Commento su Zavim 5:16

הנוגע בזב. וכלי שטף במגע (he who touches a Zav/person with a flux. And a vessel that requires only rinsing to be restored to Levitical cleanness) – for just as a person who touches a Zav/person with a flux defiles clothing at the time of his contact/touching, so he defiles all vessels that touch them at the time of his [physical] contact with a Zav, except for humans and earthenware vessels. As it is taught in the [Halakhic Midrash] of the Torah of the Priests (i.e., Sifra), from where do we make the rest of vessels like clothing? The inference teaches us (Leviticus 15:5): “and remains impure/וטמא [until the evening].” I might think that it makes a person and earthenware vessels [impure], the inference teaches us "בגד"/”All cloth [or leather on which semen falls shall be washed in water and remain impure until evening]” (Leviticus 15:17); it defiles clothing, but it does not defile human beings and earthenware vessels. And especially at the time of contact with the Zav/person with a flux, but if he separates [from the things that make him unclean], it does not, as it is written (Leviticus 15:5): “Anyone who touches his bedding shall wash his clothes, bathe in water and remain impure [until evening];” at the time of his contact he defiles his clothing, [but if] he separates, he does not defile clothing.

One who touches a zav, or whom a zav touches, who moves a zav or whom a zav moves, defiles by contact food and liquids and vessels that are rinsed, but not by carrying. A zav defiles through contact or through moving something or being moved by something. This mishnah discusses the level of impurity of the person whom he defiled. Such a person defiles food, liquids and vessels that "are rinsed" meaning vessels that can be purified by being put in a mikvah. This would include basically all vessels except earthenware, which can't become pure in a mikveh. The person defiled by a zav defiles only through actual contact she/he does not defile through carrying. She also does not defile other people just food and things.

אבל לא במשא (but not what he carries) – if at the time of his contact with a Zav/person with a flux he carried clothing but did not touch them, they are ritually pure.

A general principle was stated by Rabbi Joshua: anyone that defile garments while still in contact [with their source of uncleanness] also defiles foods and liquids so as to become [unclean] in the first grade, and the hands so that they become [unclean] in the second grade; but they do not defile people or earthenware vessels. Rabbi Joshua formulates a general principle meant to aid in determining the level of impurity of certain people mentioned in the Torah. The Torah says about certain people, for instance one touched by a zav, that he must wash his clothes (see for instance Leviticus 15:5-11, 21-22, 27). When he is actually touching the zav or something the zav laid upon, his level of impurity is relatively high. He defiles food and liquids so that they have first degree impurity. And if he touches the hands of another person he gives them second degree impurity (we will return to the topic of hand impurity in the next tractate). However, he doesn't defile people or earthenware vessels, as was stated in section one.

כל המטמא בגדים בשעת מגעו – as for example, a person who touches a man with a flux/gonorrhea, or a woman with a flux, or a woman who has just given birth and with their discharges, with what they lie upon (i.e., bedding) and with what they sit upon.

After they separated from their source of uncleanness they defile liquids so as to become [unclean] in the first grade, and food and the hands so that they become [unclean] in the second grade, but they do not defile garments. This is a continuation of Rabbi Joshua's general principle. Once the person has separated from the source of impurity, his ability to defile is lowered. He still defiles liquids so that they have first degree impurity. This is because liquids have a higher degree of susceptibility to impurity. However, he only defiles food and hands so that they have second degree impurity. This means that the food is only affected if it is terumah. If it is regular produce, it is unaffected. These people do not defile garments or any other vessels for they are treated as if they have first degree impurity and people with first degree impurity do not defile vessels or people.

מטמא אוכלים להיות תחלה – because he is considered like a primary source of ritual defilement at the time of his contact, since the Torah stated that he defiles clothing.

ואת הידים להיות שניות – but the body of a person, he (i.e., the Zav) does not defile, as it is taught in the concluding clause that he does not defile a person and an earthenware vessel.

ולאחר פרישתו ממטמאיו מטמא את המשקין להיות תחלה – and even though he is not aught but first degree of ritual impurity, he makes the liquids first remove, for even second degree of ritual impurity defiles liquids to be first remove. But they are likely/liable to catch uncleanness and don’t require fitness to become unclean (which arises from contact with certain liquids) like foods, they (i.e., the Rabbis) decreed concerning them that they are always of first remove, as a decree because of liquids that come on account of [contact with] a reptile which are first remove from the Torah.

והאוכלים והידים להיות שניות – since he separated from the things which make him unclean, it is not other than a mere first [degree of ritual defilement].

