Tutte le (cose) che causano tuma in una tenda, [come un cadavere, o netzel (materia decomposta di un cadavere), o un tarvad (un tipo di cucchiaio) pieno di materia in decomposizione, e tutte quelle cose menzionate all'inizio di Chapter II of Ohaloth], le cui [dimensioni minime per l'impurità] sono state divise in due e portate in una casa [cioè in una tenda] —R. Dossa b. Hyrcanus lo governa tahor, [sostenendo che le parti non si combinano nella dimensione richiesta], e i saggi lo governano tamei. Come mai? Se uno tocca o trasportava due mezze olive di neveilah (carogne) [(Si apre con "tenda-" (impurità) e spiega "neveilah", per insegnare che proprio come sostiene R. Dossa che non si combinano per tenda- impurità, sostiene anche che non si combinano per impurità "toccanti e portanti", sia per un cadavere che per neveilah)], e, con un cadavere, se si tocca una mezza oliva e "tende" sopra un mezza oliva, [per chi si tende su un cadavere è tamei, proprio come se fosse con il cadavere in una tenda. (E tutti questi "tentings" nella prima parte, parlano di tumah "compresso" ("tumah retzutzah), dove non c'è, tra tumah e tenda, lo spazio di un tefach, per cui i saggi lo governano tamei. Per una "tenda" di questo tipo è considerata "toccante". E la seconda parte, vale a dire: "Ma se si tocca una mezza oliva e qualcos'altro tende su di lui e una mezza oliva, ecc., "dove i saggi concordano sul fatto che è tahor— questo si ottiene dove c'è uno spazio di (almeno) un tefach tra il tumah e la tenda, nel qual caso i saggi concordano sul fatto che non si combinano —"toccare" e "tenda" (impurità) sono due "nomi" separati (cioè categorie) e tutti quelli che hanno "due nomi" non si combinano. E R. Dossa sostiene che anche nella "tuma compressa" non si combinano.)], O se tocca una mezza taglia verde oliva e una mezza tenda verde oliva su di lui; o se tende su due mezze dimensioni di olive, tende su una metà di olive e una metà di olive su di lui—R. Dossa b. Hyrcanus governa tahor e i saggi governano tamei. Ma se si tocca una mezza oliva e qualcosa si tende su di lui e una mezza oliva; o se tende oltre una mezza oliva e qualcos'altro su di lui e una mezza oliva, è tahor. R. Meir dice: Anche in questo caso R. Dossa governa tahor, e i saggi, tamei. [R. Meir non è d'accordo con il primo tanna, che dice che quando c'è uno spazio di tefach tra la tuma e la tenda, i saggi concordano sul fatto che è tahor, i pezzi non si combinano, (R. Meir) dicendo che anche in questo caso i saggi non sono d'accordo con R. Dossa, sostenendo che "toccare" e "tenda" sono un solo nome, pertanto si combinano per creare la dimensione minima (richiesta) (per Tumah) e governano tamei. (L'halachah non è conforme a R. Meir)]. Tutto è tamei, tranne "toccare" con "muoversi", [come quando ha "toccato" una mezza oliva e "spostato" (esita) una mezza oliva], e "trasportare" con "tenda", [come quando ha spostato una mezza taglia di oliva e si è tenda su una mezza di oliva.] Questa è la regola: tutto ciò che ha "un nome" [come nel "toccare" con "toccare", "muoversi" con "spostare" "tenda" con "tenda"] è tamei; di due nomi, tahor.
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כל המטמאין באוהל – such as the dead, and the decayed matter (i..e., liquid and coagulated portions of a corpse – see Tractate Ohalot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 1) and a spoonful of dust [of earth from a grave of decaying human body], and all those that are taught at the beginning of the second chapter of Tractate Ohalot.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Introduction The first six mishnayoth of this chapter contain ten disputes between Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas and the Sages.
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שנחלקו – their measures in halves.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
This is a complicated mishnah, which requires the knowledge of some rules before we begin to explain the details. 1) A corpse causes impurity in three ways: a) by contact, b) by being carried; c) by being under the same roof-space, referred to as a tent. 2) Certain parts of a dead body impart impurity even though there is not a full corpse. 3) In order for a part of a corpse to impart impurity it must have a minimum measure the size of an olive. 4) Tent impurity is contracted in three ways: i) If a corpse, or part thereof, is found under a roof structure, anything under that roof structure is impure. ii) If the corpse, or part thereof, is above a person or vessel, the corpse imparts impurity. iii) If the person or vessel is above the corpse, the person and vessel are impure. Our mishnah discusses the ability of two pieces of a corpse, that are smaller than an olive, to join together and make a piece of corpse larger than an olive and transmit impurity in different situations.
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שהכניסן – when they are divided.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
[In the case of] all things which cause defilement in a “tent”, if they [the pieces of the corpse] were divided and brought into the house, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas pronounces [everything under the same roof-space] clean, but the Sages pronounce it unclean. This is an introduction to the mishnah. Here we learn that if two pieces of a dead body smaller than an olive but together the size of an olive are found under one roof, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinos declares that they do not join to impart impurity and the Sages declare that they do join.
