Beth Shammai say: One wipes his hands on a towel [after washing for the meal] and places it on the table. [And he uses the towel throughout the meal to wipe food-grease from his hands. He may not place it on the pillow he sits on — a decree, lest the pillow be of first-order tumah and water from the drying of the hands wet the towel and, on contact with the pillow, become first-order tumah (as is always the case with liquids), and the towel, which he uses constantly in the course of the meal, impart tumah to his hands. But there is no cause for such a decree vis-à-vis a table, it being forbidden to use a table of second-order tumah.] And Beth Hillel say: (He places it) on the pillow. [Beth Hillel hold that it is permitted to use a table of second-order tumah. Therefore, he may not place the towel on the table, lest the water in the towel become tame via the table and, in turn, impart tumah to the food. If he places it on the pillow, however, the only cause for concern is that tumah might be imparted to his hands — Better that his hands become tame (there being no Scriptural basis for such tumah, the Torah not requiring washing of hands for non-consecrated food) than that food become tame, there being Scriptural basis for this, first-order tumah imparting second-order tumah to non-consecrated food.]
Tosefta Berakhot
Workers that were doing [work] by the owner of the house [when they have to say Birkat Hamazon (Grace After Meals)] they say [only] two Berachot (blessings) [instead of the four usual Berachot]. [The way they say Birkat Hamazon is as follows.] He (i.e. the worker) says the first Beracha [in the regular fashion]. [Then] he combines [the Beracha] of Jerusalem (i.e. the 3rd Beracha) with [the Beracha] of the land (i.e. the 2nd Beracha) [into one Beracha], and he seals it off with [the ending of the Beracha] of the land. If [the workers] were doing [the work] for him [and receiving] their meal [as pay, instead of money], or the owner of the house was saying the Birkat Hamazon for them [because he ate together with them, even if they were getting paid money for their work, then] they (i.e. the workers) say [all] four Berachot. [These are] the things during meals regarding which Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel argue. Bet Shammai say, “[When a person makes Kiddush on Friday night,] he says the Beracha for the day [first] and [only] after that he says the Beracha on the wine, because the day causes the wine to be brought out, and since the day already began, however the wine has not been brought out yet [until later that evening].” And Bet Hillel say, “[When a person makes Kiddush on Friday night,] he says the Beracha for the wine [first] and [only] after that he says the Beracha on the day, because it is the wine that causes the holiness of the day to be discussed. [Besides this there is] another explanation. The Beracha for the wine is common and the Beracha for the [Shabbat] day is not common.” And the law follows the words of Bet Hillel.
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Tosefta Berakhot
We pour the cup [of wine, for Kiddush, first] and [only] after that wash hands [before the meal]. ((Because if you say that we wash first, then may be the water that is on the hands will become Tameh, because of the cup [which is Tameh] and it will go back and make the hands Tameh. But rather [we must say that] we pour the cup [of wine for Kiddush] and [only] then wash hands [before the meal].))