כל הנישא על גבי הזב – the uppermost part of the person with a flux/gonorrhea and even if the person with a flux/gonorrhea did not touch him and even if there are many things that interpose between him and between the person with a flux/gonorrhea, everything is ritually impure, as it is written (Leviticus 15:10): “Whoever touches anything that was under him [shall be impure until evening].” What is underneath him? If you were to say, underneath the person with flux/gonorrhea, that is his lying, but rather with anything that the Zav/person with flux will be underneath him, that is, the uppermost part of the Zav. And this applies to all things, even with something that is not normally upon him, and not with that is similar to what is below him, for it is not practiced other than something that appears to him.

Introduction Today's mishnah provides some general rules as to how a zav defiles things that are either above him or below him that he does not touch.

חוץ מהן הראוי למשכב ולמושב – and the same law applies for what he is riding upon, but that which is not appropriate is pure, as for example, if he inverted a Seah which is not made for sitting and he sat upon it, it is possible that it would be impure for sitting, as the inference teaches us (Leviticus 15:6): “Whoever sits on an object on which the one with the discharge has sat,” that which is special fro sitting, excluding this that we say to him: “stand and perform our work.”

They said yet another general principle: All that is carried above a zav becomes defiled, but all those things above which he is carried are clean except objects on which he can sit or lie upon, and a person. This section describes the general rule. Anything above a zav is defiled but things that are below him are defiled only if they were meant for sitting or lying upon, except for a person who carries a zav who is also defiled. The rest of the mishnah will illustrate this principle.

נדבך (a frame carried to the building ground with the tools and vessels above and under it) – a row of the building of the wall, like (Ezra 6:4): “With a course of unused timber [for each three courses of hewn stone].”

How so? If a zav had his finger beneath a layer of stones and one that was clean was above, he conveys uncleanness at two [degrees of remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [further remove]. If he separated [from the source of uncleanness] he still defiles at one remove and disqualifies [terumah] at yet one [further remove]. The mishnah now begins to demonstrate how this defilement is conveyed. A zav has his finger underneath a row of stones (ouch!) and on top of the row of stones is a pure person. The pure person is considered to be carried by the zav. The pure person now becomes a "father of impurity." Anything he touches will have first degree impurity and anything touched by it will have second degree impurity. If the object with second degree impurity touches terumah the terumah is disqualified (see Kelim 19:4). This is in general a description of the defiling power of one who is considered to be a father of impurity. If the pure person moves away from the row of stones or the zav removes his hand then the pure person will only have first degree impurity. Anything he touches will have second degree impurity and any terumah that it touches will be disqualified.

הטהור מלמעלה – on the frame/course of stones and weighing down upon the finger of the person with flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav), for now it is carried above the Zav and is considered a primary source of ritual defilement.

If the unclean one was above, and the clean person below, he defiles at two [removes], and disqualifies [terumah] at yet one [further remove]. If he separated [from the source of uncleanness], he defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at yet one [more remove]. The same rules apply if the zav was on top of the row of stones and the finger of the pure person was below.

מטמא שנים ופוסל אחד – it defiles first degree [of ritual impurity] and second degree [of ritual impurity], and renders heave-offering/priest’s due] impure with one further remove.

If foods or liquids, or objects on which he could sit or lie upon or other articles were above, they defile at one remove, and disqualify [terumah] at one [further remove]. If they had become separated [from the source of uncleanness], they defile at one [remove] and disqualify [terumah] at one [more remove]. If the zav is below and something that is meant to be sat upon or food or any article (called in Hebrew a madaf) was above, he defiles them with only first degree impurity. This doesn't change if the source of impurity is removed. [I should note that I have explained this according to most commentators, but they printed editions of the Mishnah have a different reading].

פירש – the pure person came down from the course of stones/frame, or that the person with flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav) removed his finger from underneath the course of stones/frame. It defiles the pure with one remove and invalidates one remove, because the pure thing is not other first degree of ritual impurity for since it separates, it further does not defile clothing and makes heave offering/priest’s due second and third remove.

All objects fit to sit or lie upon that were below defile at two [removes], and disqualify [terumah] at one [more remove]. If they had become separate [from the source of uncleanness], they defile at two [removes] and disqualify [terumah] at one [more remove] Foods and liquids and other articles that are below, remain clean. However, if the zav is above and something meant to be sat or lied upon is below him, he defiles them such that they become fathers of impurity. Even if the source of impurity is removed, they remain fathers of impurity. However, he only conveys impurity to things that are meant to be sat or lied upon. If below him are foods, liquids or other articles not meant to be sat upon, they remain pure.

הטמא מלמעלה – on the course of stones/frame, and the finger of the pure person is underneath the course of stones/frame and the impure person weighs down upon him, for the Zav/the person with a flux/gonorrhea is carried upon it, therefore it defiles two removes and renders unfit one further remove.

והמדף – all the vessels that are not lying or sitting are called מדף/indirect contact for conferring ritual impurity.

