אֲבוֹת הַטֻּמְאוֹת, הַשֶּׁרֶץ, וְשִׁכְבַת זֶרַע, וּטְמֵא מֵת, וְהַמְּצֹרָע בִּימֵי סָפְרוֹ, וּמֵי חַטָּאת שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם כְּדֵי הַזָּיָה, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ מְטַמְּאִין אָדָם וְכֵלִים בְּמַגָּע, וּכְלֵי חֶרֶשׂ בַּאֲוִיר, וְאֵינָם מְטַמְּאִין בְּמַשָּׂא:
The Origins of impurity: the <em>sheretz</em> [one of eight creeping creatures, whose identities are debated, and whose carcasses transmit ritual impurity upon contact], semen, that which is rendered impure by a dead body, the <em>metzora</em> [victim of a Divinely inflicted skin disease] while he is in his days of counting, a small amount of purifying water that is not enough to perform the sprinkling ceremony - can render persons and vessels impure through touch, and pottery vessels through the air, but they do not render impure when they are carried.
Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat
Anywhere one stated categories there are derivatives. There, we have stated: “There are four categories of damages. The ox”, this is the horn. Goring and pushing are main categories. Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: If it bit, lay down, kicked, these are derivatives of the horn. There, we have stated: “The categories of impurity, the crawling animal and semen.” What are derivatives of crawling animals? Rebbi Jehudah in the name of Rebbi Naḥum: pushings. What are pushings? Touching. The main category of impurity makes everything impure, derivative impurity transmits impurity only to food and drink, or clay vessels. Food and drink and [clay] vessels cannot become main categories of impurity to transmit impurity. Gonorrhea. And here, we have stated: “The categories of work are 39.” Ploughing is a category. Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: If one dug a hole, made a ditch, or dug to put in a pole, these are derivatives of ploughing.
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