Per quanto riguarda gli operai e i raccoglitori di olive, una volta che [il proprietario del frantoio] li porta nell'area della grotta [contenente una mikvah per l'immersione rituale], è sufficiente [per lui supporre che si siano immersi e le loro navi , e sono tutti puri], secondo Rabbi Meir. Il rabbino Yose dice: deve stare su di loro fino a quando non si immergono. Il rabbino Shimon dice: se li considerano [loro stessi e le navi che richiedono l'immersione] come puri, deve starci sopra finché non si immergono; ma se li considerano impuri, non deve controllarli fino a quando non si immergono.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
כיון שנכנסו לרשות מערה – that they ritually immerse there [in the cavern], like narrow pits, lengthy ditches and spacious cavities/caverns.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Introduction
Our mishnah deals with taking the olive or grape workers to a mikveh for them to immerse themselves and the vessels with which they will be working.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
דיו – and we are not concerned that perhaps they would not ritually immerse or that they would not immerse the vessels and they would say, “we ritually immersed and we ritually immersed [the vessels].”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If the olive-workers or the grape harvesters were only brought within the domain of the cavern, it is sufficient, the words of Rabbi Meir. The mikveh in which they are immersing happens to be found in a cavern, as mikvaot probably often were in this period. According to Rabbi Meir it is sufficient for the employer who wants to preserve the purity of his grapes or olives to bring the workers to the cave. Once he sees that they have entered, he can trust that they will immerse themselves and the vessels. [This kind of reminds me of telling your kid to get in the shower. Do you need to make sure that he soaps and shampoos? I'm sure you know what I'm talking about].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
צריך לעמוד עליהן. לפי שאין בקיאין בדין טבילה וחציצה (this section is not found in the printed editions of the Mishnah and is a reading of the Bartenura commentary on this Mishnah)
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Rabbi Yose says: he should stand over them until they immerse. Rabbi Yose does not trust that the workers will immerse without supervision.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
טהורים להם – as, for example, the vessels of another commoner who is not careful in the observance of the laws of Levitical uncleanness and tithing, that in their eyes these are ritually pure vessels because they are not warned/careful against the contact of a commoner. And Rabbi Shimon is according to his reasoning that we have explained above (in Mishnah 1 of this chapter). And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yossi.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Rabbi Shimon say: if they regard the vessels as clean, one must stand over them until they immerse; but if they regard them as unclean, it is not necessary to stand over them until they immerse. This is similar to Rabbi Shimon's opinion in mishnah one. The workers can be trusted if they think that the vessels or their bodies are unclean. However, if they think they and the vessels are clean, he must make sure they immerse them and themselves.
