Todas las (cosas) que causan tumah en una tienda de campaña, [como un cadáver, o netzel (materia descompuesta de un cadáver), o una lona (un tipo de cuchara) llena de materia descompuesta, y todas esas cosas mencionadas al comienzo de Capítulo II de Ohaloth], cuyo [tamaño mínimo de impureza] se ha dividido en dos y llevado a una casa [es decir, a una tienda de campaña] —R. Dossa b. Hyrcanus lo gobierna tahor, [sosteniendo que las partes no se combinan en el tamaño requerido], y los sabios lo gobiernan tamei. ¿Cómo es eso? Si uno toca o lleva dos tamaños de neveilah (carroña) de color verde oliva [(Él abre con "carpa-" (impureza) y explica "neveilah", para enseñar que tal como R. Dossa sostiene que no se combinan para carpa- impureza, también sostiene que no se combinan para "tocar y llevar" impureza, tanto para un cadáver como para neveilah)], y, con un cadáver, si uno toca un tamaño medio olivo y "carpas" sobre un medio olivo, [para alguien que tienda sobre un cadáver es tamei, como si estuviera con el cadáver en una tienda de campaña. (Y todas estas "tiendas de campaña" en la primera parte, hablan de tumah "comprimido" ("tumah retzutzah)), donde no hay, entre la tumah y la tienda, el espacio de un tefach, por lo que los sabios lo gobiernan tamei. Para una "carpa" de este tipo se considera "conmovedora". Y la segunda parte, a saber: "Pero si uno toca un tamaño de media aceituna y otra cosa se extiende sobre él y un tamaño de media aceituna, etc., "donde los sabios coinciden en que es tahor— esto se obtiene cuando hay un espacio de (al menos) un tefach entre la tumah y la tienda, en cuyo caso los sabios coinciden en que no se combinan —"tocar" y "tienda" (impureza) son dos "nombres" separados (es decir, categorías), y todos los que son de "dos nombres" no se combinan. Y R. Dossa sostiene que incluso en "tuma comprimido" no se combinan.]], O si toca un tamaño de media aceituna, y unas carpas de media aceituna sobre él; o si él hace carpas de más de dos medias aceitunas, carpas de más de una mitad de aceituna y una mitad de aceituna sobre él—R. Dossa b. Hyrcanus gobierna tahor y los sabios gobiernan tamei. Pero si uno toca un tamaño de medio olivo y algo se extiende sobre él y un tamaño de medio olivo; o si él hace tiendas de más de la mitad del tamaño de una aceituna y otra cosa lo hace sobre él y una mitad de la aceituna, es tahor. R. Meir dice: Incluso en tal caso, R. Dossa gobierna tahor, y los sabios, tamei. [R. Meir no está de acuerdo con el primer tanna, quien dice que cuando hay un espacio de tefach entre la tumah y la tienda, los sabios coinciden en que es tahor, las piezas no se combinan, (R. Meir) diciendo que incluso en tal caso los sabios no están de acuerdo con R. Dossa, sosteniendo que "tocar" y "tienda" son un nombre, por lo que se combinan para hacer el tamaño mínimo (requerido) (para tumah), y gobiernan tamei. (La halajá no está de acuerdo con R. Meir)]. Todo es tamei, excepto "tocar" con "mover", [como cuando él "tocó" un tamaño de medio olivo y "movió" (heset) un tamaño de medio olivo], y "cargar" con "carpa", [como cuando movió un tamaño de medio olivo y cargó sobre un tamaño de medio olivo.] Esta es la regla: Todo lo que es de "un nombre" [como en "tocar" con "tocar", "mover" con "mover" "tienda" con "tienda"] es tamei; de dos nombres, tahor.
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כל המטמאין באוהל – such as the dead, and the decayed matter (i..e., liquid and coagulated portions of a corpse – see Tractate Ohalot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 1) and a spoonful of dust [of earth from a grave of decaying human body], and all those that are taught at the beginning of the second chapter of Tractate Ohalot.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Introduction The first six mishnayoth of this chapter contain ten disputes between Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas and the Sages.
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שנחלקו – their measures in halves.
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This is a complicated mishnah, which requires the knowledge of some rules before we begin to explain the details. 1) A corpse causes impurity in three ways: a) by contact, b) by being carried; c) by being under the same roof-space, referred to as a tent. 2) Certain parts of a dead body impart impurity even though there is not a full corpse. 3) In order for a part of a corpse to impart impurity it must have a minimum measure the size of an olive. 4) Tent impurity is contracted in three ways: i) If a corpse, or part thereof, is found under a roof structure, anything under that roof structure is impure. ii) If the corpse, or part thereof, is above a person or vessel, the corpse imparts impurity. iii) If the person or vessel is above the corpse, the person and vessel are impure. Our mishnah discusses the ability of two pieces of a corpse, that are smaller than an olive, to join together and make a piece of corpse larger than an olive and transmit impurity in different situations.
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שהכניסן – when they are divided.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
[In the case of] all things which cause defilement in a “tent”, if they [the pieces of the corpse] were divided and brought into the house, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas pronounces [everything under the same roof-space] clean, but the Sages pronounce it unclean. This is an introduction to the mishnah. Here we learn that if two pieces of a dead body smaller than an olive but together the size of an olive are found under one roof, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinos declares that they do not join to impart impurity and the Sages declare that they do join.
