Beth Shammai dice: Primero se lavan las manos y luego se vierte la copa de vino. [Porque si dices que primero se vierte la copa de vino, quizás las gotas caigan en el exterior de la copa y se vuelvan mansas (ritualmente impuras) debido a sus manos. Para las manos, antes de lavarse, son de tumah de segundo orden (impureza), e imparten tumah de primer orden a los líquidos, que, a su vez, hacen que el exterior de la taza sea manso. Para los líquidos que se han vuelto mansos, imparta tumah a los vasos por orden rabínica. Eran indulgentes con respecto a este tumah en que si el exterior de un recipiente se volvía manso a través de líquidos impuros, ni su interior, ni sus manos, ni su borde se volvieron mansos. Y Beth Shammai sostiene que está prohibido hacer uso de una embarcación cuyo exterior es manso a pesar de que su interior no se ha vuelto manso.—un decreto no sea que las gotas broten de su interior hacia el exterior de la copa y las gotas se vuelvan mansas debido al exterior y, a su vez, impartan tumah a sus manos. Y debido a que está prohibido usar un recipiente cuyo exterior es manso, primero se lavan las manos, y luego se vierte el vino, de modo que las gotas en el exterior no se vuelvan mansas a través de las manos y hagan que el exterior de la copa sea manso y él usa la taza ilícitamente.] Y Beth Hillel dice: Primero se vierte la taza y luego se lavan las manos. [Beth Hillel sostiene que no está prohibido usar una embarcación cuyo exterior sea manso. Por lo tanto, primero vierte la taza y la bebe, y luego se lava las manos. Porque si dices que se lava primero y luego vierte la copa, puede ser que el exterior de la copa esté manso, se le permita usar un recipiente cuyo exterior esté manso, y puede ser que sus manos no estén completamente secas, de modo que el exterior de la vasija imparte tumah al agua en sus manos, y esa agua, que se ha convertido en tumah de primer orden, a su vez hace que sus manos sean mansas y coma con manos "manchadas".]
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
בית שמאי אומרים: נוטלין לידים ואחר כך מוזגין את הכוס – For if you say “pour the cup” first, as a preventive measure, lest they defile the liquids that fell on the back of the cup on account of one’s hands, for hands prior to washing them are considered impure in the second-degree, and they defile liquids to become impure in the first-degree, and these liquids would come back and defile the outer surface of the cup, for the liquids that were defiled, defile utensils, according to the Rabbis, but they were lenient in this defilement for the utensil whose back was defiled by liquids [which] are impure, what is inside [the utensil] is not defiled nor one’s hands nor its (the utensil’s) rim. And the School of Shammai thinks that it is forbidden to use the cup whose back is impure, even though the inside was not defiled, as a preventive measure, lest splashing [of liquid] of drops from inside [the cup] touch the outer surface of the cup , and the liquids would acquire defilement on account of the outside of the cup, and would defile the hands, and since it is forbidden to use a utensil whose outside are impure, therefore, we wash our hands first and thereafter pour the cup [of wine], in order that the liquid on the outside of the utensil would not receive defilement on account of the hands – and the outside of the utensils would be found to be [ritually] impure, on account of those liquids and we would be using something that is in a forbidden state; but the School of Hillel thinks that there is no prohibition to use a utensil whose external parts are impure; therefore, we pour the cup [of wine] first and drink it and afterwards wash the hands, for if one would say that we wash the hands first and afterwards pour the cup, as a preventive measure lest the external parts of the cup would be impure, for it is permitted to handle a utensil whose external parts are impure, even if one’s hands are not dried well , which would defile the external parts of the utensil, the liquids on his hands and those liquids that had been made “first-degree” impure would defile the hands and it would be found that he would be eating with unclean hands.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Introduction
Our mishnah contains another debate between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel about table manners.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Bet Shammai says: they wash their hands and then they pour the cup [of wine]. Bet Hillel says: they pour the cup [of wine] and then they wash their hands. According to Bet Shammai first they wash their hands in order to purify them and only afterwards do they pour the first cup of wine. Bet Shammai fears that if they pour before the hands are washed and purified, some of the wine might get on the outside of the cup and when the person drinking touches the cup he will make them impure and they will then cause the cup to be impure. Bet Hillel holds that first the cup should be poured and then the hands washed. It seems that they hold that the hands must be washed immediately before the food is eaten and that there shouldn’t be any break in between. Today on days on which Kiddush is recited most people pour the wine, say Kiddush and then wash their hands before they say “Hamotzi,”, the blessing over the bread, and begin the meal. However, there are some whose custom it is to wash hands before Kiddush and then proceed directly from Kiddush to Hamotzi.
