פירוש על אהלות 8:1

יש מביאין את הטומאה – that if they overshadowed over the defilement and humans and/or vessels bring the defilement on a person and on the vessels, and even though they didn’t come in contact/touch the defilement.

Introduction Our mishnah introduces the theme of the entire chapter: what things can act as tents to bring uncleanness from a corpse (or part thereof) to other vessels also found underneath and what objects can prevent impurity from spreading by acting as a barrier.

וחוצצים – if the defilement is below them, they protect persons and vessels that are upon them. Because they do not interpose in the face of the defilement. And similarly if the defilement is upon them from the outside, it protects vessels that are underneath them.

Some things bring forth uncleanness and [also] a protect [against it]; [Some things] bring forth uncleanness but do not protect against it; [Some things] protect but do not bring forth; [Some things] do not bring forth nor do they protect. The following bring forth and protect against [impurity]: This whole section is a typical introduction to the laws that will be taught in several mishnayot.

שידה (chest) a large wooden box like a kind of ark.

A chest, a box, a cupboard, a beehive of straw, a beehive of reeds, or the water-tank of an Alexandrian ship, such of which [objects] have [flat] bottoms and can contain [at least] forty seahs liquid measure or two kors dry measure. The objects in this section are large containers. If they are large enough such that they themselves cannot become impure (see Kelim 15:1) then they can both bring forth impurity, if a piece of corpse is found inside and other vessels as well, and act as a barrier to impurity (if vessels are found inside, they are not defiled by impurity outside).

תיבה – small similar to tables.

[Also] a curtain, a leather apron, a leather bedspread, a sheet, a matting underlay or a mat when made into tents. This section refers to hanging things that are used to form a tent. Even though these items are susceptible to impurity, they also form a barrier against impurity. Obviously, if a corpse (or piece thereof) is found underneath, they will cause the impurity to travel to clean vessels also found underneath.

מגדל (turret/cupboard) – of wood made for storage.

A herd of cattle, unclean or clean, packs of wild animals or birds, a resting bird, a [shady] place that [a woman] makes for her son among the ears of corn; A herd of domesticated animals or a pack of wild animals or birds can serve as an ohel both to bring impurity and protect against it. This would mean that if a source of corpse impurity is found under one animal and that animal is tightly packed into a herd with other animals, the vessels found underneath another animal will be impure. Also if there is impurity below one of these animals, the vessels above are protected. The same is also true with regard to a tent of shade that a woman might make for her son among ears of corn.

כוורת הקש – large baskets made from straw or from willow or branches of palm trees.

The iris, the ivy, squitting cucumber, Greek gourds and clean foodstuffs. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri did not agree with regard to clean foodstuffs except in the case of a cake of dried figs. This section lists some leafy plants that can form ohalot both to bring and protect against impurity. There is a debate with regard to clean food, whether it brings and forms a barrier against impurity. According to the first opinion, all clean food can perform this function. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says that this is true only with regard to cakes of dried figs. Since it was customary to sit underneath such cakes (for shade) they bring impurity and form a barrier to it. But other foodstuffs do not act in this way because it is not customary to sit underneath them.

כוורת הקנים – like baskets that are made from reeds.

ובור ספינה אלכסנדרית (tank of sweet water in a ship of Alexandrian merchantmen) – the large ships that they go to see on the large ocean (i.e., Mediterranean Sea), they make within it a large wooden vessel like a cistern that the place in it sweet water that is appropriate for drinking.

והן מחזיקין ארבעים סאה כלה – for since they are large in this measure, they furthermore are not susceptible to receive defilement, and they interpose in the face of defilement.

סקורטיא (a leather bed-sheet) – a hide that the tanners wear at the time of their work.

קטבליא (hide used as a spread) - a hid that they spread over the bed and lie upon it, and we call it NETA in Arabic.

שהן עשויין אהלים – hanging over similar to a tent. And the leather-bed sheet/סקורטיא and the קטבליא/hide used as a spread and the sheet and the matting and the mat are vessels and susceptible to receive ritual defilement, anyway when they are hanging over like tents they interpose before the defilement, for a tent even though it receives defilement interposes in front of the defilement.

ועדר בהמות – when they are standing and not walking and the head of this one is between the legs of that one.

ומכונות חיה ועוף – nests of wildlife and birds. It is the language of (Exodus 15:27): “The place You made to dwell in.”

והעוף ששכן – that was tied on the wall or on the tree.

והעושה מקום לבינה בשבלים – that cover the ears of corn/spike (i.e., the sheaves), a place that is similar to a house.

האירוס והקיסום ודלעת יונית וירקת חמורים (the lily with an aromatic root, the ivy, the Greek gourd and the ass-herbs) – all these are kinds of vegetables whose leaves are wide.

חוץ מן העיגול של דבילה – because that underneath the shade of the pressed cake of figs, they would regularly sit more than the rest of the foods. And this is taught in the Tosefta (Tractate Ohalot, Chapter 9, Halakha 5). But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.