Talmud for Eruvin 10:15

שֶׁרֶץ שֶׁנִּמְצָא בַמִּקְדָּשׁ, כֹּהֵן מוֹצִיאוֹ בְהֶמְיָנוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא לְשַׁהוֹת אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרוֹקָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בִּצְבָת שֶׁל עֵץ, שֶׁלֹּא לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה. מֵהֵיכָן מוֹצִיאִין אוֹתוֹ, מִן הַהֵיכָל וּמִן הָאוּלָם וּמִבֵּין הָאוּלָם וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן נַנָּס. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, מְקוֹם שֶׁחַיָּבִין עַל זְדוֹנוֹ כָּרֵת וְעַל שִׁגְגָתוֹ חַטָּאת, מִשָּׁם מוֹצִיאִין אוֹתוֹ, וּשְׁאָר כָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת כּוֹפִין עָלָיו פְּסַכְתֵּר. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, מְקוֹם שֶׁהִתִּירוּ לְךָ חֲכָמִים, מִשֶּׁלְּךָ נָתְנוּ לְךָ, שֶׁלֹּא הִתִּירוּ לְךָ אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם שְׁבוּת:

If a sheretz (an unclean creeping thing) were found in the Temple, the Cohein removes it with his belt [on Shabbath, without apprehension of tiltul (forbidden moving) on Shabbath, there being no shvuth in the Temple.], in order not to keep tumah (uncleanliness) in the Temple. These are the words of R. Yochanan b. B'roka. [Even though he thereby renders his belt, which is kodesh (consecrated) unclean, it is preferable to keeping the tumah in the Temple court while looking for wooden tongs. And the Cohein does not touch it with his hands, so that he himself does not become unclean. He holds it in his belt, not touching it. The sheretz does not render unclean the one who carries it; the belt, which becomes unclean through the sheretz, does not render the Cohein unclean when he holds it. For the belt is of first-degree uncleanliness, and men and vessels acquire uncleanliness only through av hatumah (proto-uncleanliness)]. R. Yehudah says: (He removes it) with wooden tongs, [flat wooden vessels, which do not acquire uncleanliness] in order not to increase tumah, [i.e., (in order not) to render unclean the belt, which is clean. It is better to keep the sheretz there and to look for the tongs than to increase uncleanliness. The halachah is in accordance with R. Yehudah.] From where is it taken out? From the heichal (the hall containing the golden altar), the ulam (the entrance hall), and between the ulam and the altar. These are the words of R. Shimon b. Naness. [But if he found it in the azarah (the Temple court), he covers it with a p'sachter (a large pot) and leaves it until dark.] R. Akiva says: Wherever he incurs kareth (cutting-off) for [entering] wittingly [in a state of tumah] and a sin-offering for [entering] unwittingly [i.e., in all of the azarah], from there, it is taken out; and in all other places, a p'sachter [a copper pot] is placed upon it. [(the targum of "its pots" (Exodus 27:3) is "p'sachtravatei") to cover it until dark. The halachah is in accordance with R. Akiva.] R. Shimon says: A place that the sages permitted to you, they gave you of what is yours; for they permitted to you only what is (interdicted) by reason of shvuth. [R. Shimon differs from the first tanna (10:13), who says that a string may be tied (with a knot) in the Temple. R. Shimon holds that the string of a lute that snapped may be tied only with a bow, which is (otherwise) forbidden only by reason of shvuth, and by which (mode of tying) one will not come to transgress a Torah prohibition. But it is forbidden to tie it with a knot, for that might lead one to transgression of a Torah interdict. R. Shimon says to the first tanna: Do not wonder that I am stringent here and relatively lenient with respect to tchumin, saying (4:11) that even if one went fifteen cubits outside the tchum he may re-enter. For in respect to tchumin, "they gave you of what is yours," knowing that those fifteen cubits are not really outside the tchum. For we know that the surveyors, who place signs for the end of the tchum do not do so exactly at the end of two thousand cubits (but within that distance), because of those who err, not recognizing the signs, and sometimes going a little beyond the tchum and returning — for which reason I am lenient in respect to tchumin. But, in respect to tying a knot in the Temple, (since they permitted in the Temple only shvuth interdicts, but not Torah interdicts) — there, I rule stringently and say that they permitted only the tying of a bow, a shvuth interdict, but they did not permit the tying of a knot, which, in some instances, is forbidden by the Torah. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Shimon.]

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