מסכת כלים פרק יב משנה ב | |
קנה |
The [wooden] beam |
מאזנים של סרוקות |
of a balance (this was a portable scale) of a comber (a craftsman who would comb wool or linen fibers) |
טמא |
is tamei (despite it being of wood) |
מפני אונקליות |
because of the hooks (metal hooks were hung from one end of this balance-beam and used to hold the merchandise being weighed; the metal component is what makes the wooden beam tamei); |
ושל בעלי בתים |
and [a balance] of householders, |
אם יש בו אונקליות |
if it has hooks |
טמא |
it is tamei. (the distinction from the comber's balance is that the householder's is the the former was always used with the hooks, while the latter would sometimes not have the hooks, and a string would be used to attach the item being weighed). |
אנקלין של כתפים |
The hooks of porters (a porter would carry packages suspended by hooks a pole that he carried on his shoulder, with one hook holding a package in front of him, and another behind him) |
טהורה |
are tahor (because in this case, the hooks are considered secondary to the main function of the wooden pole), |
ושל רוכלים |
and of peddlers |
טמאה |
are tamei (although similar in form to the porter's pole and hooks, the peddler's actually had receptacles at the end of the hooks). |
רבי יהודה אומר |
Rabbi Yehuda says |
של רוכלים |
[the hooks] of peddlers |
שלפניו טמאה |
that are in front of him (that is, the hook on the end of the pole that was in front of him) are tamei |
ושלאחריו טהורה |
and that are behind him are tahor (as this hook is not used to carry anything, but is rather used merely as a counterweight for the one in front). |
אנקלי של דרגש |
The hooks of a cot (this bed had legs and a frame, but instead of slats or a flat surface on which to rest or put a mattress, a leather sheet was attached to the frame with metal hooks) |
טמאה |
are tamei (they are deemed a part of the cot, and even though it was made of wood, the cot is susceptible to tumah as it was designed for one to rest their weight upon it); |
ושל נקליטין |
and [the hooks] of bed poles (these extended upward at the foot and head of the bed, and were used to drape a canopy over the bed) |
טהורה |
are tahor; |
של שדה טמאה | of a chest are tamei (this refers to hooks attached to a small box to hand it from the wall; as it had a receptacle, the box was susceptible to tumah); |
ושל אקון טהורה | and of a cauf is tahor (this was a reed or wooden cage used by fishermen to trap fish and hold them in the water while still alive, it was attached by the hook to a rope or chain, and lowered into the water; it is tahor because it lacked a receptacle and/or did not have the form of a vessel); |
של שולחן טמאה |
[the hook] of a table is tamei (the hook was used to hang the table out of the way when not in use; it is tamei as the table is tamei, the table is tamei for being a utensil that directly serves people); |
של מנורת העץ | [the hook] of a wooden candelabra (which lacked a receptacle, rather cups containing oil and wicks were placed upon it) |
טהורה | is tahor; |
זה הכלל | this is the rule: |
המחבר לטמא טמא | that which is attached to something tamei is tamei; |
והמחבר לטהור טהור | and that which is attached to something tahor is tahor; (as they do not have names of their own, but rather are components of other utensils) |
וכולן | and all of these [hooks] |
אחת אחת בפני עצמן | each one on its own |
טהורות | is tahor. |
פרק יב משנה ג |
|
כסוי טני של מתכת | The metal cover of a teni (a type of metal box which is susceptible to tumah), |
של בעלי בתים | of householders |
רבן גמליאל מטמא | Rabban Gamliel ruled are tamei (as it could be turned upside down and used as a utensil in its own right) |
וחכמים מטהרין | and the Sages rules are tahor (as it does not have its own name, and so the fact that it has a receptacle is of no matter as it is meant to be used as a cover), |
ושל רופאים טמא | and of doctors is tamei (as doctors would use the cover to hold medicines). |
הדלת שבמגדל | The [metal] door of a [wooden] cabinet (that is not susceptible to tumah) |
של בעלי בתים | of a householder |
טהורה | is tahor |
ושל רופאים טמאה | and of a doctor is tamei (as the doctor hangs his tools from the door, making it a utensil in its own right, and not merely a part of the cabinet). |
היתוכין טמאים | Tongs are tamei |
והפרכין טהורין | and perachin (these were tongs attached to an oven and used to move vessels inside of it) are tahor. |
עקרב בית הבד | The akrav of an olive press (this was a bent piece of metal attached to a wooden beam of the press used to crush the olives before they were pressed under a heavier beam) |
טמאה | is tamei (as this metal part does the crushing, not the wooden beam) |
ואנקלי שבכתלים | and a hook in the wall (used to hang utensils) |
טהורה | is tahor. (as they are attached to the wall, and by extension the ground). |
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