Si des collecteurs d'impôts [supposés impurs] sont entrés dans une maison, la maison est impure. S'il y a un non-juif avec eux, on pense qu'ils disent: «Nous ne sommes pas entrés», mais on ne pense pas qu'ils disent: «Nous sommes entrés mais n'avons rien touché». Les voleurs qui sont entrés dans une maison, seuls les endroits où les voleurs ont marché sont impurs. Et que rendent-ils impurs? Aliments et boissons et récipients en terre cuite ouverts; mais les lits, les divans et les récipients en faïence fermés avec un joint étanche sont purs. S'il y avait un non-juif ou une femme avec eux, tout est impur.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
הגבאים שנכנסו לבית (of Israelites) -they are tax collectors of the king to collect from the hand of an Israel the money of their capitation tax and the taxes and taxes from crops and other farmer’s produces delivered in kind, and they are commoners/not careful in the observance of the laws of Levitical purity and tithing, and they entered into his house to seize his pledge.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If tax collectors entered a house, the house is unclean. The tax collectors are amei haaretz and since they enter the house to collect something in lieu of taxes we must be concerned that they touched the things in the house and therefore everything is impure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
הבית טמא – all the vessels of the house are ritually impure because they search throughout the house.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If a Gentile was with them they are believed if they say, "we did not enter" but they are not believed if they say "we didn't touch anything." I have explained this section according to Albeck's preferred version. If a Gentile boss is with the tax collectors they are only believed to say that we didn't go into a certain house or room. But they are not believed to say that they didn't touch something in certain room into which we know they entered because the Gentile would have instructed them to touch whatever he felt was necessary. However, if no Gentile is with them then they are even believed if they say that they didn’t touch anything, since they came with a specific purpose in mind.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אם יש עמהן גוי נאמנים לומר לא נכנסנו – and all the more so if there isn’t a heathen with them, they are more and more believed to state, “we have not entered.” But because of the concluding phrase of the clause of the Mishnah, it (i.e., the Mishnah) took it (i.e., these words), as it is taught: “but they are not believed to state – we entered, but didn’t touch,” for specifically if there is a heathen with them they are not believed, for they are frightened/trembling from the heathen lest he punish them if they don’t search through the entire house, and by force they feel touch/handle everything that is in the house. But if there is no heathen with them, they are believed even in this to state, “we entered but we didn’t touch [anything].”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If thieves entered a house, only that part in which the feet of the thieves have stepped is unclean. Thieves who come into a house will only defile the places where we know they walked. We can assume that thieves are going to want to be in and out as quickly as possible, therefore we need not fear that they walked elsewhere and touched other things.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
And what do they cause to be unclean? Food and liquids and open earthenware, but couches and seats and earthenware that have tightly fitting covers remain clean. This is the same as in mishnah five above.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אם יש עמהן גוי או אשה – that they (i.e., the Rabbis) decreed on the heathens to be like people with gonorrhea/זבים for all of their matters. And the woman, perhaps she is a menstruating woman/נדה or a זבה/woman with a flux.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If a Gentile or a woman was with them, all is unclean. A Gentile and a female am haaretz both defile by sitting on something or by shifting earthenware vessels. Therefore, everything in the house is impure.