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לתוך הבית – that is inside one tent.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
How so? He who touches as much as two halves of an olive [in quantity] of an animal’s carcass or carries them; or in the case of a [human] corpse, he who touches as much as half an olive and stands over as much as half an olive; or touches as much as half an olive and as much as half an olive is above him; or if he stands over as much as two halves of an olive; or if he stands over as much as half an olive and as much as half an olive is above him Rabbi Dosa b. Harkinas pronounces him clean, and the Sages pronounce him unclean. The mishnah now goes over all of the different examples in which the Sages and Rabbi Dosa dispute. A. If one touches or carries two separate pieces of a dead animal, each the size of half an olive. Note that there is no tent impurity caused by dead animals, and therefore this example mentions only carrying and contact. B. If one touches a piece of corpse the size of half an olive and makes a tent, over another piece the same size (rule 4iii above). C. A person forms a tent over two half-olive size pieces of a corpse. D. A person forms a tent over one half-olive size piece of corpse and one half-olive size piece of corpse forms a tent over him. In all of these case Rabbi Dosa declares that the pieces of corpse do not join together.
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רבי דוסא בן הרכינס מטהר – that he holds that they do not combine to the appropriate measurement.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
But if he touches as much as half an olive [in quantity] and another thing was over him and over as much as half an olive; or if he stood over as much as half an olive and another thing was over him and over as much as half an olive, he is clean. In this section are listed two cases where the Sages would agree with Rabbi Dosa that he is pure. A. If one touches a half-olive size piece of corpse and something else forms a tent over him and a half-olive size piece, he is still pure. B. If one forms a tent over a half-olive size piece of corpse, and something else forms a tent over him and another half-olive size piece of corpse, he is still pure. The reason why in this case the Sages declare him pure is that the two types of impurity are of a different nature. When something forms a tent over a person and a piece of corpse that is considered to be tent impurity, whereas when a person forms a tent over a piece of corpse or a piece of corpse forms a tent over him, that is considered contact impurity. In the cases in section two, there were two kinds of contact impurity; hence the two half-olives joined to transmit impurity. In the cases in section three, one piece of corpse transmitted tent impurity and the other contact impurity. Hence the Sages agree that he is pure.
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הנוגע בכשני חצאי זיתים מן הנבילה – he started about tent impurity and continued with impurity of a carrion, to tell you that just as Rabbi Dosa holds that they do not combine for the defilement of a tent, so too, he holds that they defilement of contact and carrying do not combine, whether with the dead person or a carrion.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Rabbi Meir said: “Also in this case Rabbi Dosa pronounces him clean and the sages pronounce him unclean. In all such cases a man is unclean unless there is an act of touching and also an act of carrying, or an act of carrying and also [the fact of] being under the same roof-space.” Rabbi Meir holds that even in these cases the Sages would declare the person impure, and Rabbi Dosa would say he is pure. Rabbi Meir explains that according to the Sages tent impurity and contact impurity do join. The only type of impurity that does not join is contact impurity with carrying impurity.
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הנוגע בחצי זית ומאהיל על חצי זית – When one overshadows on a dead person, he is impure as if he had been with the dead person in the tent. And all of these where he is overshadowing in the first part of the Mishnah, we are speaking of squeezed defilement, for there is no difference between the defilement and the tent that is open a hand-breadth, and because of this, the Sages defile, for a tent like this, it is contact, and at the end of the Mishnah it is taught that if one is in contact with half-olive’s bulk and another thing, it overshadows upon him, etc., and the Rabbis admit that he is pure, when speaking where there is a hand-breadth’s opening whether between the defilement and the tent. And in this, the Rabbis admit that they don’t combine, for contact and tent are two different modes of contamination and whatever is from two different modes does not combine. But Rabbi Dosa holds that even with pressed defilement, they don’t combine.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
This is the general rule: in whatever case the means of causing defilement are of one category, he is unclean; if they are of two categories, he is clean.” This is a general rule that summarizes the whole mishnah. Any time there are two pieces of corpse transmitting impurity, they join only if they are transmitting a type of impurity with the same name. According to Rabbi Dosa none of the three types of impurity, tent, carrying and contact join together. According to the first version of the Sages opinion, contact and tent impurity do not join. According to Rabbi Meir, contact and tent impurity join but carrying and contact impurity and carrying and tent impurity do not join. Congratulations! You just learned a very difficult mishnah. If you couldn’t follow all the details do not despair. This was probably one of the most complicated mishnayoth we have seen yet.
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רבי מאיר וכו' – Rabbi Meir disputes the first Tanna who said that when there is a hand-breadth’s opening between the defilement and the tent, the Rabbis admit that he is pure, and it doesn’t combine. And he said that even in this, the Rabbis dispute on Rabbi Dosa and hold that contact and the tent category. Therefore, they combine regarding the measurement and defile, but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.
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חוץ מן המגע עם המשא – such as the case where he came in contact with one-half an olive’s bulk and shook one-half an olive’s bulk.
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והמשא עם האוהל – that he shook one-half an olive’s bulk and overshadowed on the other one-half.
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משם אחד – such one type of contact and another kind, one kind of carrying and another, one tent and another tent.