מלמעלה – [above] the course of stones/frame, but the finger of the Zav/person with flux/gonorrhea is from below, they are not other than first degree of ritual impurity,

and they defile one remove and renders unfit [still] one [further] remove, but after they have separated, also this is the law.

פירשו מטמאין שנים ופוסלין אחד – the person who lies and who sits is always a primary source of ritual defilement, even though they (i.e., the defiling agents) have separated themselves.

טהורים – as we have stated that all that the Zav/person with flux/gonorrhea is carried upon is pure, except for from lying and sitting and the human being.

מפני שאמרו – that is to say, because what they said – that foods and drinks and the indirect contact for conferring ritual impurity from below underneath the lying person [on a bed] with flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav) are ritually pure because of that which they said that whatever carries and is carried [on top of a bed is pure.

Introduction This mishnah compares how three objects, (1) something that a zav has sat or laid upon, (2) carrion and (3) a piece of a human corpse, defile without contact.

כל הנושא – as for example, foods and drinks and indirect contact for conferring ritual impurity which are below from the lying person [on a bed] with flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav) and they carry him, but they don’t touch him for there are things that interpose between them.

Whatever carries or is carried by objects on which one sits or lies upon remain clean, except for a person. Anything that carries an object that was laid upon by a zav without touching it or is carried by it, meaning it was above and the thing the zav laid or sat upon was below, remains clean. The only exception is a person. If a person carries or is carried by something upon which a zav sat or laid, the person is impure, even if he didn't touch it.

נישא על גבי המשכב – for these are above (i.e., foods and drinks, etc.) and the unclean person lying (i.e., the Zav – the person with flux/gonorrhea) on a bed below, and it is carried upon him, but they (i.e., the objects) do not touch him, they are ritually pure.

Whatever carries or is carried by carrion is clean, except for one that shifts it. Rabbi Eliezer says: also one that carries it. The mishnah compares this situation with that of carrion meat from an animal that had not been slaughtered properly. Whatever carries or is carried upon carrion (no pun intended, I promise) remains pure (as long as he didn't touch it). The only exception is a person who shifts the carrion. He is impure, even if he doesn't touch it. Rabbi Eliezer says that also one who carries carrion is impure, even if he didn't move it.

חוץ מן האדם – that a person who carries the unclean person (i.e., the Zav – the person with flux/gonorrhea) on a bed is defiled even though he did not touch him and did not shake/move him, because the Zav who is lying on a bed defiles through carrying, and similarly, if they placed an immovable stone used for closing a pit above from where the Zav is lying and a ritually pure person sat upon the stone, he is defiled, because he was carried on top of the bed [of a lying Zav/person with flux/gonorrhea]. In the same way as that if the Zav sat on the stone, the bed that is below from the stone is ritually defiled, so when the pure person that sat on the stone is defiled, and he is carried from the defiling bed [of the Zav] that is lying underneath it.

Whatever carries or is carried upon a corpse remains clean, except for one that overshadows, or a person when he shifts it. A corpse or piece thereof also doesn't convey impurity to someone through carrying or being carried. But it does convey impurity through overshadowing or through shifting even if the corpse has not been touched.

כל הנושא על גבי נבילה – it is speaking/dealing with a human being, meaning to say, that any human being who carries or is placed on top of a carrion.

טהור חוץ מן המסיט – that carries the carrion and does not move it from its place, also did not move it from its place but rather that placed it on top of him, as for example, that his friend came and placed it upon him, he is ritually pure, until he shakes/moves it.

רבי אליעזר אומר אף הנושא – in the Gemara (Tractate Hullin, folio 124b) it explains that this is what he (Rabbi Eliezer) said: “and he that carries”, meaning to say, the person who shakes/moves the carrion is not ritually impure other than when he carries it, that the carrion is above and he (i.e., the person who carries it) is below, but if the carrion is below and he is above, even though he shakes/moves it, he is ritually pure, all the while that he did not touch it. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

חוץ מן המאהיל – that it is possible to be carrying [a corpse] or being carried by [a corpse] but not overshadowing it [with a tent] , as for example, an upper chamber/story forms a partition, that if the corpse is on the upper chamber/story, and foods and drinks and vessels in the house reach until the ceiling, and the planed boards are bent from the weight of the corpse and weigh down upon vessels, or the corpse is in the house adjacent to the ceiling, and the vessels in the upper chamber/story and the planed boards that are in the upper are story/chamber are bent from the weight of the vessels and weigh down upon the corpse, for in this manner, one carries and is carried by on top of the corpse but does not overshadow, and is pure.

ואדם בזמן שהוא מסיא – whether he carries the corpse or whether he is carried on top of the corpse, he is ritually pure, even though it (i.e., the corpse) did not touch him, but if the corpse does not move from its place as there is no shaking/movement here, he is ritually pure.

