Mesorat%20hashas for Shabbat 32:2

שמעון בן שטח תיקן כתובה לאשה וגזר טומאה על כלי מתכות כלי מתכות דאורייתא נינהו דכתיב (במדבר לא, כב) אך את הזהב ואת הכסף וגו' לא נצרכה אלא לטומאה ישנה דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב מעשה בשל ציון המלכה שעשתה משתה לבנה ונטמאו כל כליה ושברתן ונתנתן לצורף וריתכן ועשה מהן כלים חדשים ואמרו חכמים יחזרו לטומאתן ישנה

For Rab Judah said in Rab's name: It once happened that Queen Shalzion<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' i.e., Salome Alexandra, wife and successor of Alexander Jannai and according to the Talmud, sister of Simeon b. Shetah. ');">⁴</span> made a banquet for her son and all her utensils were defiled. Thereupon she broke them and gave them to the goldsmith, who melted them down and manufactured new utensils of them. But the Sages declared, They revert to their previous uncleanness. What is the reason? — They were concerned there to provide<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'on account of'. ');">⁵</span> a fence against the water of separation.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. n. 2.; i.e., they were anxious to safeguard this law, which would fall into disuse if the expedient of melting and refashioning were widely adopted. ');">⁶</span>

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