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Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Tohoroth

Folio 2

CHAPTER II

MISHNAH 1. IF A WOMAN WHO1  WAS PRESERVING VEGETABLES2  IN A POT TOUCHED3  A PROJECTING LEAF OUTSIDE THE POT ON A DRY SPOT,4  EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS AN EGG'S BULK5  IN THE LEAF,6  IT ALONE BECOMES UNCLEAN7  WHILE ALL THE REST8  REMAINS CLEAN.9  IF SHE TOUCHED IT10  AT A WET SPOT11  AND THERE WAS AN EGG'S BULK5  IN THE LEAF,6  ALL12  BECOMES UNCLEAN.13  IF THERE WAS NOT AN EGG'S BULK5  IN IT,14  IT ALONE BECOMES UNCLEAN BUT ALL THE REST REMAINS CLEAN. IF IT IS RETURNED INTO THE POT, ALL15  BECOMES UNCLEAN.16  IF THE WOMAN WAS UNCLEAN17  OWING TO CONTACT WITH ONE WHO CONTRACTED CORPSE UNCLEANNESS,18  AND SHE TOUCHED THE LEAF EITHER AT A WET SPOT OR AT A DRY SPOT, ALL19  BECOMES UNCLEAN IF THERE WAS AN EGG'S BULK IN THE LEAF;20  BUT IF THERE WAS NOT AN EGG'S BULK21  IN IT, IT ALONE BECOMES UNCLEAN AND ALL THE REST REMAINS CLEAN. IF A WOMAN WHO WAS A TEBULATH YOM22  EMPTIED OUT THE POT WITH UNWASHED23  HANDS,24  AND SHE OBSERVED SOME LIQUID ON HER HANDS, AND IT IS UNCERTAIN WHETHER IT WAS SPLASHED FROM THE POT OR WHETHER A STALK25  HAD TOUCHED HER HANDS, THE VEGETABLES ARE INVALID26  BUT THE POT REMAINS CLEAN.27

MISHNAH 2. R. ELIEZER RULED: HE WHO EATS FOOD OF FIRST[GRADE UNCLEANNESS28  CONTRACTS] FIRST [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]; [HE WHO EATS FOOD OF] SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS28  CONTRACTS] SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]; [IF IT WAS] THIRD[GRADE UNCLEANNESS HE CONTRACTS] THIRD [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]. R. JOSHUA RULED: HE WHO EATS FOOD OF FIRST[GRADE] OR OF SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS CONTRACTS]SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]; [IF IT WAS] THIRD [GRADE UNCLEANNESS, HE CONTRACTS] SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS] IN REGARD TO HOLY THINGS29  BUT NOT IN REGARD TO TERUMAH.30  ALL THIS APPLIES TO COMMON FOODSTUFFS THAT WERE PREPARED IN CONDITION OF CLEANNESS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR TERUMAH.31

MISHNAH 3. FIRST [GRADE UNCLEANNESS] IN COMMON FOOD IS UNCLEAN AND CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS;32  SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]33  CONVEYS INVALIDITY34  BUT DOES NOT CONVEY UNCLEANNESS;35  AND THIRD [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]36  MAY BE EATEN IN A DISH MIXED WITH TERUMAH.37

MISHNAH 4. FIRST [GRADE] AND SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS] IN TERUMAH ARE UNCLEAN AND CONVEY UNCLEANNESS;38  THIRD[GRADE UNCLEANNESS]39  CAUSES INVALIDITY40  BUT CONVEYS NO UNCLEANNESS; AND THE FOURTH [GRADE UNCLEANNESS]41  MAY BE EATEN IN A DISH CONTAINING HOLY FOOD.42

MISHNAH 5. FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD [GRADES OF UNCLEANNESS]IN HOLY FOODSTUFFS ARE UNCLEAN AND CONVEY UNCLEANNESS;40  THE FOURTH [GRADE OF UNCLEANNESS] IS INVALID43  AND CAUSES NO UNCLEANNESS; AND THE FIFTH [GRADE OF UNCLEANNESS]44  MAY BE EATEN IN A DISH CONTAINING CONSECRATED FOOD.

MISHNAH 6. SECOND [GRADE UNCLEANNESS] IN COMMON FOOD CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS TO UNCONSECRATED LIQUIDS45  AND CAUSES INVALIDITY TO FOODSTUFFS OF TERUMAH.THIRD [GRADE OF UNCLEANNESS] IN TERUMAH CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS TO CONSECRATED LIQUIDS45  AND CAUSES INVALIDITY TO HOLY FOODSTUFFS IF IT46  WAS PREPARED IN CONDITIONS OF CLEANNESS APPROPRIATE TO HOLY FOOD; BUT IF IT WAS ONLY PREPARED UNDER CONDITIONS OF CLEANNESS APPROPRIATE TO TERUMAH, IT CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS AT A FIRST AND AT A SECOND REMOVE, AND CAUSES INVALIDITY TO HOLY FOOD AT ONE ADDITIONAL REMOVE.47

MISHNAH 7. R. ELIEZER OBSERVED: THE THREE OF THEM48  ARE ON A PAR IN THE FOLLOWING CASES. THE FIRST GRADE OF UNCLEANNESS IN HOLY FOOD, IN TERUMAH OR IN COMMON FOOD CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS AT TWO REMOVES49  AND CAUSES INVALIDITY AT ONE ADDITIONAL REMOVES IN THE CASE OF HOLY FOOD; IT CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS AT ONE REMOVE50  AND CAUSES INVALIDITY AT ONE ADDITIONAL REMOVE47  IN THE CASE OF TERUMAH; AND IN COMMON FOOD IT ONLY CAUSES INVALIDITY.THE SECOND [GRADE OF UNCLEANNESS] IN THE CASE OF ALL OF THEM48  CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS AT ONE REMOVE47  AND CAUSES INVALIDITY AT ONE ADDITIONAL REMOVE51  AS REGARDS HOLY FOOD; IT CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS TO COMMON LIQUIDS45  AND CAUSES THE INVALIDITY OF FOODSTUFFS OF TERUMAH. THE THIRD GRADE [OF UNCLEANNESS] IN THE CASE OF ALL THESE52  CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS TO HOLY LIQUIDS53  AND CAUSES INVALIDITY TO HOLY FOODSTUFFS.