מקצה טמא על הטהור – even the finger of a Zav/person with flux/gonorrhea is on top of the pure person, or the finer of a pure person is on top of the Zav, or a connection, it is impure, as for example, his hair and his fingernail or his teeth, all these are called חיבורי/a connection, junction, even though there isn’t other than a minority of the impure on top of the pure person or a minority of the pure on top of the impure thing, the pure thing is defiled, for we don’t require that he carries the majority of a person with a flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav) other than upon the lying but not upon a person.

If part of an unclean person rests upon a clean person, or part of a clean person upon an unclean person, or if things connected to an unclean person [rest] upon a clean person, or if things connected to a clean person upon one unclean, he becomes unclean. If part of a zav, such as his finger, rests upon a clean person, or vice versa, the clean person is defiled. "Things connected" to a person refer to his hair, teeth or fingernails. They are not flesh, but they are part of a person. The mishnah teaches that even if one of these parts rests upon another person, impurity is conveyed.

ומקצת טהור על הטמא טהור – for we require that he carries its majority. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

Rabbi Shimon says: if part of an unclean person is upon a clean person, he is unclean; but if part of a clean person is upon one that is unclean, he is clean. Rabbi Shimon rules that impurity is conveyed only if part of the unclean person, the zav, is on the clean person. This is because this is the typical way that impurity is conveyed by a zav by him sitting or lying or resting upon something. But the opposite is not true. If a clean person rests a part of his body on a zav, he remains clean.

הטמא על מקצת המשכב – the majority of a impure person on a minority of the lying bed [of a Zav], the lying bed is defiled. And similarly, the greater part of a ritually pure person on the lesser part of a defiled bed, the ritually pure person is defiled. But we are not concerned of the lesser part of bed defiled, since the majority of it is ritually pure and the majority that the impure sits upon it, for with the lesser part of the thing that the defilement enters, and with its lesser part it departs, as is taught in the concluding clause [in this segment of the Mishnah]: "נמצאת טומאה נכנסת לו ויוצאת ממנו בטומאתו"/”it turns out that uncleanness enters it and leaves it through its lesser part.”

If an unclean person rests upon part of an object fit to lie upon, or a clean person rests upon part of an object fit to lie upon, it becomes unclean. There are two situations referred to here. In the first case most of the zav (the unclean person) is resting on part of a clean object that is fit to lie upon. In the second case, most of the clean person is resting upon part of an object fit to lie upon that has been defiled by a zav. In both cases the impurity is conveyed, either to the object in case one or the person in case two. The mishnah will explain below in section three that the impurity of the zav can enter the entire object through the small part of the object upon which the zav lies. It can also go out of the object through the small part of the object upon which the pure person lies.

מקצת הטמא על המשכב – since that it is the lesser part of the impure person, even though that he leans on all of the bed, the bed is pure, until the greater part of the person with flux/gonorrhea (i.e., the Zav) is carried upon it.

If part of an unclean person rests on an object fit to lie upon, or part of a clean person rests upon an object fit to lie upon, it remains clean. But if only a small part of the unclean person is on the object or only part of the clean person is on the unclean object, then he remains pure, because the object is only defiled if it bears most of the weight of the zav (see 4:4). Similarly, the pure person is not defiled unless the impure object bears most of his weight.

ומקצת טהור על המשכב – that is to say or the lesser part of the pure person even on the entire bed.

Thus we find that impurity enters it and goes out of it by its lesser part. This section provides the rule that explains section one impurity can go in and out of the object fit to lie upon even threw a small part of that object.

טהור – until the greater of the part of the ritual pure person leans upon it.

Similarly, if a loaf of terumah was placed upon an object fit to lie upon [that was unclean] and there paper in between, whether it was above or below, it remains clean. The word "similarly" does not really belong here. It is missing in some versions of the Mishnah. In mishnah 3 we learned that impurity through "carriage" being carried without touching is conveyed only to a human being by an object upon which a zav has lain. So if a loaf of terumah is either on top of an object which a zav lied upon or that object is on top of it, and there is a piece of paper separating them so that they don't touch, the loaf of terumah remains pure. The loaf of terumah is impure only if it touches the object.

וכן ככר של תרומה – it is referring to the Mishnah above (see Tractate Zavim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3) as it teaches in the Mishnah: "כל הנושא ונישא על גבי המשכב טהור חוץ מן האדם"/”Whatever carries and is carried on top of a bed is clean.” And even food of priest’s due/heave-offering, if it was carried on top of the bed and there is between them something that interposes, even if it is the most thin like [a piece of] paper and similar to it, they are not susceptible to receive ritual defilement from the bed, for it doesn’t defile others and is not susceptible to receive defilement through shaking/moving other than something that has the breath of life (i.e., a human).

