פירוש על אהלות 7:2

כל שפועי אהלים כאהלים – that if there was defilement underneath the slope even though it is not under the roof of the tent, it is impure, as if it was placed under the roof.

All sloping [parts] of ‘tents’ are reckoned like ‘tents.' When it comes to determining the laws of when something defiles in a tent, the sloping parts of tents are counted just as the straight and flat parts.

וכלה עד כאצבע (and finished off at one fingerbreadth) – from above to the side of the roof. That we aren’t concerned regarding a tent of defilement but rather that its inside will have the airspace like the measure of one cubic handbreadth squared.

A ‘tent’ [whose sides] sloped downwards and finished off one fingerbreadth [from the ground]: If there is uncleanness in the ‘tent’, vessels beneath the slope become unclean. If there is uncleanness beneath the slope, vessels in the ‘tent’ become unclean. The tent here as a sloping part and then finishes off one fingerbreadth away from the ground, such that the sides of the tent are only one fingerbreadth high. There is also a one fingerbreadth section that serves as a flat "roof." If there is a source of impurity under the flat roof part, it spreads to the vessels that are under the slope, even though there is only one cubic fingerbreadth in the space where the impurity is found. The same is true in the opposite situation if there is impurity in the sloping part it will defile anything that might be in the "roofed" part.

טומאה באוהל – the width of the roof that is not sloped is called a tent.

If there is uncleanness within, a person who touches [the tent] from the inside acquires a seven [days’] defilement, but from the outside, a defilement [lasting till] evening. If there is impurity within a tent, and someone touches the inside of the tent, then the person is defiled for seven days, as he would be if he touched any vessel that was within the tent. However, the impurity conveyed by the outside of the tent is lesser and he will be impure for only one day, until the evening.

הנוגע בו מתוכו וכו' – that the inner side of the tent and its outer side are considered like two vessels. But the side that is directed towards/opposite the defilement is like a vessel that comes in contact with the corpse itself, and the second side is like vessels that come in contact with vessels. Therefore, defilement that is within, a person who comes in contact/touches from the inside, has ritual impurity for seven days, for he is a person that touched vessels that came in contact with a corpse as it is taught in the Mishnah in the first chapter (see Tractate Ohalot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 3) that he has ritual impurity for seven days.

If there had been uncleanness outside, a person who touches the ‘tent’ from the outside acquires a seven [days’] defilement, but from the inside, a defilement [lasting till] evening. If there is impurity outside of a tent such that it defiles the tent, then one who touches the outside of the tent is impure for seven days. Again, this is similar to one who touches any vessel that has come into contact with the dead. But if he touches it from the inside, he is only impure until the evening.

אל הנוגע מאחוריו טמא טומאת ערב – as is taught in the Mishnah regarding vessels [that come in contact] with impure vessels are defiled with ritual impurity for seven days. The third, whether a person or vessels is unclean with defilement that passes in the evening (see Tractate Ohalot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 2). But regarding the defilement from the outside, it is the opposite, for the outer side is like vessels that come in contact with a corpse, and the inner side is like vessels that come in contact with [impure] vessels. And the reason that the is that the inner side and the outer side are considered like two vessels, for the defilement that is within it, because it protects from being the defilement bursting forth and ascending, it lacks the power/strength to defile the person who touches it outside a ritual impurity of seven days, for when the defilement that is outside, since it protects from becoming the defilement that breaks forth and descends, it lacks the strength/power for the inside to defile a person who comes in contact with it for a defilement of seven days. But anyway, the tent itself, whether inside or whether outside is impure a ritual impurity of seven days, for it is like vessels [coming in contact] with [unclean] vessels, and all of our Mishnah is speaking about after the corpse has departed from the tent.

If there was [a portion of uncleanness] the size of half an olive [touching it] from inside and half an olive from the outside, a person who touches [the ‘tent’] either from within or without acquires a defilement [lasting till] evening. There isn't a full-sized piece of impurity touching the tent on any one side, but rather there is half of a piece on each side. These two half-olive portions join to defile the tent, but there is a leniency, and no matter which side a person touches, he is impure only until the evening.

כחצי זית מתוכו וכחצי זית מאחוריו – Whichever way you turn, the tent is impure a defilement of seven days, for the half of an olive’s bulk that is inside combines with a half of an olive’s bulk from the outside. But a person who comes in contact/touches whether from the inside or from the outside, he has naught other than ritual impurity until nightfall, for since there isn’t an olive’s bulk in one place, it is impossible for each side to be considered other than vessels [coming into contact] with unclean vessels, therefore, the person who comes in contact is impure until nightfall.

If a part [of the ‘tent’ side] trailed along the ground, when there is uncleanness beneath or above [this part], the uncleanness cleaves upwards and downwards. If the sides of the tent drag on the ground and the impurity is found below this part of the tent, it doesn't spread to the sides, but only goes up and down. In other words, it is not inside the tent. If it is above the tent, it will only go up and down because there is nothing to block it. But it won't go to the sides because it is not inside a tent.

מקצתו מרודד על הארץ ((part of the tent canvas is flat on the ground) – after they explained the tent, they explained the overlapping excess of the curtains of the tent [that are spread] on the ground.

[In the case of] a ‘tent’ erected in an upper story, with a portion [of its side] trailing over the hatch between the house and the upper story: Rabbi Yose says it does protect. Rabbi Shimon says: it does not protect unless it put up in the usual manner of erecting tents. The tent is in the upper story and it slopes down and part of it drags over the hatch between the bottom floor and upper story. Rabbi Yose says that it serves as a barrier to prevent the impurity from entering the upper story. Rabbi Shimon says that since the tent is not set up properly, it does not offer protection. The impurity will break through and defile the contents of the upper story.

מרודד – it is the Aramaic translation of (Exodus 39:3): “They hammered out sheets of gold” – beaten, hammered metal.

טומאה תחתיו – the defilement that is under that beaten, hammered metal.

או על גביו – on top of the beaten, hammered metal.

בוקעת ועולה בוקעת ויורדת – and the tent is defiled. But a person who enters inside of it is ritually pure if he didn’t come in contact with it.

מקצתו – of the tent.

מרודד על ארובה שבית בית לעליה – and the defilement is in the house.

רבי יוסי אומר מציל – upon the upper chamber/room.

כנטיית אוהל -that the aperture in the roof looking to the ground floor is in the airspace of the tent, then it protects over the entire upper chamber that is outside of the tent.