Komentarz do Zawim 4:10

ר' יהושע אומר. כפיה שבראשה – it was taken for something remarkable, for even a veil that is on the head of a ritually pure woman is considered as if the menstruating woman sat upon it, even though she doesn’t sit upon it. And he (i.e., Rabbi Yehoshua) disputes with the anonymous Mishnah in the chapter above (Chapter 3, Mishnah 1; see also Chapter 2, Mishnah 7) which does not defile other than their clothing but not the cap that is on the women’s heads.

Rabbi Joshua said: if a menstruant sat in a bed with a clean woman, [even] the cap on her head contracts midras uncleanness. And if she sat in a boat, the vessels on the top of the mast [also] contract midras uncleanness. A niddah defiles in the same way that a zav and a zavah do. According to the rabbis in 3:1, when a niddah (or a zav) sits in the same bed (or boat or carriage) as does a pure person she defiles the other person's clothes because she might have stepped on them. Rabbi Joshua says that even the cap on the other person's head is defiled, even though the niddah definitely didn't step on the other woman's head. Similarly, if she sits in a boat, even the vessels on the top of the mast are unclean, even though she clearly didn't step on them. Rabbi Joshua rules more strictly than do the other sages.

כלים שבראש הנס – this is also taken for something remarkable, for even though they are at the height of the top of the mast/flag that is not at the place of treading, nevertheless, they are impure through treading. But we are speaking about a small boat and a vacillating bed, when it is expounding upon the chapter that is above (Chapter 3, Mishnah 1), but rather that which is taught above does not defile vessels that are at the top of the mast. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehoshua.

If there was [on the boat] a tub full of clothes: If their weight was heavy, they become unclean, But if their weight was light, they remain clean. This section is also part of Rabbi Joshua's opinion. I have explained the section according to Albeck. If the clothes were heavy, then there is a possibility that they pushed the boat down on one side and therefore lifted up the niddah who was on the other side. As we learned in 2:4, if a zav (or zavah or niddah) is "hung" by something, the other thing becomes impure. However, if the tub of clothes is light, they remain pure because they wouldn't have caused the boat to shift. Note that Rabbi Judah does not automatically make the clothes impure, as he did in section one. Albeck explains that Rabbi Judah rules strictly only with regard to single pieces of clothing. When it comes to a tub of clothing, he rules more in line with the other sages.

בזמן שמשאן כבד טמאין מדרס – and even though they do not come in contact with the clothing, for it is considered as if it is leading on the clothing.

If a zav knocked against a balcony and thereby caused a loaf of terumah to fall down, it remains clean. Although it seems that the zav caused the loaf of terumah to fall and thereby defiled it, the rabbis don't think that the zav really could have caused the stone balcony to shift. Rather, it must have been some movement in the ground that caused the loaf to fall. Therefore, it remains pure.

כסוסטרא -it is like a גזוזטרא/balcony, enclosure, like the planed board that protrudes outwards from the upper wall.

ונפל ככר של תרומה – [the loaf of priest’s due] that is upon the balcony/enclosure.

טהור – the loaf [is ritually pure] that fell on account of the knocking against of the person with gonorrhea is not considered to him as shaking/movement, because the strength of the balcony endures.

מריש – a large beam that they build in the group of buildings forming one residence and the tops of the beams of the roof all of which are dependent upon it, and it is placed on top of the pillars (see also the Bartenura commentary of Tractate Gittin, Chapter 5, Mishnah 5 that defines מריש as a beam and בירה as a large house).

If he knocked against a strong beam, a window-frame, water-pipe, a shelf, even though it was fixed with ropes, or an oven, a flour container, the lower mill-stone, the base of a hand-mill, or the se'ah measure of an olive-grinder, [the loaf remains clean]. In all of these cases there was a loaf of terumah bread sitting on one of these large items. A zav knocked against one of them and the loaf fell down. Since all of these items are set in their place we can attribute the loaf falling down to some force other than the zav. As we learned in yesterday's mishnah, we can assume that the ground shifted.

מלבן (frame) – like a kind of square of beams affixed in the ground.