Similarly, in the case of a stone with scale disease it remains clean. Rabbi Shimon pronounced such a case unclean. The same is true if the loaf of terumah is on top of a stone that has contracted a "nega" scale disease. As long as the paper prevents contact, the loaf is pure. Rabbi Shimon says that in this case the loaf of terumah is impure. A stone with a nega conveys impurity through being in an ohel overshadowing. Since the stone overshadows the loaf or vice versa, the loaf is impure.

ור' שמעון מטמא בזו – since its place is impure, it defiles through shaking/moving, even something that does not have the breath of life. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

הנוגע בזב ובזבה וכו' – each of these are equivalent regarding their contact/touching to their carrying in that they defile a person to defile clothing, therefore, they are considered a primary source of ritual defilement all the while that they didn’t separate from them, for after [being in contact] it defiles clothing, and therefore, a person who touches it makes himself first remove (i.e., first-degree of ritual impurity) and second remove and invalidates/makes unfit heave-offering/priest’s due through third remove.

He who touches a zav, or a zavah, a menstruant, or a woman after childbirth, or a metzora, or any object on which these had been sitting or lying, conveys uncleanness at two [removes] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [further remove]. The person who touches one of these five people (a metzora is one with skin disease, see Negaim) or something that sat or laid upon is a "father of impurity." Anything he touches has first degree impurity and anything it touches has second degree impurity. Terumah that touches something with second degree impurity is disqualified.

פירש – [he separates] from what defiles him, he is none other than a mere first-degree of ritual impurity and defiles something to make it second-degree of ritual impurity, and makes heave-offering/priest’s due unfit in the third remove.

If he separated, he still conveys uncleanness at one [remove], and disqualifies [terumah] at one [further remove]. When he separates from the source of impurity his level of impurity is lowered to first degree impurity. He conveys impurity at one only remove and disqualifies terumah at two removes.

ואחד המסיט, ואחד הנושא – and even though they do not touch, the man with a flux/gonorrhea and a woman with a flux and a menstruant woman are explicitly written, as it is written (Leviticus 15:31-32): “Such is the ritual concerning him who has a discharge, [concerning him who has an emission of semen and becomes impure thereby], and concerning her who is in menstrual infirmity, [and concerning anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and concerning a man who lies with an impure woman],” but the leper and the woman who has given birth we derive from (Leviticus 15:32): "לזכר ולנקבה"/”and concerning anyone, male or female, who has a discharge,” [the word] "לזכר"/for the man – to include the leper and [the word] "לנקבה"/or female to include the woman who has given birth to a child.

This is true whether he had touched, or had shifted, or had carried, or was carried. The above is true no matter how he contacted the impurity. He need not actually touch the source of impurity.

ואחד המסיט – who moves/shakes her from her place even though he doesn’t touch or carry [her].

If one touches the discharge of a zav, his spittle, semen or urine, or the blood of a menstruant, he conveys uncleanness at two [removes], and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]; Liquids from a zav's body, including his genital discharge, his spit, his semen and his urine defile as does the zav himself. They make one who touches or moves them into a "father of impurity."

רבי אליעזר אומר אף הנושא – and it speaks of one who carries, meaning to say, that the person who moves/shakes is not ritually impure unless he carries it, that they are above and the person doing the moving/shaking is below. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

If he separated, he defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]. Once he separates from the source of impurity, he has first degree impurity.

This is the case whether he had touched or moved it. Rabbi Eliezer said: also if he had carried it. These substances defile only through contact and shifting. They do not, according to the first opinion, defile by carrying or by being carried. Rabbi Eliezer disagrees and holds that they do defile one who carries them. This was the same dispute that Rabbi Eliezer had with the sages in mishnah three.

הנושא את המרכב (he who carries the saddle/riding seat) – in carrying the riding seat, it is written (Leviticus 15:9-10): “[Any means for riding that one with a discharge has mounted shall be impure; whoever touches anything that was under him shall be impure until evening;] and whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes, [bathe in water and remain impure until evening],” but not touching/coming into contact with it. But the person who touches it is not other than a mere first degree of ritual impurity.

If he carried something which was ridden upon, or if he was carried on it, or he had shifted it, he defiles at two [removes], and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]; But if he became separated [from the uncleanness], he defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]. A person who carries or is carried by something upon which a zav rode upon becomes a "father of impurity." This is because it is written in the Torah that he must wash his clothes (Leviticus 15:10; see 5:1). Therefore he defiles at two removes and disqualifies terumah at one more remove. Once he separates from the source of impurity, he has only first degree impurity. Note that if he touches something rode upon by a zav, he only has first degree impurity.

