Bava Batra 132

והא קיימא לן דרבנן ועוד האמר ר' יוסי בן ר' חנינא בדף של מתכת מחלוקת

But are not all agreed that it was decreed by the Rabbis [on their own authority]? And further, R. Jose son of R. Hanina has said that the dispute [between R. Eliezer and the Rabbis] concerned a board of metal!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Flat metal articles are susceptible to uncleanness biblically. V. Kel. XI, 1. ');">¹</span>

לעולם רבנן היא ושאני שאיבה דרבנן

We must therefore say that in truth the above statement follows the Rabbis, and that they make a difference in the case of 'drawn' water<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., they are less stringent in regard to it than in regard to the shelf of metal. ');">²</span>

אי הכי אפילו חקקו ולבסוף קבעו נמי שאני התם דאיכא תורת כלי עליו בתלוש

because its uncleanness was decreed [only] by the Rabbis. If that is the case,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the Rabbis draw no distinction between whether it was first hollowed and then fixed or otherwise, and that their reason in the case of the mikweh is because, as it is only Rabbinical, there is no need to be so particular in regard to 'drawn' water. ');">³</span>

בעי רב יוסף מי גשמים שחשב עליהם להדיח את האיצטרובלין מהו לזרעים

then even if he first hollowed it and then fixed it [it should not spoil the mikweh]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Being reckoned as part and parcel of the ground. ');">⁴</span>

אליבא דרבי אליעזר דאמר כל המחובר לקרקע הרי הוא כקרקע לא תיבעי לך כי תיבעי לך אליבא דרבנן דאמרי אינו כקרקע מאי תיקו

— There where it was hollowed and then fixed the case is different, because it was in the category of a vessel while still unfixed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore the Rabbis were not willing to relax the rule to such an extent. ');">⁵</span>

שלח ליה רב נחמיה בריה דרב יוסף לרבה בריה דרב הונא זוטי לנהרדעא כי אתיא הך איתתא לקמך

R. Joseph raised the following question: If a man, seeing the rain descend on the casing of his handmill, decided to regard this as a washing, what is its effect upon seeds?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to Lev. XI, 38, seed on which water is 'put' becomes susceptible to uncleanness. According to the Rabbis, water is considered 'put' on seed only if there is a conscious desire on the part of someone to that effect. Falling rain would therefore not ordinarily be regarded as being 'put' on seed and would not make it susceptible to uncleanness. In this case, however, the owner consciously desires it to fall on the handmill, and the question therefore arises whether this desire on his part affects the seeds also. ');">⁶</span> If we accept the opinion of R. Eliezer, that anything attached to the ground is in the same category as the ground, no question will arise.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The rule is that water is not regarded as being 'put' on anything unless that thing is detached from the soil. If therefore the handmill is regarded as being in the same category as the soil, the rain is not technically 'put' on it, however much the owner may desire its falling, and therefore it can have no effect on the seeds. ');">⁷</span> Where the question arises is if we accept the view of the Rabbis who said that it is not in the same category as the ground?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the Baraithas quoted above, the Rabbis laid down that a mortar fixed to the ground is not sold with a house and a board fixed in a wall is capable of receiving uncleanness, the reason in both cases being that, though now fixed, since they were originally separate they are not counted as part of the ground. The question therefore arises whether we apply the same rule to a handmill which, though originally detached, is more of a fixture than the mortar, since according to the Rabbis of the Baraitha referred to, it is sold along with the house (Tosaf.). ');">⁸</span> — This question must stand over. R. Nehemiah the son of R. Joseph sent to Rabbah the son of R. Huna Zuti at Nehardea the following instruction: When this woman presents herself to you,