MISHNAH 8. IF A MAN EATS FOOD OF A SECOND [GRADE OF UNCLEANNESS52  HE MUST NOT WORK IN AN OLIVE-PRESS.54  COMMON FOODSTUFFS THAT WERE PREPARED UNDER CONDITIONS PROPER TO THE CLEANNESS OF CONSECRATED FOOD ARE STILL REGARDED AS COMMON FOOD.55  R. ELIEZER SON OF R. ZADOK RULED: THEY ARE REGARDED AS TERUMAH TO CONVEY UNCLEANNESS AT TWO REMOVES56  AND TO RENDER TERUMAH INVALID AT ONE ADDITIONAL REMOVE.57

Original footnotes renumbered. See Structure of the Talmud Files
  1. When in a condition of cleanness.
  2. Of terumah.
  3. With her hands which, having been unwashed, are regarded as being in a state of second grade uncleanness.
  4. Which, unlike the wet part of the leaf within the pot, had never come in contact with liquids and, therefore, has never been rendered susceptible to uncleanness.
  5. The prescribed minimum for capability to convey uncleanness to others.
  6. As a whole.
  7. Strictly speaking, 'invalid'; i.e. in the third grade of uncleanness, having contracted it from the woman's hands (cf. supra n. 3).
  8. Whose uncleanness could be derived only from contact with this leaf.
  9. Because a third grade of uncleanness in terumah cannot convey uncleanness to others.
  10. The leaf under discussion.
  11. So that her hands (in accordance with the laws of uncleanness governing liquids) conveyed to the liquid a first grade of uncleanness.
  12. The pot itself as well as its contents.
  13. Because the water (cf. prev. n. but one) imparts to the leaf a second grade of uncleanness which in turn conveys to the water in the pot a first grade of uncleanness which conveys to the pot and its contents a second grade of uncleanness.
  14. From 'ALL BECOMES UNCLEAN' to 'IT' is omitted from some edd.
  15. The wet part of the leaf touched.
  16. Even if the bulk of the leaf was less than that of an egg, because the smallest quantity of liquid on the leaf conveys uncleanness.
  17. In the first grade.
  18. The corpse being a 'father of the fathers of uncleanness'. the man who came in contact with it is a 'father of uncleanness', and imparts to the woman first grade uncleanness.
  19. The pot as well as its contents.
  20. Since the leaf which, owing to the moisture on it was susceptible to uncleanness, conveys an uncleanness of the first grade to the liquid in the pot and this in turn causes the pot and its contents to contract second grade uncleanness.
  21. The prescribed minimum for capability to convey uncleanness to others.
  22. Fem. of tebul yom; a tebul yom continues until sunset unclean in the second degree.
  23. Lit., 'soiled'.
  24. Which are regarded as suffering second grade uncleanness.
  25. Of the wet vegetable.
  26. As the uncleanness of a tebul yom is Pentateuchal any condition of doubt must be decided restrictively as certain uncleanness.
  27. Since a tebul yom does not render liquids unclean in the first grade (cf. Parah VIII, 7) and the hands (whose uncleanness is but Rabbinical) are in this matter of doubt regarded as clean, there is nothing that could impart uncleanness to the pot.
  28. A minimum of the bulk of two eggs (Rashi) or of one and a half eggs (Maim.).
  29. Which may contract from it third grade uncleanness and convey to other consecrated things fourth grade of uncleanness.
  30. Which he may consequently touch, though he must not eat it.
  31. Otherwise common food cannot give rise to a third grade uncleanness; nor can it apply to actual terumah or to holy food which, if unclean, must not be eaten at all.
  32. To terumah, which in turn can render other terumah 'invalid'. If it touched common food it only renders it 'invalid', but the latter can convey no uncleanness or even invalidity to other common food.
  33. In common food.
  34. To terumah.
  35. Sc. the terumah it touched conveys neither uncleanness nor 'invalidity' to other terumah and much less so to common food.
  36. Applicable to unconsecrated food that was kept under conditions of terumah cleanness.
  37. If the mixing was accidental. Aliter: It may under certain conditions be intentionally mixed with it.
  38. The first grade conveys uncleanness to terumah and the second grade conveys uncleanness to holy things only.
  39. In terumah.
  40. To holy food.
  41. Applicable to terumah that was kept under conditions of cleanness appropriate to holy food.
  42. Since in respect of terumah it is altogether clean.
  43. Var. lec., 'causes invalidity'.
  44. In the case of holy foodstuffs that were kept under conditions of cleanness proper to the ashes of the red heifer.
  45. Rendering them unclean in the first grade.
  46. The terumah.
  47. A third.
  48. Holy food, terumah and common food.
  49. Second and third.
  50. A second.
  51. A fourth.
  52. V. p. 371, n. 6.
  53. V. p. 371 n. 3.
  54. Where any oil of terumah would become invalid through contact with it.
  55. Which cannot contract a third grade of uncleanness. The one particular man's fancy in treating them as consecrated food is disregarded in view of the common practice to treat them as common food.
  56. First and second.
  57. V. p. 371, n. 5.