הנושא את הנבילה – that is he moves/shakes it, for carrying without shaking/moving, that person is ritually pure, as we have explained above (see Tractate Zavim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3:"כל הנושא ונישא על הנבילה – טהור חוץ מן מסיט"/”Whatever carries or is carried on top of a carrion is clean, except for him who shifts/shakes it.” And one who also touches a carrion even though it is ritually impure, since it does not defile clothing, it does not defile two removes (i.e., makes things first degree of ritual impurity and makes non-holy produce second degree of ritual impurity) nor invalidate/make unfit one (i.e., priest’s due/heave offering becomes unfit as it is made third-degree of ritual impurity), it is not other than merely first degree of ritual impurity and it defiles one (i.e., making non-holy produce second-degree of ritual impurity) and invalidates one (i..e, making priest’s due/heave-offering third degree of ritual impurity).

If he carried nevelah (, or the hatat waters sufficient for a sprinkling, he defiles at two [removes], and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]; But if he became separated, ,he defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]. The same is true for one who carries (actually shifts, see mishnah 3) nevelah (an animal slaughtered in a non-kosher manner) or one who carries the "hatat waters" (the waters into which the ashes of the red heifer had been mixed). This last rule is also found in Parah 12:5.

מי חטאת שיש בהן כדי הזייה – they defile clothing through carrying but not through touching/contact.

והוא בבית הבליעה (and it is in the esophagus/gullet) – all the time that it (i.e., the food) is in the esophagus it defiles clothing, and since it defiles clothing, it defiles two things (i.e., it’s law is like that of a primary source of ritual defilement – that it makes something first degree of ritual impurity and a first makes non-holy produce second-degree of ritual impurity) and invalidates/makes unfit one (i.e., something second degree of ritual impurity makes priest’s due/heave offering unfit).

Introduction Today's mishnah talks about a person who eats the nevelah (carrion) of a clean bird. In Toharot 1:1 we learned that this carrion defiles him once it is in his gullet. There are more details about the laws governing the carrion of a clean bird in that mishnah, for those of you who are very interested.

הכניס ראשו באויר התנור – even though the carrion of the bird exists with the esophagus/gullet of the person who eats it, everything is in the airspace of the over, nevertheless, it (i.e., the oven) is ritually pure. For the oven is not defiled on account of the person, for everything that defiles clothing does not defile humans and earthenware vessels. But because of the carrion of a clean bird it does not become defiled, for it lacks defilement other than the person in his esophagus/gullet.

He who ate nevelah of a clean bird, and it still is in his gullet, defiles at two [removes], and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]. When the nevelah of the clean bird is in his gullet, he is a father of impurity.

הקיאה או שבלעה (he vomited it out or swallowed it) – that is he separated from it. That from when it (i.e., the food particles of the carrion of the clean bird) descended to the stomach, it has no defilement, and when it is in his mouth, it has no defilement, for it is written (Leviticus 17:15): “[Any person, whether citizen or stranger,] who eats what has died/"[וכל נפש] אשר תאכל [נבלה]" for it is written, “who has not eaten” – food in the esophagus/gullet.

If he put his head within the air-space of an oven, the oven remains clean. Despite the fact that he is a father of impurity, if he puts his head into the air-space of an oven, he doesn't defile the oven. This is because a person who is defiled such that he must wash his clothes does not defile earthenware vessels. Note that the oven can generally be defiled by something impure entering its air space. Furthermore, once the carrion is in the gullet of the person, it only defiles the person. Because it's inside him it doesn't go out of him and defile the oven.

But if he vomited or swallowed it, he defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] unfit at one [more remove]. The nevelah only makes him into a father of impurity when in it is in his gullet. If he expels it, or swallows it, he goes down a notch in impurity to having only first degree impurity.

But as long as it is still in his mouth, until he swallows it, he remains clean. When it's just in his mouth, he is clean. It only begins to defile him once it has entered his gullet.

ובנבילה ובמרכב – all of these are through carrying alone that they defile clothing, but not through touching/coming into contact. Therefore, a person who touches them even though he did not separate is not other than first-degree of Levitical impurity, and he defiles one (making non-holy produce second-degree of ritual impurity) and invalidates/makes unfit one (i.e., heave offering becomes unfit as it becomes third-degree of ritual impurity).

He who touches a dead sheretz, or semen, or he that has suffered corpse uncleanness, or a metzora during his days of counting, or hatat waters of insufficient quantity with which to perform the sprinkling, or carrion, or an object ridden upon [by a zav], defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove]. All of these substances are "fathers of impurity." One who touches one of them contracts first degree impurity. This same list was mostly found in Kelim 1:1, so one can find a more detailed explanation there. They also defile only by contact and not by carrying. Finally, none of these says that the person must wash his clothes.

כל הנוגע- as for example food and vessels, for even with those that a person touches defiles two and invalidates/makes unfit one vessels that touch them defile one and invalidate one, and even at the time of their contact/touching.

