בָּהּ מִיָּד. נִמְצֵאת קְשׁוּרָה לְסַכִּין, הֲרֵי זוֹ כַּסַּכִּין:

If one found a knife on the fourteenth (of Nissan), he may slaughter with it immediately, [for of a certainty its owner immersed it (in a mikveh) yesterday, so that at sunset (it would become clean) and he would be able to slaughter with it today, Pesach eve]; (if it were found) on the thirteenth, he immerses it again. [That is, even though it may be assumed that its owner already immersed it, the finder must immerse it again on the possibility that its owner did not immerse it, having had time to do so until towards evening. And even though they did not decree (uncleanliness) for vessels of doubtful status in Jerusalem, because of the greater stringency of kodshim, immersion was required. Rambam explains that he sprinkles upon it again on the possibility that it incurred dead body uncleanliness and was sprinkled upon the third day; and now (on the possibility of its being the seventh day), he sprinkles upon it again and then immerses it.] and (if one found) a hatchet [used for cutting flesh and hacking bones], both on this and this [the thirteenth and the fourteenth] he immerses it again. [For a hatchet is fit only for the chagigah (the festival offering) in which the breaking of bones is permitted (as opposed to the Pesach offering). The gemara (Pesachim 70a) construes the Mishnah as referring to an instance in which the Nassi is at the point of death on the thirteenth, in which instance, if he dies, the entire congregation will be unclean and will sacrifice their Pesach offering in a state of uncleanliness, so that vessels would not need to be cleansed. Therefore, a knife, which is needed for the slaughtering of the Pesach, and which is subject to only one doubt, viz., perhaps the Nassi will not die and the Pesach will be sacrificed in cleanliness — a knife would be immersed (by the owner) and it is assumed that he cleansed it on the thirteenth in order to slaughter the Pesach with it on the fourteenth. But a hatchet, where there are two doubts — perhaps the Nassi will die and they will sacrifice the Pesach in uncleanliness, in which instance a chagigah is not brought and there is no need for a hatchet, and also (the second doubt), even if he does not die, perhaps the Pesachim will be abundant and a chagigah will not be brought on the fourteenth (see Pesachim 6:3) — they will not immerse it and it is assumed that it has not been cleansed.] If the fourteenth fell out on a Sabbath, he may slaughter with it immediately, [and we do not say that since it is Shabbath he may not slaughter with it, the possibility obtaining that it is unclean, so that the Pesach is rendered unclean, and he will be found to have desecrated the Sabbath with no mitzvah having been performed. My teachers explained "he may slaughter with it immediately" as referring to the hatchet. For even though there is no chagigah on Shabbath, it may be assumed that he immersed it on Sabbath eve for the chagigah of the fifteenth.] (If he found it) on the fifteenth, he may slaughter with it immediately, [for all the people know that sprinkling and immersion are forbidden on the festival, and they immerse everything before the festival.] If it (the hatchet) were found bound to a knife, it is like the knife, [i.e., we say that he certainly immersed it with the knife. But Rambam explains: If one knife were found with another knife that he recognizes, it (the first) is regarded as the second: if unclean, unclean; if clean, clean.]

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