Sin embargo, muchas incertidumbres e incertidumbres sobre las incertidumbres que podría aumentar, un caso de incertidumbre en un dominio privado es impuro, y [una incertidumbre] en un dominio público es puro. ¿Cómo es eso? Si uno entró en un callejón y algo impuro estaba en el patio [en el que uno entra por el callejón], y existe una incertidumbre sobre si entró [al patio] o no entró; o si algo impuro estaba en una casa y hay una incertidumbre sobre si entró o no entró; o incluso si él entró, si existe una incertidumbre sobre si estaba allí [es decir, si lo impuro estaba en la casa en el momento en que entró] o no estaba allí; o incluso si estuviera allí, si existe una incertidumbre sobre si consistía en la cantidad [suficiente] [requerida para que algo se volviera impuro] o no consistiera en la cantidad [suficiente]; o incluso si consistiera [de la cantidad suficiente], si existe una incertidumbre sobre si era algo impuro o puro; e incluso si era algo impuro, si existe incertidumbre sobre si lo tocó o no; [para cualquier caso] su incertidumbre es impura. El rabino Elazar dice: si hay una incertidumbre sobre si uno entró [en el patio o la casa impura], es puro; pero si existe una incertidumbre sobre si uno tocó [algo impuro], es impuro.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ספק ביאה טהור – because we require something similar to the woman accused of being unfaithful to her husband (i.e., Sotah), for certainly she keeps it secret, but rather if he doubtfully touched it, or doubtful did not touch [the defiling agent], for we don’t know if she was defiled, and the All-Merciful calls her defiled, as it is written (Numbers 5:13): “and she keeps secret the fact that she has defiled herself,” but a case of doubt concerning entry is considered ritually pure.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Introduction
This mishnah demonstrates that the general rule that conditions of doubt in the private domain are unclean and in the public domain are clean remains stable, no matter how many doubts about the uncleanness there are.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
However many doubts and doubts about doubts that you can multiply, a condition of doubt in a private domain is unclean, and in a public domain it is deemed clean. This is the general principle that will be illustrated in the continuation of the mishnah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
How so? If a man entered an alley and an unclean object was in the courtyard, and a doubt arose as to whether he entered or did not enter [the courtyard]; Or if an object of uncleanness was in a house and there is doubt whether he entered or not; This is the first doubt he is not sure if he even went into the courtyard, or he is not sure whether he entered the house.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Or even if he entered, there is doubt whether the uncleanness was there or not; This is the second level of doubt even if he entered he is not sure if the potential source uncleanness was even there.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Or even if it was there, there is doubt whether it consisted of the prescribed minimum or not; Third level of doubt even if it was there, he is not sure if it was large enough to defile.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Or even if it consisted of the prescribed minimum, there is doubt whether it was unclean or clean; Fourth doubt even if it was there, and it was large enough, he is not sure if it was even unclean.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Or even if it was unclean, there is doubt whether he touched it or not; Fifth doubt even if he went in, he is not sure if he touched it.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Any such condition of doubt is deemed unclean. In all of these cases, despite the fact that there is a multiplicity of doubts, since the doubt occurred in the private domain, he is unclean.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Rabbi Eliezer says: if there is a doubt whether he entered, he is clean, but if there is a doubt whether he touched it, he is unclean. Rabbi Eliezer says if he is not sure whether he even went in, then he is clean. Evidently, Rabbi Eliezer does not consider this to be a case of doubtful impurity in the private domain, because he is not sure if he even entered the private domain. However, if he knows he went in but is just not sure if he touched the source of impurity, then he is impure because this is a case of doubtful impurity in the private domain.
