Tosefta for Nazir 52:5
ור"נ בר יצחק אמר אפי' נסכא אבל סואר של קורות לא א"ל רב שימי בר אשי לרב פפא מאי טעמייהו דרבנן דאמרי מעות ולא בהמה ולא נסכא מעות ולא סוורא אלא מעתה מעות ולא עופות
ור"נ בר יצחק אמר אפי' נסכא אבל סואר של קורות לא א"ל רב שימי בר אשי לרב פפא מאי טעמייהו דרבנן דאמרי מעות ולא בהמה ולא נסכא מעות ולא סוורא אלא מעתה מעות ולא עופות
Tosefta Oholot
A quarter-kav of bones from the majority of the skeleton in size, and bones of (i.e., comprising) the majority of the skeleton in size, even though they do not contain a quarter-kav, are impure. A quarter-kav of bones from the majority of the skeleton in quantity, and bones of the majority of the skeleton in quantity, even though they do not contain a quarter-kav, are impure. Rabbi Yehuda stated a different version [of the foregoing halacha]: Beit Shammai say, a quarter-kav of bones from the skeleton from the structural majority or from numerical majority, [or] the structural majority or numerical majority of a corpse (i.e., considering the limbs as opposed to the bones), even though they do not contain a quarter-kav, are impure. And what is its "structural [majority]"? The calves and the thighs, and the ribs, and the spinal column. And what is its "numerical [majority]"? The digits of its hands and its feet, as long as they comprise [one hundred] twenty-five.*There are many variants to the above; this translation generally follows Rav Shimon of Sens. Note that Mishnah Oholot 1:8 states that there are six bones per finger/toe (thirty per hand/foot), yielding 120; Beit Shammai may have had a different opinion or the received text may be corrupt. Said Rabbi Yehoshua, I can reconcile the words of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel [as follows]: One from the calves and from the thighs. It comes out to be the structural majority in size; and half of the numerical majority, and half of the structural majority do not join together [for purposes of impurity]. The equivalent of half of an olive's-bulk of flesh and half of an olive's-bulk of decomposed corpse matter do join with one another, and the remainder of all the impurities from a corpse do not join with one another, because their measurements are not equivalent.
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