פירוש על טהרות 10:2

ומשקין טמאין בתוך בית הבד – and they are spilled on the ground and the olive press workmen tread upon them and they (i.e., the liquids) become attached to their feet and they return those liquids and defile the olives when the olive press workmen ascend and tread upon the olives unless there is land between the liquids and the olives in order that they can dry their feet from the impure liquids through their treading/walking on the land. But when there aren’t shoes on their feet and the impure liquids that are on their feet dried through their treading on the land, furthermore, the olives do not become defiled when they tread on them, for ritually impure liquids defile vessels but do not defile humans.

If the olive-workers in an olive-press went in and out, and in the olive-press there was unclean liquid, if there is space enough [on the ground] between the liquid and the olives for their feet to be dried on the ground, the olive workers remain clean. This section deals with clean olive-press workers. There is unclean liquid on the floor inside the olive press. The workers tread on the liquid with their bare feet. This does not cause them to be impure because impure liquid does not defile people. But, if this liquid comes into contact with the olives, it will defile it. If there is space enough for them to walk on the ground and have their feet dried off before they get to the olives, then the olives are clean.

הבדדין והבוצרין – surely that it (i.e., the Mishnah) did not use [the language] of those who harvest olives and those who cut grapes/"המוסקים והבוצרים" , because they (i.e., the Sages) made a degree on the cutting of grapes that it should be done [in a state of] ritual purity, but they didn’t make a decree on those who harvest olives, and the reason is explained in the first chapter of [Tractate] Shabbat (17a), for sometimes a person goes to his vineyard to know if his grapes have arrived [at the proper time] to cut them or not, and he takes a cluster of grapes and wrings them out and sprinkles them over the grapes, and at the time of the cutting of the grapes liquid still flows upon them and they have been made fit to be susceptible to receive ritual defilement. And this reason does not belong with the harvesting of olives.

If something unclean was found in front of olive-workers in the olive-press or grape harvesters, they are believed to say, "We have not touched it." And the same law applies also to the young children among them. In general, olive workers and grape-harvesters are believed to say that they didn't touch something unclean. Similarly, they are believed to say that the grapes or olives that they are working with were not touched by any children who are categorically assumed to be impure.

נאמנים לומר לא נגענו – and as for example, that a member of the order for the observance of Levitical laws in daily intercourse/חבר stands with them in the olive press, and we are not concerned that perhaps they touched it but it was not the intention of the member of the order for the observance of Levitical laws in daily intercourse.

They may go outside the door of the olive-press and relieve themselves behind the wall, and still be deemed clean. How far may they go and still be deemed clean? As far as they can be seen. The olive-workers can go outside of the olive-press in order to "go to the bathroom" (this is how we like to say this, but obviously there was no bathroom back then). They are not assumed to be impure unless they go further away than they can be seen. [The consequences of this would of course be that the area surrounding the olive press might get a bit dirty. Something you might want to keep in mind next time you order Israeli olive oil!]

התינוקות – olive press workmen who brought their children with them, and purified them for this, and when their sons want to defecate, their fathers exit outside with them and they defecate beyond the wall, and we are not concerned that perhaps he touched defilement, and it was not the intention of the member of the order for the observance of Levitical laws in daily intercourse/חבר.