Rabbi Yose adds: also [if he knocks] against the beam of the bath-keeper, it remains clean. Rabbi Yose adds that the same halakhah applies to the "beam of a bath-keeper." This is the beam upon which it was customary for the bath-keeper to sit.

צנור – water pipe/spout, duct

אע"פ שהוא עשוי בחבלים – which is not affixed in the ground, but tied with ropes, but it is not so strong.

ועל הים (flour mill’s container) – a circumference/surface of wood that the flour is gathered in it at the time of grinding.

אצטרובל (lower millstone – which is immovable – included in the sale of a home) – a round mold of wood that they place the millstone upon it. And both are fixed.

חמור של רחים של יד (jack of a hand mill) – a wood building that the hand millstone is affixed in them.

וסאה של ריחים (an olive grinder’s Seah measure) – a large measure and it is affixed in the ground.

וקורות הבלנין (beams whereon the bathing masters are stationed) – a beam that the master of the bathhouse sits upon. And all of these, if the person with gonorrhea/the Zav knocked against and the loaf of priest’s due/Terumah fell in from the strength/power of the knocking, it is ritually pure, for they are very strong and it is not considered shaking/moving. But regarding the beams whereon the bathing masters are stationed, they disagreed. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yossi.

הנגר (door-bolt) – a peg that is wedged in behind the door in the incision that is in the lintel/lower door-sill.

If he knocked against a door, doorbolt, lock, oar, mill basket, or against a weak tree, or weak branch of a strong tree, or against an Egyptian ladder unsecured by nails, or against a bridge, beam or door, not made secure with clay, they become unclean. In all of these cases the zav knocks against something and thereby causes an object to fall off of it. Since these things are loose or weak, we can assume that the zav caused the object to fall and therefore the object becomes unclean. Many of these items were mentioned in mishnah 3:1 (and their opposites in 3:3). [Note that door seems to have crept into this mishnah twice. Clearly a mistake it probably belongs in the first half and not the second].

מנעול – that they close the door with it (i.e., a lock).

[If he knocked] against a chest, box or cupboard, they become unclean. Rabbi Nehemiah and Rabbi Shimon declare them clean in these cases. According to the first opinion these objects are not so sturdy and therefore it is likely that the zav caused them to fall. Rabbi Nehemiah and Rabbi Shimon believe that they are sturdy and therefore if something falls off of them, it probably was not due to the zav.

משוט (oar) – that they direct/steer the ship. And it is a Scriptural language (Ezekiel 27:29): “all the pilots of the sea [shall come down from their ships and stand on the ground].”

קלת (the framework under the millstone to receive the flour-dust) – a wooden round mould that surrounds the lower millstone to receive the flour that is ground that it should not fall to the ground, and it is movable.

ועל סוכה שכוחה רע – and it stands in a tree which is very strong.

טמאין – for all of these are not very strong, and the power/strength of the knocking of the person with gonorrhea/the Zav is considered shaking/movement.

מטהרין באלו – it is referring to the chest, ark and turret. For this reason, the first Tanna/teaches teaches them separately. But the Halakha is not according to either Rabbi Nehemiah or Rabbi Shimon.

פונדיות (money-bags)- like long pouches/bags, receptacles.

Introduction A zav who lies on something makes it unclean. Our mishnah deals with cases where a zav lies on multiple items do they all become impure, or can we isolate which one(s) he really laid upon?

לארכן – that he lies on the length of the benches or the pouches/bags.

A zav who lays across five benches, or five money-belts: If lengthwise, he [makes them] unclean; But breadthwise, they are clean. If the zav lies across the length of five benches or money-belts it is possible that at any one time most of his weight was on one of the benches or belts. Therefore, they are all impure. However, if he lies on them across their breadth then his weight is distributed equally among them all. Since he didn't lie on any one of them, they all remain pure.

טמאים – for on each one, the person with gonorrhea/the Zav leans upon them, sometimes on this one and sometimes on that one.

If he slept [on them], and it was doubful that he had turned over onto them, they are unclean. If he slept on the benches or the money-belts then they are impure even if he slept across their breadth because we don't know if he turned around a lot while sleeping. Since he might have put all of his weight on one, they are all impure.

לרחבן – that he lies his length on their width.

