Toutes (choses) qui causent la tumah dans une tente, [comme un cadavre, ou netzel (matière décomposée d'un cadavre), ou une tarvad (un type de cuillère) pleine de matière pourrie, et toutes ces choses mentionnées au début de Chapitre II d'Ohaloth], dont [la taille minimale pour l'impureté] a été divisée en deux et amenée dans une maison [c'est-à-dire dans une tente] —R. Dossa n. Hyrcanus le gouverne, [soutenant que les parties ne doivent pas se combiner dans la taille requise], et les sages ordonnent qu'il apprivoise. Comment? Si l'on touche ou porte deux demi-tailles d'olive de neveilah (charogne) [(Il ouvre par «tente-» (impureté) et explique «neveilah», pour enseigner cela tout comme R. Dossa soutient qu'ils ne se combinent pas pour tente- impureté, il soutient également qu'ils ne se combinent pas pour «toucher et porter» l'impureté, à la fois pour un cadavre et pour neveilah)], et, avec un cadavre, si l'on touche une taille demi-olive et des «tentes» sur un demi-olive, [car celui qui tente sur un cadavre est tamei, comme s'il était avec le cadavre dans une tente. (Et toutes ces "tentes" dans la première partie, parlent de tumah "compressée" ("tumah retzutzah), où il n'y a pas, entre la tumah et la tente, l'espace d'un tefach, raison pour laquelle les sages le gouvernent tamei. Car une "tente" de ce genre est considérée comme "touchante". Et la deuxième partie, à savoir: "Mais si l'on touche une taille demi-olive et autre chose tentes sur lui et une taille demi-olive, etc., "où les sages s'accordent à dire que c'est tahor— cela se produit là où il y a un espace (au moins) d'un tefach entre le tumah et la tente, auquel cas les sages s'accordent à dire qu'ils ne combinent pas —«toucher» et «tente» (impureté) étant deux «noms» distincts (c'est-à-dire des catégories), et tous ceux qui sont de «deux noms» ne se combinent pas. Et R. Dossa soutient que même dans le «tumah compressé», ils ne se combinent pas.)], Ou s'il touche une taille demi-olive et une demi-olive taille des tentes au-dessus de lui; ou s'il tente de plus de deux tailles demi-olive, de plus d'une taille demi-olive, et d'une taille demi-olive sur lui—R. Dossa n. Hyrcanus gouverne tahor et les sages gouvernent Tamei. Mais si l'on touche une taille mi-olive et quelque chose le couvre et une taille mi-olive; ou s'il tente sur une taille demi-olive et autre chose sur lui et une taille demi-olive, il est tahor. R. Meir dit: Même dans un tel cas, R. Dossa règne sur tahor, et les sages, tamei. [R. Meir est en désaccord avec le premier tanna, qui dit que lorsqu'il y a un espace tefach entre le tumah et la tente, les sages conviennent qu'il s'agit de tahor, les pièces ne se combinant pas, (R. Meir) disant que même dans un tel cas, les sages en désaccord avec R. Dossa, soutenant que «toucher» et «tente» sont un seul nom, c'est pourquoi ils se combinent pour faire la taille minimale (requise) (pour tumah), et ils gouvernent tamei. (La halakha n'est pas conforme à R. Meir)]. Tout est apprivoisé, sauf "toucher" avec "bouger", [comme quand il "touchait" une taille demi-olive et "déplacé" (heset) une taille demi-olive], et "portant" avec "tente", [comme quand il déplaçait une taille demi-olive et tentait sur une taille demi-olive.] Telle est la règle: tout ce qui a "un seul nom" [comme "toucher" avec "toucher", "bouger" avec "bouger", "tente" avec "tente"] est tamei; de deux noms, 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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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
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.