This is the general principle: anyone who touches anything that according to the Torah is a "father of uncleanness" defiles at one [remove] and disqualifies [terumah] at one [more remove], except [for the corpse] of a human. The only exception to this general rule is one who touches a dead body. Such a person is a "father of impurity" and therefore defiles at two removes and disqualifies terumah at one additional remove.

חוץ מן האדם – that there is from them that if he touched them or carried, that he (as he is first-degree of ritual defilement) defiles two (making non-holy produce second-degree of ritual defilement) and invalidates one (making priest’s due/heave offering third degree of ritual impurity), like those that we stated above.

If he had become separated, he defiles at one [remove] and renders [terumah] unfit at one [more remove]. In all of these cases, once he separates from the source of impurity he has "first degree impurity." This is true even if the source of impurity was a dead body. Since he has separated from it, his impurity is reduced.

פירש – even a person, in all of them he defiles one (as he is first-degree of ritual impurity, making non-holy produce second degree of ritual impurity) and invalidates one (priest’s due/heave offering becoming unfit for use), for since he separated from it, he is not other than first-degree of ritual impurity.

בעל קרי כמגע שרץ – just as a person who touches a creeping insect/reptile is first degree of ritual impurity, so also the person with an nocturnal emission/pollution is a first degree of ritual impurity, and his defilement is comparable to the defilement of someone who touches effusion of semen.

He who has had a seminal emission is like one who has touched a dead sheretz. This mishnah compares the impurity levels of various people. A man who has had a seminal emission has the same rules of impurity as one who touched a dead sheretz. As we learned in yesterday's mishnah, such a person has first degree impurity.

ובועל נדה כטמא מת – which is one of the primary sources/causes of Levitical uncleanness and is ritually impure for a period of seven days.

And one who has had sex with a menstruant is like one who has suffered corpse uncleanness. But a person who has had sex with a niddah, a woman while menstruating, has a higher degree of impurity he is a father of impurity. Note that all of these laws are learned from midrashim on the Torah. They are in no way value statements, saying that having a seminal emission is akin to touching a dead sheretz or that having sex with a menstruant is worse (although it is forbidden). The mishnah is only interested in comparing levels of impurity.

שהוא מטמא משכב ומושב – and a corpse itself and all the more so someone with ritual impurity imparted by a corpse does not defile by sitting or lying, neither a minor defilement nor a stringent defilement, as it is written (Leviticus 15:3): “and every object on which he sits [shall be impure],” but not someone defiled by a contact with a corpse (see also, Tractate Kelim, Chapter 1, Mishnah 3).

But one who has had sex with a menstruant is more stringent in that he conveys minor grades of uncleanness to what he lies or sits upon, so as to make foods and liquids unclean. A man who has sex with a menstruant has certain purity stringencies related to him that do not relate to a person who has corpse impurity. The former conveys a light form of impurity to anything he sits or lies upon in order for it to defile food or liquids (see Kelim 1:3). A person with corpse impurity does not defile in this manner, unless he touches that which he sits or lies upon.

אלו פוסלים את התרומה – from/according to the Rabbis. And all of it is from the eight things that they decreed בו ביום/on that selfsame day (that Rabban Gamaliel was deposed as the head of the Sanhedrin -see Talmud Berakhot 28a [see the Bartenura commentary to Tractate Shabbat, Chapter 1, Mishnah 4, also Tractate Shabbat 13b – our Mishnah lists nine of the fourteen of them], except for [the law regarding] the טבול יום/the one who immersed himself that day which is from the Torah.

Introduction The final mishnah of this tractate (I'm sure you're sad we're done) discusses what things disqualify terumah. These things don't actually defile the terumah. Rather, the rabbis added a layer of stringency with regard to their impurity such that they would render terumah unfit for use.

האוכל אוכל (he who eats food) – that is first degree of ritual defilement or second degree of ritual defilement, they decreed that his body is second degree of ritual defilement, and it invalidates the heave-offering/priest’s due with his contact, touching, for second degree of ritual defilement makes priest’s due/heave-offering unfit.

The following disqualify terumah:
One who eats foods with first degree uncleanness; Or one who eats food with second degree uncleanness; And who drinks unclean liquids. From Torah law (deorayta) food and liquid cannot defile a person. Nevertheless, the rabbis decreed that one who eats impure food or drinks impure liquids should be defiled enough such that he would disqualify terumah. This seems to be a way to discourage people who want to eat terumah (kohanim) from eating or drinking impure foods and liquids.

והשותה משקים טמאים – it becomes also second degree of ritual impurity, and makes the priest’s due/heave-offering unfit/invalid, and the reason that the Rabbis decreed on these, is that sometimes, when a person eats unclean foods and pours liquid of heave-offering in his mouth while the foods are impure in his mouth, and invalidates them. And also, sometimes that he drinks impure liquids and pours foods of heave-offering/priest’s due in his mouth while they are still in his mouth, invalidating them.

