À partir de quand les olives peuvent-elles être rendues impures [en étant amorcées contre l'impureté par un liquide]? Une fois qu'ils transpirent l'humidité dans la cuve [dans laquelle les olives sont placées pour qu'elles se ramollissent pour être pressées], mais pas par l'humidité dans le panier [dans lequel elles sont placées après avoir été cueillies], selon Beit Shammai. Le rabbin Shimon dit: la mesure de la sueur est de trois jours [c'est-à-dire que l'humidité transpirée des olives dans la cuve ne les amorce pas pour l'impureté jusqu'à ce qu'elles y soient depuis trois jours]. Beit Hillel dit: quand [ils se ramollissent de telle sorte que] trois se connectent les uns aux autres [ce n'est qu'alors que l'humidité qui en émerge les amorce pour l'impureté]. Rabban Gamliel dit: une fois leur travail terminé [c'est-à-dire une fois que les olives ne sont plus ajoutées dans la cuve et qu'elles sont prêtes à être apportées au pressoir à olives]; et les Sages disent en accord avec lui.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
זיתים מאימתי מקבלין טומאה – to be fit for Levitical uncleanness with the oil that is coming out from them.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Introduction
Chapter nine deals with olives that were pressed in an olive press in which an am haaretz was working. For olives (or any produce) to become susceptible to impurity they must have had contact with one of seven liquids (water, dew, oil, wine, milk, blood or date honey). The secondary requirement is that the produce became wet with the approval of the owners meaning they were not opposed to the produce getting wet. We will learn more about this when we get to tractate Makhshirin, a whole tractate about this subject!
Our mishnah deals with the liquid that comes out of the oil and whether that is sufficient for the olives to be susceptible to impurity.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
זיעת המעטן (the – intended - exudation produced by lying in the vat/exude the sweat of the vat) – a vessel that they place the olives in and they shrink by effect of the heat there in order to the appropriate to remove the oil. The language of (Job 21:24): “His pails are full of milk.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
At what stage do olives become susceptible to uncleanness? When they exude the moisture [produced] by [their lying in] the vat but not the one [produced while they are still] in the basket, according to the words of Bet Shammai. Rabbi Shimon says: the minimum time prescribed for proper exudation is three days. There are three opinions as to when olives have exuded moisture that makes them susceptible to impurity. Bet Shammai holds that the moisture they exude must occur in the vat into which they are placed to "warm up." This is before they are pressed. The moisture that might have been exuded in the basket in which they were first placed does not count. However, Bet Shammai seems to hold that any moisture that comes out in the vat is to the "approval" of the owners and therefore it makes them susceptible. Rabbi Shimon modifies Bet Shammai's opinion. The moisture that comes out during the first three days does not count. They must be in the vat for three days and then if they remain there, the moisture makes them susceptible to impurity.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אבל לא זיעת הקופה (but not the – unwelcome – exudation originating in the pile or basket) – for the basket does not hold the liquids, for the basket that comes out from hem goes to waste and it is not appropriate for him, and it doesn’t make the seeds susceptible to receive ritual impurity other than liquid that is appropriate for it, as it is written (Leviticus 11:38): “but if water is put on the seed”/"וכי יתן-מים על-זרע" – is written יתן (defectively), but we read it as "יותן"/”yuttan” (written fully), [the word] יותן is similar to יתן. Just as "יתן" is satisfactory, so also ”יותן" is satisfactory.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Bet Hillel says: as soon as three olives stick together. Bet Hillel rules more leniently. The olives must become so soft that three of them will stick together.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
שיעור זיעה שלשה ימים (the measure/prescribed time of sweat is three days) – for liquid that goes out within three days is not considered oil but rather a mere thin secretion and doesn’t make it susceptible [for ritual impurity], for they don’t make it susceptible to receive ritual impurity other than the seven liquids (see Tractate Makhshrin, Chapter 6, Mishnah 4) alone, and they are wine, water, olive oil, honey, milk, dew and blood.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Rabban Gamaliel says: as soon as their preparation is finished, and the sages agree with his view. Rabban Gamaliel rules even more leniently. The olives are not susceptible to impurity until he has completed their preparation in the vat. Once he decides to bring them to the press, they are susceptible. The sages agree with this opinion.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
משיתחברו שלשה זה לזה – for it is the manner of olives that are attached one to another when they remain in the vat.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
משתגמר מלאכתן (after the work of preparing them is completed) – the work of bringing them. For all the time that it is intention to bring in more olives from another place to add to these, the sweat does not make them susceptible [for receiving ritual impurity], because it is not satisfactory for him. But when the work of preparing them is completed, even of that day, it makes it susceptible [to receive ritual impurity], even for that one day, it makes it (i.e., the olives) susceptible [to receive ritual impurity]. And the Halakha is according to Rabban Gamaliel, for the Sages state according to his words.
