Commentaire sur Tohorot 3:7
תִּינוֹק שֶׁנִּמְצָא בְצַד בֵּית הַקְּבָרוֹת וְהַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים בְּיָדוֹ, וְאֵין הַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים אֶלָּא בִמְקוֹם הַטֻּמְאָה, טָהוֹר, שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹמֵר, אַחֵר לִקְּטָן וְנָתַן לוֹ. וְכֵן חֲמוֹר בֵּין הַקְּבָרוֹת, כֵּלָיו טְהוֹרִין:
Un enfant en bas âge trouvé au bord du cimetière tenant des roses dans sa main, et les seules roses [dans le cimetière] sont dans la zone impure, il est pur, car je peux dire: Quelqu'un d'autre les a cueillies et les lui a données. De même un âne parmi les tombes, ses vases sont purs [puisque l'âne et ses vases ne peuvent pas non plus être interrogés].
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ואין השושנים אלא במקום טומאה – for it is impossible that he (i.e., the young child) would take the lilies unless he entered into the cemetery.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
A child who was found at the side of a graveyard with lilies in his hand, and the lilies grew only in a place of uncleanness, he is nevertheless clean, for I could say that another person gathered them and gave them to him. Although it seems quite likely that the child picked the lilies from a place that was unclean, and therefore the child is unclean, since the rule is that if a person cannot be asked if he touched an impurity he is pure, even this child is still considered pure. We can see here just how lenient the sages could be in matters of doubtful impurity.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
טהור – since it is possible to be placed beside him by another [person], perhaps another child picked/gathered them and gave them to him, for a child lacks awareness/understanding to be interrogated and anything where there is suspicion] of doubt [concerning him] is ritually pure.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
So also a donkey that was in a graveyard, his harness remains clean. Since you can't ask the donkey if he went over the graves (unless the donkey happens to be from Shrek), his harness or any other vessels that are on him, remains clean.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
וכן חמור – that was standing in a place of ritual purity and we do no know if it entered into the place of defilement.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
כליו טהורים – because it lacks awareness/knowledge to be interrogated.
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