And the one who has immersed his head and the greater part of him in drawn water; And a clean person upon whose head and greater part of him there fell three logs of drawn water; In order to distinguish between the purity imparted by the waters of the mikveh (which cannot be drawn), and waters that are drawn, the rabbis decreed that a person who either immersed in drawn waters or upon whom drawn waters fell would disqualify terumah. For more information on this see Toharot 4:11.

והבא ראשו ורובו – after he immersed [in a Mikveh[ on that same day.

And a scroll [of Holy Scriptures], And [unwashed] hands; We will learn more about these two categories when we learn Tractate Yadayim (after Tevul Yom, which we start learning tomorrow).

במים שאובין – because they would immerse in the badly smelling/decaying waters of caves and they would put upon them afterwards drawn waters to remove to bad-smelling/decaying waters, they began and made a fixed rule to state that the waters of caves do not purify but rather [only] drawn waters purify; they (i.e., the Rabbis) stood and decreed defilement upon them [who used those waters], for perhapsthey would come to annul the law of Mikveh and immerse in drawn waters, and in order to fulfill this decree to establish it, they added to it and decreed on a person completely pure who had three LOG of drawn waters that fell upon him, that he would invalidate the heave-offering/priest’s due until he immersed [in a ritual bath].

And one that has had immersion that same day; Luckily, the very next tractate is about this category of person, so stay tuned.

והספר – all Holy Writings/Scrolls defile the priest’s due/heave offering through contact. Because at the outset, they would hide food of priest’s due/heave offering next to a Torah Scroll saying “this is Holy and that is Holy,” since they saw that Scrolls would come to loss, that the mice that are found near the food would ruin/cause loss to the Scrolls, they decreed on the Torah, Prophets and Writings (i.e., the three portions of Scripture) would defile the priest’s due/heave-offering through their contact.

And foods and vessels which have become defiled by liquids. Liquids have greater power to defile than do solids. So if clean food or a vessel has contact with an unclean liquid, the clean food or vessel remains clean but it disqualifies terumah. Congratulations! We have completed Tractate Zavim! As I always write, it is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. Tractate Zavim was not easy, that's for sure, perhaps one of the most obscure and strange topics we've talked about yet. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the larger lessons are that I would draw from the tractate as a whole. Perhaps I might end with some speculation as to why the Torah states that abnormal genital discharge (zivah) defiles. Much has been written about the subject of impurity, and there are many conflicting theories that attempt to explain why things are impure and others are not. In my opinion, the most cogent theory is that impurity seems to be connected largely to moments of birth and death. Birth and death are natural processes in life, but they are fraught with danger and power. Abnormal genital discharge is almost like death or at least as the Torah may have perceived it to be so. The material was supposed to have the power to create life (semen) but something went wrong. It is also likely that impurity marks transitions. Impurity is neither good nor bad there is nothing wrong with being impure. But being impure has symbolic significance, and at times, impurity is especially powerful when something is out of place. While this may not explain all forms of impurity, it does explain some of them. For further reading I would suggest looking at the works of Mary Douglas, Jacob Milgrom or Jonathan Klawans. Impurity can be a much more interesting subject than you might have thought. As always, a hearty yasher koach upon completing the tractate and keep up the good work. Tomorrow we begin Tevul Yom.

וטבול יום – invalidates the priest’s due/heave-offering from the Torah until his sunset arrives. But this is not from the eighteen decrees that they (i.e., the Rabbis) decreed on that day (see the Bartenura commentary to Tractate Shabbat, Chapter 1, Mishnah 4).

והאוכלים – that were defiled by liquids. The Sages decreed on the liquids that were defiled by second degree of ritual impurity, to become first-degree, and that they would defile the foods. It is a decree because liquids that come on account of a defiling reptile/insect which are first-degree according to the Torah. But why did not decree on foods also to become first-degree? It is a decree because of foods that come on account of an insect/defiling reptile, because the foods require fitness to become unclean (which arises from contact with certain liquids), but they are not susceptible to receive defilement other than through coming in water, but the liquids are liable/likely to be susceptible to receive defilement and do not require fitness to become unclean nor repair, and their defilement is found more.

וכלים שנטמאו במשקין – that according to the Torah, even if the liquids were defiled by a reptile/insect (i.e., creeping animal), they do not defile vessels, for humans and vessels are not susceptible to receive ritual defilement other than from a primary source of ritual impurity, but the Rabbis decreed that even on liquids that were defiled on account of hands which are second-degree of ritual impurity, that they would defile vessels, as a decree because of the liquid of a person with gonorrhea/זב or a woman with a flux/זבה, as for example, their spittle and their urine, which are a primary source of ritual impurity and defile vessels according to the Torah.