Comment retireraient-ils [les vases] pour nettoyer l'azarah? Ils plongeaient les vases qui étaient dans le sanctuaire, et ils leur disaient [les amei ha'aretz, sur la fête]: "Prenez garde de ne pas toucher la table et de la rendre impure." [Car ils ne pouvaient pas l'immerger après la fête, n'étant pas autorisés à le retirer de sa place, il est écrit (Exode 28:30): "Et tu mettras toujours sur la table du pain de démonstration devant Moi."] Tous les les vaisseaux dans le Temple avaient des secondes et des tiers, de sorte que si le premier devenait impur, les seconds étaient apportés à leur place. Tous les ustensiles du Temple nécessitaient une immersion [à cause de l'impureté qu'ils avaient subie pendant la fête], à l'exception de l'autel d'or et de l'autel de cuivre, étant considérés comme de la terre, [l'autel de cuivre étant appelé (Exode 20:21) "un autel de la terre », et l'autel d'or y étant comparé, à savoir. (Nombres 3:31): "… la menorah et les autels." Quant à la table, l'amei ha'aretz n'y a pas touché, comme indiqué ci-dessus.] Ce sont les paroles de R. Eliezer. Les sages disent: parce qu'ils sont plaqués. [C'est l'intention: les sages les jugent impurs et disent qu'eux aussi nécessitent une immersion, car ils sont plaqués. Car s'ils n'étaient pas plaqués, ils seraient jugés propres en raison de «récipients en bois faits pour se reposer» (à leur place et non déplacés). Une autre interprétation: les sages disent que la raison pour laquelle ils n'ont pas besoin d'immersion (même si) ils sont plaqués d'or et de cuivre est que le placage est neutralisé (par le bois, qui est dominant), de sorte qu'ils sont considérés comme des récipients en bois fabriqués pour se reposer, qui ne deviennent pas impurs. (Selon cette interprétation) les sages ne diffèrent avec R. Eliezer que vis-à-vis de la raison (car ils ne nécessitent pas d'immersion). Rambam l'explique ainsi dans Hilchoth Metamei Mishkav Umoshav.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
ואומרים להם – to the ignoramuses on the Festival. Be careful not to touch the Table, because they would not be able to immerse it until after the Festival [had concluded]., for it was impossible to remove it from its place, as it is written (Exodus 25:30): “[And on the table] you shall set the bread of display, to be before Me always.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Introduction
The final mishnah of the chapter, tractate and seder (game, set and match) explains how they purified the Temple’s vessels.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
טעונים טבילה – because of the defilement of the Festival.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
How did they undertake the purification of the Temple court? They immersed the vessels which were in the Temple, and they say to them: “Be cautious lest you touch the table or menorah and defile them.” All the vessels in the Temple were immersed in order to purify them lest they had become impure during the festival. However, the table upon which the showbread was placed could not be immersed because the showbread had to be on it always (Exodus 25:30). Similarly, the menorah had to always be lit (Leviticus 24:2) and therefore it couldn’t be immersed either. Since these could not be immersed because they were in constant use, they would tell the priests to be very careful to make sure that the impure vessels which they were immersing would not touch the table or the menorah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
חוץ ממזבח הזהב ומזבח הנחשת מפני שהן כקרקע – the copper altar, for the Torah called it the altar of earth (see Exodus 20:21) and the golden altar is written (Numbers 3:31): “[Their duties comprised: the ark, the table,] the lampstand, the altars, [and the sacred utensils that were used with them, and the screen – all the service connected with these],” they juxtaposed the altars (i.e., the copper altar and the golden altar) to each other. But they did not mention the table for they did not touch it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
All the vessels that were in the Temple had second and third sets, so that if the first was defiled, they might bring a second set in its place. All the vessels in the Temple had backups in case the first set became impure. You could think of these as sort of “understudy vessels”, just waiting for their day in the sun!
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
מפני שהן מצופין – this is how it should be read: And the Sages declared them ritually impure and state that they require ritual immersion even them because they are overlaid [with gold or copper], for if they had been overlaid, it would be necessary to ritually purify them because wooden utensils are made as ornaments. Another explanation: And the Sages state that the reason that they don’t require ritual immersion is because they are overlaid with gold or copper and their overlaying is neutralized concerning them, and they are like wood utensils which do not become ritually defiled, and they don’t dispute Rabbi Eliezer other than on the reason for the matter alone. So also did Maimonides explain in his laws of the uncleanness of couch and seat (Chapter 1, Halakha 11).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
All the vessels that were in the Temple required immersion, except the altar of gold and the altar of bronze, for they are like the ground, the words of Rabbi Eliezer. But the sages say: because they were overlaid [with metal]. There were two vessels in the Temple that did not require immersion, the two altars. The bronze altar was used for the sacrifices and the gold altar was used for the burning of the incense. There is a debate between Rabbi Eliezer and the sages why these altars do not require immersion. According to Rabbi Eliezer because they are attached to the ground, they are treated like the ground which cannot become impure. According to the sages their metal covering prevents impurity from getting to the vessel itself. The metal covering itself cannot become impure because it is not a vessel. Congratulations! We have finished Moed Katan and Seder Moed! It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. For those of you who have been following along with Mishnah Yomit from its beginning, you have now learned half of the entire Mishnah! We began with Seder Nezikin, continued with Seder Nashim and now we have finished Seder Moed. This is quite an impressive amount of learning. These are the three orders of Mishnah most learned and for which there exists both Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. You should feel really good about this accomplishment and hopefully, you are looking at the proverbial glass as half full. However, we still have half the Mishnah to go. Mishnah Yomit never lets up. Tomorrow we begin Seder Zeraim, Tractate Berakhot.
