Commentaire sur Parah 10:6

של חטאת טמא – that the Holy Things and the heave-offering are ritually impure next to the [waters] of purification.

Introduction The principle that underlies the following mishnah is that the purity required for a vessel holding the hatat waters is greater than the purity required for that holding consecrated foods or terumah. Therefore, if something that is pure enough to hold terumah or other consecrated foods touches something that holds or is meant to hold the hatat waters, the latter vessel becomes impure.

שניהם בשתי ידיו – that the person who carries the purification waters in his one hand and that of Holy Things or of heave-offering in his other hand.

A flask containing hatat waters that touched [a vessel] containing consecrated food or terumah: that containing the hatat waters becomes unclean, but the one containing the consecrated food or the terumah remains clean. The flask containing the hatat waters is impure because it touched the vessel that has a lower degree of impurity. But the vessel containing terumah or other consecrated foods remains pure because it touched something that has a higher degree of impurity.

שניהן טמאים – of the purification waters because it touched that of heave-offering in his hand and when his hands were defiled, his body was defiled and it defiles the waters of lustration, and that of heave offering is impure because he carries the waters of lustration.

If he held the two vessels one in each of his two hands, both become unclean. When the person who is pure enough to perform the hatat ritual touches the vessel that is only pure enough for terumah, he becomes impure. Then when he touches the flask of hatat waters, he defiles them. The impure hatat waters defile a person who is impure vis a vis the hatat waters (see 9:8) and then he defiles the vessel with terumah because he is holding it. This concept can also be found in Kelim 1:2.

בשני ניירות – but even though the person is impure because he carries the waters of lustration, nevertheless the heave-offering is pure for the paper interposes and doesn’t touch the heave-offering that is in his hand.

If they were both wrapped in separate papers, they remain clean. If the flask and vessel are covered with paper, then he is not defiled by contact with the terumah vessel. Therefore both the flask and vessel remain pure.

של חטאת בנייר ושל תרומה בידו שניהן טמאין – for when it touched his hand, that of heave-offering was defiled for the purification offering. But the paper that is of the purification/sin-offering does not interpose, for we don’t count first-degree and second-degree [ritual impurity] for purification, and the purification offering was defiled, and a person is impure because he is carrying the waters of lustration and he defiled that of the heave-offering when he touched it with his hand. But heave-offering that is [surrounded by] a piece of paper, the paper interposes for it and even though it touched that of the purification offering in his hand, both of them are pure, for even though he is impure because he carries the waters of purification, nevertheless, the waters of purification do not return and become defiled through a defilement that comes to a person on account of themselves.

If the vessel of the hatat waters was wrapped in a paper while that of the terumah was held in his hand, both become unclean. The person is defiled through contact with the terumah vessel. He then defiles the hatat vessel because he is carrying it, even though he does not have contact with it. Once he is defiled, he now defiles the uncovered terumah vessel, as was the case in section three.

ר' יהושע אומר של חטאת טמא – Rabbi Yehoshua according to his reasoning who stated in the Tosefta (Tractate Parah, Chapter 10, Halakha 8) that someone who is pure for the purification waters that moved the key which is pure for heave-offering, lest he forget and move the unclean thing. But here also, even with two pieces of paper it is impure, for when he is carrying the heave-offering, even though he doesn’t touch it, it is a מדף/indirect contact for the purification waters. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehoshua.

If the one containing the terumah was wrapped up in paper while that containing the hatat waters was held in his hand, both remain clean. Rabbi Joshua says: that containing the hatat waters becomes unclean. According to the first opinion, since the terumah vessel was wrapped in paper, it doesn't defile him. He remains pure and doesn't defile the hatat vessel so both remain pure. According to Rabbi Joshua (in mishnah one of this chapter) a vessel that is susceptible to corpse uncleanness conveys madaf uncleanness and therefore defiles even without contact, through being carried or shifted. Therefore, the terumah vessel defiles the person who is carrying it, even though he didn't touch it. He now defiles the hatat vessel, even if it was covered in paper. However, he doesn't defile the terumah vessel since it is covered with paper. In other words the terumah vessel defiles him with madaf uncleanness, but it itself is not defiled because he doesn’t actually touch it.

היו נתונין על גבי הארץ ונגע בהם – that he placed one hand on that of the purification waters and the other hand on that of Holy Things or of heave offering.

If both were placed on the ground and he touched them, that of the hatat waters becomes unclean but that of the consecrated food or terumah remains clean. Both vessels are on the ground and he simultaneously touches both, one hand on each. He is defiled by contact with the terumah vessel and he now defiles the hatat vessel. However, because he is not carrying the terumah vessel, he doesn't go back and defile it.

של חטאת טמא – that the person became defiled through the bottle/flagon of heave-offering and he defiled that of the purification offering.

If he shifted it [without touching it]: Rabbi Joshua says that it is unclean, And the sages rule that it is clean. In this case he shifts the vessels without touching them. Rabbi Joshua says that because he shifted the terumah vessel, he becomes impure, even without contact. He now defiles the hatat vessel. The terumah vessel remains pure because he didn't actually touch it. The other sages say that contact is necessary and therefore both vessels remain pure.

ושל קודש ושל תרומה טהורים – for a person is pure for Holy Things and for heave-offering, for he did not touch the waters of lustration other than the bottle/flagon.

הסיטן, ר' יהושע מטמא – for according to his reasoning that he said that a person who is pure for the purification offering who moved the key which is pure for heave-offering is impure. But the Halakha is not according to him.