Commento su 'Eduyyot 2:1
רַבִּי חֲנִינָא סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים הֵעִיד אַרְבָּעָה דְבָרִים. מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים לֹא נִמְנְעוּ מִלִּשְׂרֹף אֶת הַבָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בִּוְלַד הַטֻּמְאָה עִם הַבָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בְּאַב הַטֻּמְאָה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמּוֹסִיפִין טֻמְאָה עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ. הוֹסִיף רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים לֹא נִמְנְעוּ מִלְּהַדְלִיק אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶן שֶׁנִּפְסַל בִּטְבוּל יוֹם בְּנֵר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בִטְמֵא מֵת, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמּוֹסִיפִין טֻמְאָה עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ:
R. Chanina, il sommo sacerdote aiutante, ha testimoniato di quattro cose: in tutti i giorni dei Cohanim non si astenevano dal bruciare carne che era diventata tamei attraverso la "progenie" (velad) di tuma insieme a carne che era diventata tamei attraverso un av hatumah (proto ["padre"] - tumah) anche se in tal modo hanno aggiunto tumah al suo tumah. [("prole" :) "velad di velad" significa "carne di tuma di terzo grado", essendo diventata tamei attraverso un velo di velad, avendo toccato "tumah" di secondo grado e divenuta "tumah di terzo grado". Non si astenevano dal bruciarlo insieme a carne che era diventata tamei attraverso un av hatumah (e che quindi era diventata tumah di primo grado). E quando questa carne, che all'inizio era stata Tuma di terzo grado, tocca la carne che aveva toccato l'av Hatumah, diventa Tuma di secondo grado, dopo aver toccato Tuma di primo grado. Si è constatato, quindi, che il tumah è stato aggiunto al suo tumah, essendo stato prima di terzo grado e ora di secondo grado—nonostante ciò non si astenevano dal bruciarlo insieme a un più alto grado di tumah. Poiché poiché anche questo grado minore deve essere bruciato, non si preoccuparono se diventasse così un grado superiore di Tuma. E anche se, secondo la Torah, il cibo non rende gli altri cibi addomesticati, è scritto a questo proposito: "È tamei"— è tamei, ma non rende il cibo tamei simile — tuttavia, i rabbini hanno decretato che il cibo rende impuro l'altro cibo.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Through all their days the priests never refrained from burning meat which had been defiled by an “offspring” of impurity with meat which had been made impure by a “father” of impurity, although they were [thereby] increasing its impurity by a [higher] impurity. Rabbi Akiba added: “Through all their days the priests never shrank from lighting oil which had been rendered unfit by a tevul yom in a lamp made impure by one who was made impure by a corpse, although they were [thereby] increasing its impurity by a [higher] impurity.” In order to understand the first “testimony” of Rabbi Hanina we must explain some rules concerning impurity. There are a number of things which are considered to be “fathers” of impurity, including a human corpse. If a “father” of impurity touches something it becomes an “offspring” of impurity. There are several levels of “offspring” of impurity. The “first offspring”, when it touches food or liquids (but not people and things) causes them to be a “second offspring”. “Second offspring” makes only terumah food but not normal food into “third offspring”. “Third offspring” can make holy things such as sacrifices into “fourth offspring”. Rabbi Hanina testifies that the priests did not refrain from burning meat which had been made impure by an “offspring” with meat that had been made impure by a “father” of impurity, even though the latter meat, which is a “first offspring” increases the impurity of the former meat, which according to the Talmud had been a “third offspring”, to the status of “second offspring”. The reason is that all of this meat was going to be burned anyway, since impure sacrifices are forbidden to eat. Although it is generally forbidden to intentionall make sacrifices impure, that refers to already pure sacrifices. It is not a problem to increase the impurity of already impure sacrifices. Rabbi Akiva adds another example. The priests did not refrain from burning oil which had contracted a light form of impurity with oil that had contracted a serious form of impurity, even though this will increase the impurity of the oil. The light form of impurity is contracted by coming into contact with a “tevul yom”, one who had already been immersed in a ritual bath and was merely waiting for the sunset to become fully pure. The serious form of impurity is that which is contracted from a corpse.