Commentaire sur Kéilim 1:8
לִפְנִים מִן הַחוֹמָה מְקֻדָּשׁ מֵהֶם, שֶׁאוֹכְלִים שָׁם קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים וּמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי. הַר הַבַּיִת מְקֻדָּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁאֵין זָבִים וְזָבוֹת, נִדּוֹת וְיוֹלְדוֹת נִכְנָסִים לְשָׁם. הַחֵיל מְקֻדָּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁאֵין גּוֹיִם וּטְמֵא מֵת נִכְנָסִים לְשָׁם. עֶזְרַת נָשִׁים מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁאֵין טְבוּל יוֹם נִכְנָס לְשָׁם, וְאֵין חַיָּבִים עָלֶיהָ חַטָּאת. עֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת מִמֶּנָּה, שֶׁאֵין מְחֻסַּר כִּפּוּרִים נִכְנָס לְשָׁם, וְחַיָּבִין עָלֶיהָ חַטָּאת. עֶזְרַת הַכֹּהֲנִים מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת מִמֶּנָּה, שֶׁאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל נִכְנָסִים לְשָׁם אֶלָּא בִשְׁעַת צָרְכֵיהֶם, לִסְמִיכָה לִשְׁחִיטָה וְלִתְנוּפָה:
L'intérieur du mur [de Jérusalem] est plus saint que ceux-ci, parce que là les [offrandes] moins saintes et la deuxième dîme sont mangées. Le Mont du Temple a une plus grande sainteté, car les hommes et les femmes ayant des décharges, les femmes menstruées et les femmes qui ont accouché ne peuvent y entrer. Le mur extérieur de la cour du Temple a une plus grande sainteté, car les gentils et les personnes contaminées par des impuretés de cadavres ne peuvent y entrer. La cour des femmes a une sainteté plus élevée, car un tevul yom ne peut pas y entrer, mais elles ne sont pas responsables d'une offrande pour le péché pour le faire. La cour des Israélites a une sainteté plus élevée, parce que celui qui manque d'expiation ne peut pas y entrer, et est passible d'une offrande pour le péché pour le faire. La cour des prêtres a une sainteté plus élevée, parce que les Israélites ne peuvent y entrer qu'au moment de leurs exigences [rituelles]: l'imposition des mains, le massacre et l'offrande.
Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
לפנים מן החומה – from the wall of Jerusalem.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The area within the wall [of Jerusalem] is holier, for it is there that lesser holy things and second tithe may be eaten. Within the walls of Jerusalem is holier than within other walled cities, for within these walls one may eat lesser holy things (kodashim kalim) such as the pesah sacrifice and shelamim sacrifices. One may also eat second tithe inside the walls of Jerusalem.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
שאוכלים שם קדשים קלים ומעשר שני – as it is written (Deuteronomy 12:5-6): “[But only to the site that the LORD your God will choose amidst all your tribes as His habitation, to establish His name there.] There you are to go, and there you are to bring [your burnt-offerings and other sacrifices], and it is written (Deuteronomy 12:17): “You may not partake in your settlements [of the tithes of your new grain or wine or oil].” (see also Tractate Makkot, Chapter 3, Mishnah 3).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The Temple Mount is holier, for zavim, zavot, menstruants and women after childbirth may not enter it. Men or women who are zavim or zavot, and menstruants and women after childbirth are not allowed to enter the Temple Mount. This is stated with regard to the woman who gave birth in Leviticus 12:4.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
הר הבית – it was five-hundred cubits by five-hundred cubits, and in it the Temple was built, and from there begins the Levitical camp and its measurement [is] until the Nicanor Gate, from the Nicanor Gate inward is the camp of God’s presence, and from the Temple Mount towards the outside until the wall of Jerusalem is the camp of Israel (see also Tractate Middot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 12).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The chel is holier, for neither non-Jews nor one who contracted corpse impurity may enter it. The chel is a sort of corridor surrounding the Temple's courtyards. See Middot 2:3. Strictly speaking, its area is not considered part of the Temple. Non-Jews and Jews who contracted corpse impurity are not allowed into this area. This seems to be an extra insurance policy to keep these two categories further away from the Temple itself.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
שאין זבים וזבות נדות ויולדות נכנסים לשם – as it is written (Numbers 5:2): “[Instruct the Israelites] to remove from camp anyone with an eruption or a discharge and anyone defiled by a corpse,” I hear that all three (i.e., a man with gonorrhea/a woman with a flux, menstruating women and women after childbirth) go out to one place, the inference teaches us regarding a leper (Leviticus 13:46): “[He shall be impure as long as the disease is on him. Being impure,] he shall dwell apart,” so we see that he is not sent to the place that the man with gonorrhea/flux and someone defiled to a corpse are sent, and just as a leper whose defilement is more severe, his banishment from the banishment of his fellow as it is written (Leviticus 13:46): “his dwelling shall be outside the camp,” therefore he is exiled outside of Jerusalem, even those men with gonorrhea or women with flux, menstruating women and women following childbirth whose defilement is graver than the defilement of coming in contact with a corpse, that make [defilement by] lying and sitting and the very heavy stone (leading to that which is beneath it becoming ritually impure) which is not the case for someone defiled through contact with a corpse, their exile is greater than the exile of their fellows. It is found that one states, that a leper is exiled outside of Jerusalem which is opposite the camp of Israel. Men with gonorrhea/flux and women with a flux and menstruating women and women after childbirth are exiled from the Temple Mount. That this is the camp of the Levites, but they are permitted in Jerusalem. A person defiled by contact with a corpse and even the corpse itself are permitted on the Temple Mount and is exiled from Nicanor Gate and within, which is the camp of the Divine Presence/Shekhina.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The court of women is holier, for a tevul yom may not enter it, though he is not obligated a hatat for doing so. The Women's court was the first court into which one would enter upon entering the Temple. See Middot 2:5-6. A person who had gone to the mikveh but who had not yet waited till sundown could not go into this court, meaning he/she cannot enter the Temple. However, if he/she accidently enters this court, he is not liable for a sin-offering, as would be a person who entered the Temple while fully impure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