If he was lying on six seats, with two hands on two [seats], two feet on another two, his head on one, with his body on another one, only that one on which his body lay is rendered unclean. Since the majority of his mass was on one of the seats, only that seat is unclean.

טהורים – because the majority of his [body] does not lean upon one of them. And there is no lying or sitting ever until he leans most of his [body] upon it, as it is written (Leviticus 15:23): “Be it the bedding [or be it the object on which she has sat, on touching it he shall be unclean until evening], until his majority will be carried upon it.

If [a zav] stood on two seats: Rabbi Shimon says: if these were distant one from the other, they remain clean. If the two seats are far apart from the other, then the zav would need both of them to stand on. Take one away and he would fall down. Since neither would support the full weight of the zav each remains pure. But if they were close together, at times the zav could shift all of his weight to one and then it would be defiled.

ישן – widthwise, and there is doubt if he turned himself around/rolled over to lengthwise, they are ritually impure.

כסיות – the plural language for “chair.”

שתחת הגוף – because the majority [of his body] is carried/borne upon him. But the others are ritually impure by contact of the person with gonorrhea. But they don’t have the law of lying and sitting to become a primary source of ritual impurity to defile people and vessels.

אם רחוקים זה מזה טהורים – because the majority [of his body] is not carried/borne either on this one or on that one. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

עשר טליתות – it the plural usage of טלית/a cloak. But not specifically then, for even one-thousand cloaks and a large stone on top of them, and the person with gonorrhea/the Zav sat upon the stone, all of the cloaks that are underneath it are defiled through sitting, for lying and sitting become defiled underneath a stone used for closing a pit.

Ten cloaks one on top of the other, if he sat on the uppermost one, all are unclean. When a zav sits (other versions read sleeps) on a pile of something, all of the things upon which he sat become impure, even though he only touched the upper most one.

כרע הזב טהורים – from the law concerning lying, but they are impure through the burden of the person with gonorrhea.

A zav who was one one scale of a balance and in the other scale opposite there were objects fit to sit or lie upon: If the zav pushed them up, they are clean. But if they pushed him up, they are unclean. Rabbi Shimon says: if there was one object it becomes unclean, but if there were many they remain clean, since none of them had borne the greater part [of the zav's weight]. In mishnah 2:4 we learned that if another object causes a zav to be lifted up, that object becomes impure. So imagine a huge balance (maybe a seesaw?!) with a zav on one side and on the other side are things that one lies or sits upon. If he lifts them up they do not have midras impurity, because he didn't "lean" on them. However, since he did carry them they do have some impurity, just a lesser degree. If they push him up then he is considered as having leaned upon them, and they are impure. Rabbi Shimon says that if there are multiple objects on the opposite side of the scale, then they have all divided up his weight equally. Since none of them bear the majority of his weight they all remain pure.

ביחידי – one bed [used for lying].

טמא – for the majority of the person with gonorrhea/the Zav is carried/borne upon it.

ובמרובים – many beds on the scale opposite the person with gonorrhea.

שאין אחד מהם נושא את רובו – for since they (i.e., the beds) went down, the majority of the person with gonorrhea is not borne/carried on even one of them, but rather, each one of the beds bore/carried a majority of the Zav.

טמאין – whether the person with gonorrhea/the Zav went down/bowed or whether the foods and drinks went down, they were defiled through movement/shaking.

If a zav [sat] in one scale of the balance, while food and liquids were in the other scale, [the latter become] unclean. The food or liquids that are on the other side of the scale are lifted up by the weight of the zav. However, they do not have midras impurity, even if they are heavy enough to lift up the (lightweight) zav because midras impurity is only conveyed to objects that are designed to be sat or laid upon. Food and liquid are never susceptible to midras impurity. However, they are impure with first degree impurity, which is lighter than midras impurity.

ובמת הכל טהור – whether sitting or lying, whether foods or liquids, whether the corpse went down [on the balancing scale] whether they (i.e., foods, liquids, sitting, lying) went down. For all of the defilements of movement are pure, except for the movement of a person with gonorrhea/a Zav (with a flux). But if they went down [on the balancing scale], they are also ritually pure, for all that the corpse is lifted up over him, as for example, on the balancing scale other than a tent, it is ritually pure (see also Tractate Zavim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3)ssb, except for a human, for at the time that it outweighs the corpse, it is impure because it moved/shook it, as we state in the last chapter of [Tractate] Niddah (folio 69b) do you think that a corpse does not defile through carrying?