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לתוך הבית – that is inside one tent.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
How so? He who touches as much as two halves of an olive [in quantity] of an animal’s carcass or carries them; or in the case of a [human] corpse, he who touches as much as half an olive and stands over as much as half an olive; or touches as much as half an olive and as much as half an olive is above him; or if he stands over as much as two halves of an olive; or if he stands over as much as half an olive and as much as half an olive is above him Rabbi Dosa b. Harkinas pronounces him clean, and the Sages pronounce him unclean. The mishnah now goes over all of the different examples in which the Sages and Rabbi Dosa dispute. A. If one touches or carries two separate pieces of a dead animal, each the size of half an olive. Note that there is no tent impurity caused by dead animals, and therefore this example mentions only carrying and contact. B. If one touches a piece of corpse the size of half an olive and makes a tent, over another piece the same size (rule 4iii above). C. A person forms a tent over two half-olive size pieces of a corpse. D. A person forms a tent over one half-olive size piece of corpse and one half-olive size piece of corpse forms a tent over him. In all of these case Rabbi Dosa declares that the pieces of corpse do not join together.
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רבי דוסא בן הרכינס מטהר – that he holds that they do not combine to the appropriate measurement.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
But if he touches as much as half an olive [in quantity] and another thing was over him and over as much as half an olive; or if he stood over as much as half an olive and another thing was over him and over as much as half an olive, he is clean. In this section are listed two cases where the Sages would agree with Rabbi Dosa that he is pure. A. If one touches a half-olive size piece of corpse and something else forms a tent over him and a half-olive size piece, he is still pure. B. If one forms a tent over a half-olive size piece of corpse, and something else forms a tent over him and another half-olive size piece of corpse, he is still pure. The reason why in this case the Sages declare him pure is that the two types of impurity are of a different nature. When something forms a tent over a person and a piece of corpse that is considered to be tent impurity, whereas when a person forms a tent over a piece of corpse or a piece of corpse forms a tent over him, that is considered contact impurity. In the cases in section two, there were two kinds of contact impurity; hence the two half-olives joined to transmit impurity. In the cases in section three, one piece of corpse transmitted tent impurity and the other contact impurity. Hence the Sages agree that he is pure.
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הנוגע בכשני חצאי זיתים מן הנבילה – he started about tent impurity and continued with impurity of a carrion, to tell you that just as Rabbi Dosa holds that they do not combine for the defilement of a tent, so too, he holds that they defilement of contact and carrying do not combine, whether with the dead person or a carrion.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Rabbi Meir said: “Also in this case Rabbi Dosa pronounces him clean and the sages pronounce him unclean. In all such cases a man is unclean unless there is an act of touching and also an act of carrying, or an act of carrying and also [the fact of] being under the same roof-space.” Rabbi Meir holds that even in these cases the Sages would declare the person impure, and Rabbi Dosa would say he is pure. Rabbi Meir explains that according to the Sages tent impurity and contact impurity do join. The only type of impurity that does not join is contact impurity with carrying impurity.
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הנוגע בחצי זית ומאהיל על חצי זית – When one overshadows on a dead person, he is impure as if he had been with the dead person in the tent. And all of these where he is overshadowing in the first part of the Mishnah, we are speaking of squeezed defilement, for there is no difference between the defilement and the tent that is open a hand-breadth, and because of this, the Sages defile, for a tent like this, it is contact, and at the end of the Mishnah it is taught that if one is in contact with half-olive’s bulk and another thing, it overshadows upon him, etc., and the Rabbis admit that he is pure, when speaking where there is a hand-breadth’s opening whether between the defilement and the tent. And in this, the Rabbis admit that they don’t combine, for contact and tent are two different modes of contamination and whatever is from two different modes does not combine. But Rabbi Dosa holds that even with pressed defilement, they don’t combine.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
This is the general rule: in whatever case the means of causing defilement are of one category, he is unclean; if they are of two categories, he is clean.” This is a general rule that summarizes the whole mishnah. Any time there are two pieces of corpse transmitting impurity, they join only if they are transmitting a type of impurity with the same name. According to Rabbi Dosa none of the three types of impurity, tent, carrying and contact join together. According to the first version of the Sages opinion, contact and tent impurity do not join. According to Rabbi Meir, contact and tent impurity join but carrying and contact impurity and carrying and tent impurity do not join. Congratulations! You just learned a very difficult mishnah. If you couldn’t follow all the details do not despair. This was probably one of the most complicated mishnayoth we have seen yet.
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רבי מאיר וכו' – Rabbi Meir disputes the first Tanna who said that when there is a hand-breadth’s opening between the defilement and the tent, the Rabbis admit that he is pure, and it doesn’t combine. And he said that even in this, the Rabbis dispute on Rabbi Dosa and hold that contact and the tent category. Therefore, they combine regarding the measurement and defile, but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.
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חוץ מן המגע עם המשא – such as the case where he came in contact with one-half an olive’s bulk and shook one-half an olive’s bulk.
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והמשא עם האוהל – that he shook one-half an olive’s bulk and overshadowed on the other one-half.
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משם אחד – such one type of contact and another kind, one kind of carrying and another, one tent and another tent.
