פירוש על אהלות 6:1

אדם וכלים עשויין אהלים לטמא – a tent that is supported by means of a person or through vessels is considered a tent to defile vessels that are underneath it, even if does not correspond to the defilement, as if they are placed in the tent of the corpse.

Both persons and vessels can form ‘tents’ to bring uncleanness, but not to [protect objects so that they] remain clean. If a person or a vessel overshadows a dead body and a pure thing, or they carry an ohel which overshadows a dead body or a pure thing, the pure thing is defiled. However, if vessels which are not susceptible to impurity overshadow a dead body and a pure thing, or a person or vessel carry a vessel which overshadows a dead body and a pure thing, this type of ohel does not protect the things that are above it.

אבל לא לטמא – for they are not considered a tent outside in the presence of the defilement.

How so? There are four people carrying a chest: If there is uncleanness beneath it, vessels upon it become unclean. If there is uncleanness upon it, vessels beneath it become unclean. Rabbi Eliezer declares them clean. The mishnah now illustrates cases where something that overshadows does not offer a barrier to protect against impurity because it is held up by a person or a vessel. The chest described in this section was made of stone and was carried with poles. It was possible to place a dead body or the bones from a dead body either above the chest or below it (carried somehow, but not sure). In the first scenario, four people carry the chest. The chest does not prevent impurity from defiling the things that are above it, if there is something impure below, nor does it prevent the things that are below it from becoming impure if there is something impure above. Rabbi Eliezer disagrees for he holds that if an ohel is carried by a person it does offer a barrier.

נדבך (a course of stones) – a large and wide stone. It is the language of (Ezra 6:4): נדבכין די-אבן גלל/”With a course of timber for each three courses of hewn stones.”

[If the chest] is placed upon four vessels, even if they are vessels made of dung, vessels of stone, or vessels of [unbaked] earth, If there is uncleanness beneath [the chest], vessels upon it become unclean. If there is uncleanness beneath it, vessels upon it become unclean. Since the chest is held up by vessels, the chest does not offer a barrier. This is true even if the vessels are of the type that cannot become impure.

כלים שעל גביו טמאין – that it doesn’t interpose and it is like the one who doesn’t hold this opinion, for a tent is not made to make pure.

[If the chest] is placed on four stones or on any living creature, If there is uncleanness beneath it, vessels upon it remain clean. If there is uncleanness upon it vessels beneath it remain clean. In this case the chest is not held up by a person or by a vessel. Therefore, the chest does act as an ohel and it does serve as a barrier to protect the things above from being defiled by that which is below and the things below from being defiled by that which is above.

כלים שתחתיו טמאים – for tents are made to defile.

ורבי אליעזר מטהר – in both, for he holds that a tent is made to purify and it interposes in the face of defilement. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

נתון על ארבעה כלים – if the course of stones/נדבך was placed upon the four vessels even a vessel of dung that are not susceptible to receive ritual impurity.

נתון על ארבעה אבנים – which are not vessels, it is considered as a tent to the outside in the face of the defilement.

דבר שיש בו רוח חיים – except for a human.