In the case of a corpse, everything remains clean except for a man. The mishnah now begins to compare impurity conveyed by a dead body with the impurity conveyed by a zav. When a dead body is on one side of a balance and something else is on the other side, whatever is on the other side is not defiled because a dead body does not defile by sitting, laying or shifting without contact.

מדף (indirect contact by shaking – the uncleanness of an object arising from an unclean person’s indirect contact) – it the language of minor uncleanness, as it is written (Leviticus 26:36): “The sound of a driven leaf [shall put them to flight].” But Maimonides explained that [the word] "מדף" is from the language of "ריחו נודף"/so that its fragrance spreads (see Tractate Menahot, Chapter 8, Mishnah 7), that the fragrances of the defilement of a Zav/person with gonorrhea/flux goes from afar to defile all the vessels that upon it even though it did not come in contact with them. But not like the defilement of the vessels that are underneath it, for the vessels that are on top of the person with gonorrhea/flux even though they are things that interpose between them and the person with gonorrhea/flux, all of them are unclean with a minor defilement to defile foods and drink, but not to defile humans and vessels, whereas vessels that are underneath him, even if they are one hundred one on top of the other, the lowest of all of them have a greater defilement to defile humans and to defile clothing like the upper one.

This is [an example of] the greater stringency applying to a zav than to a corpse; and there is a greater stringency in the case of a corpse than a zav. This is the general statement that sums up this mishnah sometimes the rules are stricter for a zav and sometimes they are stricter for a corpse. This is typical of the Mishnah it loves to compare laws governing different yet similar cases.

מה שאין המת מטמא – hat what is below it (i.e., the corpse), even if it will be Levitical impurity/defilement breaking through the ground and descending, nevertheless, nothing lying and sitting that is underneath it defiles humans and to defile clothing.

For whereas the zav defiles all objects on which he sits or lies upon, so that these likewise convey uncleanness to people and garments, and he conveys to what is above him madaf uncleanness, so that these in turn defile food and liquids. Whereas in the case of a zav no such uncleanness is conveyed. There are two types of uncleanness conveyed by a zav that are not conveyed by a corpse. The first is that a zav conveys uncleanness by sitting or lying on things, such that those items now convey uncleanness even to people and clothing. Furthermore, a zav defiles things that are placed on top of him even if he doesn’t touch them. This impurity is called "madaf" and it probably comes from the word for "shelf" madaf in Hebrew. This impurity is relatively light for these items defile other food and liquids but they wouldn't defile clothing and people. Again, a dead body wouldn't defile in this way.

ועל גביו מדף – assuming that the corpse defiles vessels that are on top of it the uncleanness of a minor degree to defile foods and drinks, that defilement breaks through the ground and rises, nevertheless if [the corpse was on an upper floor and the uncleanness caused by unclean persons lying on an object and sitting on an object in the house until the top of the beam, and the planed board that is bent from the weight of the corpse and which make heavy those lying down, or] the corpse is in the house near/adjacent to the top of the beam, and those that are lying are in the upper story, and the planed boards are bent from the weight of those lying and weigh down upon the corpse, in that manner with an impure person with a flux/gonorrhea (i.e., a Zav) below to defile humans [and] to defile clothing, and above it to defile foods and drinks, but with the corpse, whether above it or whether below it, is pure.

Greater stringency is also found in the case of a corpse, since it can convey uncleanness by overshadowing, and it defiles seven days’ defilement, whereas in the case of a zav no such uncleanness is conveyed. A dead body does defile by overhanging (an ohel). We learned about this extensively in Tractate Ohalot. This means that if something hangs over both a corpse and a clean object the impurity of the corpse goes to the clean object. A zav doesn't defile in this way.

שאינה יכולה (it – i.e., the bed – is not able to stand – on three legs) – and since this one (i.e., leg) is not able [to stand] and that one (i.e., leg) is not able [to stand] each one of all of them has performed an act and there most of the person with gonorrhea/flux (i.e., the Zav) is lifted upon it (i.e., the leg).

