В отношении чистоты [пищевых продуктов] было сформулировано правило: все, что предназначено для потребления человеком [если оно становится нечистым], остается нечистым до тех пор, пока оно не станет непригодным для употребления собакой; и все, что не предназначено для потребления человеком, остается чистым [и не может быть очищено] до тех пор, пока человек не определит это для человека. Как так? Птенец, который упал в винный пресс, если кто-то собирался вывезти его нееврею [есть], он нечист; если для собаки это чисто. Раввин Йоханан бен Нури объявляет это нечистым [в любом случае]. Если глухонемой, дурак или несовершеннолетний имели намерение [убрать его, даже для нееврея, чтобы поесть], это чисто. Если он забрал это [для нееврея, чтобы поесть], это нечисто, потому что эти [категории людей] способны к действию, но не к намерению.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
כל המיוחד למאכל אדם – as, for example, mere/undefined foods.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
Introduction
Today's mishnah discusses how spoiled food can be for it no longer to count as food such that it would be susceptible to uncleanness.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
טמא – the ritual impurity of foods [is impure] until it becomes invalid/unfit from being the food for a dog.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
They said a general rule with regard to clean food: whatever is designated as food for human consumption is susceptible to uncleanness unless it is rendered unfit to be food for a dog; And whatever is not designated as food for human consumption is not susceptible to uncleanness unless it is designated for human consumption. If food is meant to be human food it stays susceptible to uncleanness until it becomes so despoiled that even a dog won't eat it. However, if the food was meant to be animal food, it is not susceptible to impurity until someone changes his mind and designates it for human consumption. In other words, even if it is fit for human consumption it remains pure unless someone actually decides to eat it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
עד שייחדנו לאדם – that there is a separation between removing defilement from it and bringing defilement to it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
How so? If a pigeon fell into a wine-press and one intended to pick it out for an idolater, it becomes susceptible to uncleanness; but if he intended it for a dog it is not susceptible to uncleanness. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri rules that it is susceptible to uncleanness. A pigeon living in a pigeon cote above a winepress dies and falls into the winepress (yuck!). When it was alive, the pigeon would have been fit for human consumption (yes, people often ate pigeons back then). However, once it dies and falls into the wine it is no longer considered fit for human consumption. If the owner decides to give it to a Gentile it is impure. This is bird carrion and as we learned in the first mishnah of this tractate, the carrion of pure birds is impure. However, if he decides to give it to a dog, the pigeon is considered animal food and it is pure. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri holds that the pigeon is impure for pure bird carrion does not need to be considered food for it to defile.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
גוזל שנפל לגת – when it didn’t fall into the vat, thee is no dispute [between] Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri and the Rabbis. For the carrion of a ritually pure bird in the cities that doesn’t require intention to declare it food, because there a lot of people with those who come to the marketplace and consume the carrion of a pure bird. But in the villages where there isn’t a lot of people, it requires intention, as is explained in chapter 1 (see Mishnah 1). Where they disagree is where it (i.e., the bird) fell into the vat and died in the cities, the Rabbis hold that even though that in the cities it doesn’t require intention/giving thought to it, where it fell into the vat, his vat made it detestable and it is not appropriate/fit and requires intention/giving thought to it, whereas Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri holds that his vat did not make it rejected, and it is like the rest of the carrion of ritually pure birds that don’t require intention/giving thought to it in the cities. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If a deaf mute, one not of sound senses or a minor intended it as food, it remains insusceptible. But if they picked it up it becomes susceptible; since only an act of theirs is effective while their intention is of no consequence. The three people in this section do not have legal consequences to their intention. They are considered to lack "da'at" which I translate as awareness. Therefore, if they intend to eat the food it still is not considered food. However, their actions do have legal consequences. When they pick the food up to eat it, it becomes human food and it is susceptible to impurity.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
חישב עליו חרש שוטה וקטן – to feed it to Canaanites.
