Commentary for Shabbat 164:4

ור"א אמר באבן מסמא דכ"ע לא פליגי דלא מטמאה כי פליגי במשא רבי עקיבא סבר כנדה מה נדה מטמאה במשא אף ע"ז מטמא' במשא ורבנן סברי כשרץ מה שרץ לא מטמאה במשא אף ע"ז לא מטמאה במשא ור"ע למאי הלכתא איתקש לשרץ למשמשי' ורבנן למאי הלכתא איתקש לנדה מה נדה אינה לאברים אף ע"ז אינה לאברים

So is an idol not [a source of contamination] through its limbs. Then when R. Hama b. Guria asked: 'Does the law of an idol operate in respect of its limbs or not?'-solve it for him from this that according to the Rabbis it does not operate in respect of its limbs? — R. Hama b. Guria asked it on R. Akiba's view. But R. Eleazar maintained: In respect of a cavity-closing stone all agree that it does not defile thereby, since it is likened to a sherez,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is the text as emended by Rashal. ');">⁹</span> they differ only in respect of carriage. R. Akiba holds, It is like a <i>niddah</i>: just as a <i>niddah</i> defiles through carriage, so does an idol defile through carriage. While the Rabbis argue. It is like a sherez: just as a sherez does not defile through carriage, so does an idol not defile through carriage. Now, according to R. Akiba, in respect of what law is it likened to a sherez? — In respect of its service utensils. And according to the Rabbis', in respect of what law is it likened to a <i>niddah</i>? — Just as a <i>niddah</i> is not [a source of contamination] through her [separate] limbs, so is an idol not [a source of contamination] through its limbs.

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