מסכת כלים

פרק כב משנה י

האסלה

The privy stool (this stool went over a chamber-pot, and was comprised of a leather seat with a hole in its center suspended over a metal frame)

is [susceptible to becoming] tamei midras

and to the tumah of a corpse;

if it was separated (if the metal frame was separated from the leather seat after it was )

the leather is tamei midras (as it can still be used as a seat)

and the iron is tamei the tumah of a corpse (as it is useable for other purposes).

A traskal whose cover was of leather (this was a wooden utensil; some say it was a sort of portable table; others that it was a tray of rough wood with a leather overlay that included a rim that was also used as a seat, and other say that it was a wooden folding chair with a leather seat)

is [susceptible to becoming] tamei midras

and to the tumah of a corpse;

if it was separated (the wood from the leather)

the leather is tamei midras (as it can still be used as a seat)

and the traskal is tahor from anything.

The benches of a bathhouse (the seat of which was made from stone, which is normally impervious to tumah)

whose two legs were of wood

is tamei (this refers to tumas midras; opinions differ as to whether the legs alone are susceptible to this tumah, or the bench seat as well);

if one [leg] was of wood

and one was of stone,

it is tahor.

The boards of the bathhouse (these covered channels in the floor of the bathhouse via which dirty bathwater was drained)

that were smoothed (their edges were planed and then the boards were attached together),

Rabbi Akiva ruled are tamei (as he held that bather would sit on them)

and the Sages ruled are tahor,

as they were not made

but for the water to run underneath them.

A fumigator (this was tall cylinder with perforated walls used to fumigate clothing by burning incense under it)

that has a receptacle for garments (if the cylinder had a bottom, thus allowing the clothing to be place inside it)

it is tamei,

and the one made like a beehive (as it has no bottom to hold the clothing, which would be draped over it instead)

is tahor.

הכדור

The ball (made of leather and stuffed with hair or other material)

and the shoemaker's last (a form used to shape shoes, it was either leather filled with stuffing, or of wood covered with leather)

and the amulet

and the tefillin

[that had become tamei] and tore (this tear was too small to render them tahor, but did expose what was inside of them),

one who comes into contact with them

is tamei,

[but if one came into contact] with what was inside them

is tahor.

A saddle that tore

is tamei

as the stitching connects it (a saddle was sewn such that any material used to stuff it would not shift about when sat upon, as such its stuffing is considered to be connected to the outer leather)