Comentario sobre Uktzim 3:11

מאימתי ממיטמאות משום משקה – for that which is undefined exists for consumption, and from when does it become susceptible for ritual defilement for liquids to become first-degree of ritual defilement. (See also Tractate Makhshirin, Chapter 6, Mishnah 4 which defines the seven liquids that make foods susceptible for ritual impurity – and Tractate Bava Batra 9b where a Baraitha is brought indicating the honey in a beehive becomes susceptible for ritual impurity without intention – and that as long as the honey is in the beehive, it is considered as food and not liquid. There is a dispute between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel in this Mishnah about when the transition takes place.)

Introduction Honey is one of the seven liquids that causes food to become susceptible to impurity (see Makhshirin 6:4). Today's mishnah discusses when honey from a honeycomb begins to count as honey.

משיחרחר (he sets the twigs on fire for driving out the bees/smokes the bees out) – when he brings smoke and smokes it out to drive away the bees. It is the language of לחרחר ריב/to stir up strife. That it appears as if he wants to stir up strife with the bees. Another explanation of מישחרחר, that he heats them up in order to remove their honey, even though they honey has not yet left. It is the language of (Jeremiah 6:29): “The bellows puff.” And there are those who have the reading "מיהרהר"/from when he will conceive in his mind, meaning to say, that he will conceive an intention/thought in his heart to take the honey out of the beehive.

When do honeycombs become susceptible to uncleanness on account of their being regarded as liquids? As long as the honey is still totally connected to the honeycombs it is still part of its source and liquids that are still part of their source do not cause susceptibility to impurity. Therefore the mishnah asks at what point the honey begins to be considered a "liquid" such that it would cause susceptibility.

מירסק (from the time you break the honeycomb – to take it out of the hive) – when they want to take the honey out of the beehive, they cut it with a knife and remove the honeycombs and that is ריסוק/crushing.

Bet Shammai says: from the moment he begins to smoke the bees out. Bet Shammai says that as soon as someone begins to smoke the bees out of the honeycomb, the honey counts as liquid. Once the bees are gone, the honey can be eaten.

But Bet Hillel says: once he breaks up the honeycomb. Bet Hillel says he has to actually break up the honeycomb to get the honey out.