If he sat on a bed and there were four cloaks under the four legs of the bed, all become unclean, since the bed cannot stand on three legs; But Rabbi Shimon declares them clean. Since the bed can't stand without all four legs, we have to look at each leg of the bed as if it carries the full weight of the zav. Therefore, all four cloaks are impure because he sat on all four of them. Rabbi Shimon says that all four of the cloaks are clean. This is because none of them bears the zav's full weight. Since his weight is evenly distributed among the four legs, they all remain pure.

רבי שמעון מטהר – that requires the measurement of gonorrhea for this one (i.e., the leg) and the measurement of gonorrhea for that one (i.e., the leg), meaning to say, the majority of this [Zav] weighs down on each of them. And he follows after his reasoning that he stated above in our chapter (Tractate Zavim, Chapter 4, Mishnah 5) regarding an individual [place to lie down or sit], but if there were many [places to lie down or sit] they are clean, for no single place can carry the majority. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

If he rode on a beast and there were four cloaks under the legs of the beast, they are clean, since the beast can stand upon three legs. In contrast to a table, an animal can stand on three legs, so any one leg is not necessary for bearing the weight of the zav.

היה רכוב על גבי בהמה – we are dealing with something standing, for if it is walking, all the while that the one [leg] is uprooted but it is standing on three [legs], and what is underneath them is impure, for it is unable to stand on two [legs].

If there was one cloak under its two forelegs or its two hindlegs, or under a foreleg and a hindleg, it becomes unclean. But a beast cannot stand on two legs. Therefore, if the cloak is underneath any of the two legs, then it is considered to bear the full weight of the zav and it is unclean.

שיכולה לעמוד על שלש – therefore each one is like a fourth leg, and it is not other than a support [for the other legs], and support has no substance to it (see Tractate Shabbat 93a). But one cloak underneath two legs, is impure, for it (i.e., the animal) is not able to stand on [the other] two legs.

Rabbi Yose says: a horse conveys uncleanness through its hindlegs and a donkey through its forelegs, since a horse leans upon its hindlegs and a donkey upon its forelegs. According to Rabbi Yose a horse bears its weight on its hindlegs and a donkey's weight is borne on its forelegs. Therefore, if the cloak is under the horse's hindlegs or the donkey's forelegs it is impure. But if not, it remains pure.

ר' יוסי אומר - he is referring to four cloaks under the four feet of an animal.

If he sat on a beam of an olive-press, the vessels in the olive-press receptacle are unclean. Since the zav presses down on the olive press, the olives are impure.

הסוס מטמא ברגליו – if a person with gonorrhea/flux (i.e., a Zav) rides upon it (i.e., a horse) and there is a cloak underneath one of the feet of a horse, it is ritually impure. But underneath its hands, it is ritually pure, for it doesn’t lean on its forelegs. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yossi.

[If he sat] on a clothing press, the garments beneath it are clean. Rabbi Nehemiah declares them unclean. Unlike an olive press, a clothing press is already closed tight. When the zav sits on the clothing press, he doesn't really press down on the garments. Therefore, they remain clean. Rabbi Nehemiah holds that the zav does press down on the clothing press and the clothing inside and therefore they are defiled.

כלים שבעקל טמאים (utensils that are in the roller are unclean) – that the crutch of the beam is on the roller, and the roller is a basket that gathers/detains in it the olives (i.e., a bale of loose texture containing the olive pulp to be pressed) and it is made like a kind of basket of network, and after they gather/detain in it the olives and there remains the peat which is the refuse of olives (i.e., the peals), and they bring it into the bale of loose texture containing the olive pulp to be pressed, and place upon the bale of loose texture a beam to weigh it down.

המכבש של כובס (the washer’s clothes press) – after they launder the clothing, they fold them underneath the clothes press to press them and to preserve their folding.

כלים שתחתיו טהורים – for a person who sits on one end of the clothes press does not weigh down the utensils.

ור' נחמיה מטמא – he holds that it is impossible that he sits on one end of the clothes press without weighing down on the utensils. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Nehemiah.