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מסכת כלים

פרק כו משנה ז

כל מקום

Any instance

שאין חסרון מלאכה

where further work is not required (to complete the manufacture of items)

מחשבה מטמאתן

intent (to use them as something susceptible to tumah) makes them tamei,

וכל מקום

and any instance

שיש חסרון מלאכה

where work is lacking (and the items are unfinished)

אין מחשבה מטמאתן

intent will not make them tamei,

אלא העצבה

except for a saddle cover (this was a hide used to protect a saddle, and was sat upon; it would be finished by trimming it, but that step was not necessary and people would use it untrimmed).

 

פרק כו משנה ח

עורות בעל הבית

The hides of a householder (made by a householder, these hides were not usually sold to others),

מחשבה מטמאתן

intent makes them tamei;

ושל עבדן

and of the tanner

אין מחשבה מטמאתן

intent does not make them tamei (as he is likely to sell it, and it may be used for another, unintended, purpose);

של גנב

those of a thief,

מחשבה מטמאתן

(the thief's) intent makes them tamei (according to this opinion, because the original owner does not expect to recover it, title in the stolen hides passes to the thief),

של גזלן

those of a robber,

אין מחשבה מטמאתן

(the robber's) intent does not make them tamei (because the robber's identity is known, the owner has not given up hope of recovering the stolen hides, and retains ownership);

רבי שמעון אומר

Rabbi Shimon says

חלוף הדברים

the matters are reversed,

של גזלן

those of the robber,

מחשבה מטמאתן

intent makes them tamei (as the brazenness of the robber causes his victim to believe that he would be too powerful to recover the stolen hides from him)

ושל גנב

and those of the thief,

אין מחשבה מטמאתן

intent does not make them tamei

מפני שלא נתיאשו הבעלים

because (in that case) the owners haven't given up hope.

         

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