החיל (the rampart – a low wall surrounding the Temple courtyard and he buildings within it) – inside from the Temple Mount wall was a wall ten handbreadths high and it is called סורג/one of the approaches of the Temple fortification (see Tractate Middot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3), and ten cubits inside from this is the rampart/חיל.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The court of the Israelites is holier, for a man who has not yet offered his obligatory sacrifices may not enter it, and if he enters he is liable for a hatat. After going through the Women's Court, one would enter the Israelites' court. Obviously, any impure Israelite cannot enter here. The mishnah adds that a metzora (skin disease) who had been purified but had not yet offered his sacrifices cannot enter this area, and if he does so, he is liable for a hatat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
שאין נכרים וטמאי מתים נכנסים לשם – even though that the Rabbis decreed regarding the heathens that they will be like people with gonorrhea/flux for all their things, for the matter of exile from the camps, they did not decree anything upon them other than that they are like those who have been defiled through contact with a corpse. And this – that those who have been defiled through contact with a corpse they do not enter from the rampart/חיל and [further] inside, that is from the Rabbis. But according to the Torah-law, even in the Women’s Courtyard/עזרת נשים (which was the largest in the Temple, demarcated from the Israelite’s courtyard by the Gate of Nicanor – which was square: 135 cubits by 135 cubits. Men and women stood there and its sanctity was greater than that of the rampart and the Temple Mount). For all this was the Levite’s Camp until the Israelite courtyard where the Gate of Nicanor was.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kelim
The court of the priests is holier, for Israelites may not enter it except when they are required to do so: for laying on of the hands, slaying or waving. The Priests' Court is basically off limits to the Israelites. However, they may enter in order to perform one of the sacrificial actions that they are either obligated or permitted to perform. These including laying one's hands on the sacrifice (see Menahot 9:8), slaughtering the sacrifice (Israelites can, but do not have to perform this see Zevahim 3:1) and waving the sacrifice (see Menahot 5:6-7).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
עזרת נשים – inside from the rampart/חיל it was 135 cubits by 135 cubits.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
שאין טבול יום נכנס לשם – Jehoshaphat and his legal court decreed (see Tractate Yevamot 7a and Tractate Pesahim 92a) on the one who immersed that day/טבול יום (but a Kohen who had just immersed following a period of impurity cannot partake of heave-offering/Terumah until after nightfall; see Tractate Berakhot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1) that he/she should not enter into the Women’s Courtyard. As it is written (II Chronicles 20:5): “Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the House of the LORD at the front of the new court.” And they stated in the Gemara (see above): “What is the new court?” That they renewed things in it and stated, that a person who has just immersed following a period of impurity/טבול יום cannot enter into the Levite camp, but not in all of the Levite camp, but rather only [not] in the Women’s Court alone. And they decreed on the person who has just immersed following a period of impurity but did not make a decree on someone lacking atonement/מחוסר כפורים, because a person who has just immersed following a period of impurity is prohibited to [partake of] heave-offering/Terumah, but someone lacking atonement (i.e., a sacrifice) is permitted to [partake of] heave-offering/Terumah (if that individual is a Kohen or married to one). And all whose defilement is more serious than that of his fellow, his banishment/exile is more severe than that of his fellow.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
עזרת ישראל – it was inside from the Women’s Courtyard, its length was one-hundred and thirty-five by a width of eleven [cubits]. And similarly, the Courtyard of the Priests had a length of one-hundred and thirty-five by a width of eleven [cubits], and the cut and polished stone block/mosaic would divide between the Israelite courtyard and the Courtyard of the Priests.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
שאין מחוסר כפורים נכנס לשם – and the same law applies that it (i.e., the Mishnah) is able to teach that a ritually pure person is not able to enter there until he immerses [in a Mikveh], for this is taught [in the Mishnah] in the chapter "אמר להם הממונה"/The supervisor said to them [Tractate Yoma, Chapter 3, Mishnah 3]: “No pure person enters the Temple courtyard until he immerses [in a Mikveh” [Talmud Yoma 30a].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
וחייבים עליה חטאת – the impure who entered there inadvertently.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
לסמיכה – to press his hand on the head of his sacrifice (to indicate ownership) and that is impossible other than its owners, as it is written (Leviticus 3:8): “and lay his hand [upon the head of his offering], and not the hand of his agent.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
לשחיטה – that slaughter can be done by a foreigner (i.e., non-Kohen), and even though that it is possible for Kohanim [to perform the slaughter], it is also possible for a “foreigner” to slaughter in the Israelite courtyard, nevertheless they did not prohibit an Israelite to enter into the Priest’s Courtyard to slaughter the sacrifice.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kelim
ולתנופה – that the Kohen places his hand under the hand of the owners and waves it.
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