[Si] una persona impura descansa sobre una parte de un objeto adecuado para acostarse [o si] una persona limpia descansa sobre una parte de un objeto apto para acostarse, se vuelve impuro. Si parte de una persona inmunda descansa sobre un objeto apto para acostarse, o parte de una persona limpia descansa sobre un objeto apto para acostarse, está limpio. Así encontramos que la impureza puede ser contraída y comunicada por su parte menor. De manera similar, si una hogaza [de pan] de teruma [una porción de un cultivo dada a un kohen ], fue colocada sobre un objeto adecuado para acostarse [que era inmundo] y hay papel entre ellos, ya sea [la hogaza] en la parte superior o en la parte inferior está limpio. Del mismo modo [si] había una piedra con parches enfermos que la dejaban impura, [encima o debajo de la barra de pan separada por un trozo de papel] está limpia. El rabino Shimon declaró que, en tal caso, es inmundo.
Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
הטמא על מקצת המשכב – the majority of a impure person on a minority of the lying bed [of a Zav], the lying bed is defiled. And similarly, the greater part of a ritually pure person on the lesser part of a defiled bed, the ritually pure person is defiled. But we are not concerned of the lesser part of bed defiled, since the majority of it is ritually pure and the majority that the impure sits upon it, for with the lesser part of the thing that the defilement enters, and with its lesser part it departs, as is taught in the concluding clause [in this segment of the Mishnah]: "נמצאת טומאה נכנסת לו ויוצאת ממנו בטומאתו"/”it turns out that uncleanness enters it and leaves it through its lesser part.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
If an unclean person rests upon part of an object fit to lie upon, or a clean person rests upon part of an object fit to lie upon, it becomes unclean. There are two situations referred to here. In the first case most of the zav (the unclean person) is resting on part of a clean object that is fit to lie upon. In the second case, most of the clean person is resting upon part of an object fit to lie upon that has been defiled by a zav. In both cases the impurity is conveyed, either to the object in case one or the person in case two. The mishnah will explain below in section three that the impurity of the zav can enter the entire object through the small part of the object upon which the zav lies. It can also go out of the object through the small part of the object upon which the pure person lies.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
מקצת הטמא על המשכב – since that it is the lesser part of the impure person, even though that he leans on all of the bed, the bed is pure, until the greater part of the person with flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav) is carried upon it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
If part of an unclean person rests on an object fit to lie upon, or part of a clean person rests upon an object fit to lie upon, it remains clean. But if only a small part of the unclean person is on the object or only part of the clean person is on the unclean object, then he remains pure, because the object is only defiled if it bears most of the weight of the zav (see 4:4). Similarly, the pure person is not defiled unless the impure object bears most of his weight.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
ומקצת טהור על המשכב – that is to say or the lesser part of the pure person even on the entire bed.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
Thus we find that impurity enters it and goes out of it by its lesser part. This section provides the rule that explains section one impurity can go in and out of the object fit to lie upon even threw a small part of that object.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
טהור – until the greater of the part of the ritual pure person leans upon it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
Similarly, if a loaf of terumah was placed upon an object fit to lie upon [that was unclean] and there paper in between, whether it was above or below, it remains clean. The word "similarly" does not really belong here. It is missing in some versions of the Mishnah. In mishnah 3 we learned that impurity through "carriage" being carried without touching is conveyed only to a human being by an object upon which a zav has lain. So if a loaf of terumah is either on top of an object which a zav lied upon or that object is on top of it, and there is a piece of paper separating them so that they don't touch, the loaf of terumah remains pure. The loaf of terumah is impure only if it touches the object.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
וכן ככר של תרומה – it is referring to the Mishnah above (see Tractate Zavim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3) as it teaches in the Mishnah: "כל הנושא ונישא על גבי המשכב טהור חוץ מן האדם"/”Whatever carries and is carried on top of a bed is clean.” And even food of priest’s due/heave-offering, if it was carried on top of the bed and there is between them something that interposes, even if it is the most thin like [a piece of] paper and similar to it, they are not susceptible to receive ritual defilement from the bed, for it doesn’t defile others and is not susceptible to receive defilement through shaking/moving other than something that has the breath of life (i.e., a human).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zavim
Similarly, in the case of a stone with scale disease it remains clean. Rabbi Shimon pronounced such a case unclean. The same is true if the loaf of terumah is on top of a stone that has contracted a "nega" scale disease. As long as the paper prevents contact, the loaf is pure. Rabbi Shimon says that in this case the loaf of terumah is impure. A stone with a nega conveys impurity through being in an ohel overshadowing. Since the stone overshadows the loaf or vice versa, the loaf is impure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zavim
ור' שמעון מטמא בזו – since its place is impure, it defiles through shaking/moving, even something that does not have the breath of life. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.
