Chullin 252:1
שלש טומאות פורשות מן המת שתים בכל אחת ושלישית אין בהן
There are three matters of uncleanness issuing from a corpse which convey uncleanness by two means but not by the third,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The three means of conveying uncleanness are: by contact, by carrying, and by overshadowing. With regards to the three matters stated, only two of these means apply, the actual two varying with each case, but not all three.');"><sup>1</sup></span>
מלא תרווד רקב ועצם כשעורה וגולל ודופק
A ladleful of corpse-mould conveys uncleanness by carrying and by overshadowing but not by contact;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This clearly conflicts with the aforementioned view of R. Jose, supra p. 703. omg kkud');"><sup>3</sup></span>
והיכן מגעו עם אחת מהן
A barley's bulk of bone conveys uncleanness by carrying and by contact but not by overshadowing;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is a traditional law and not derived from the exposition of a verse, but v. Tosaf. s.v. , and s.v. .');"><sup>4</sup></span>
והיכן אהלו עם אחת מהן
The covering stone and side stones of the grave convey uncleanness by contact and by overshadowing but not by carrying;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is a traditional law and not derived from the exposition of a verse, but v. Tosaf. s.v. , and s.v. .');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ת"ל
whatever can be touched is unclean<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the flesh, or, as in this case, the marrow, that is inside can be touched from the outside, then the outer covering serves as a protection to what is inside, and as such conveys the uncleanness.');"><sup>7</sup></span>
אלא מעתה בהמה בעורה לא תטמא
In that case a carcass with the hide still upon it should not convey uncleanness?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since one cannot touch the flesh directly and the hide itself is clean, v. supra 124b.');"><sup>8</sup></span>
מחוסר נקיבה לאו כמחוסר מעשה דמי:
He later answered the question himself: the absence of piercing does not make it incomplete.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore since there was a clear intention to pierce it it conveys uncleanness. According to old sources the reading is, 'The absence of piercing makes it incomplete'; for which see Sh. Mek., n. 5, and Maim. Yad, Aboth Hatumeah, II, 12.');"><sup>13</sup></span>
<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> ביצת השרץ המרוקמת טהורה ניקבה כל שהוא טמא
<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>THE EGG OF A REPTILE IN WHICH THERE HAS FORMED AN EMBRYO IS CLEAN;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And if a man touched the shell he remains clean since the developed embryo within cannot be touched at all.');"><sup>14</sup></span>
עכבר שחציו בשר וחציו אדמה הנוגע בבשר טמא באדמה טהור
IF IT WAS PIERCED, HOWEVER SMALL THE HOLE WAS, IT IS UNCLEAN.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And contact with the shell would render the person unclean, for in this case the shell serves as a protection to foodstuff and as such conveys uncleanness.');"><sup>15</sup></span>
רבי יהודה אומר
WITH REGARD TO A MOUSE WHICH IS HALF FLESH AND HALF EARTH.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to the Rabbis, there exists a kind of mouse which is generated from the earth itself; v. Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talmuds, p. 345. Cf. also Sanh. 91a. In the process of generation there would be a time when it is half flesh and half earth.');"><sup>16</sup></span>
(ויקרא יא, כו) הטמאים לרבות ביצת השרץ
<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>Our Rabbis taught: The unclean<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XI, 31: These are the unclean amongst all the creeping things: whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even.');"><sup>17</sup></span>
(ויקרא יא, כט) השרץ מה שרץ שרקם אף ביצת השרץ שרקמה
might think [that it is the same] even if there had not formed an embryo in it, the verse therefore adds: The creeping things,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XI, 31: These are the unclean amongst all the creeping things: whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even.');"><sup>17</sup></span>
וכמה נקיבתה כחוט השערה שאפשר ליגע כחוט השערה:
shall be unclean,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XI, 31: These are the unclean amongst all the creeping things: whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even.');"><sup>17</sup></span>
והוא שהשריץ על פני כולו
A hairbreadth, for then it could be touched with a hair.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For it is established law that if a person touched the hair of an unclean body or if by his hair he touched an unclean body, in either case he becomes unclean. V. Rashi a.l.');"><sup>18</sup></span>
איכא דמתני לה אסיפא רבי יהודה אומר
WITH REGARD TO A MOUSE WHICH IS HALF FLESH etc. R'Joshua the son of Levi said, provided the entire length [of the creature] had developed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the creature had already developed in its entire length from head to tail, even if only in half the width of its body, whosoever touches the fleshy part which has already developed becomes unclean.');"><sup>19</sup></span>
והוא שהשריץ על פני כולו
He who reports it in reference to the first clause will with more reason apply it also to the last clause,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For had it not developed in its entire length R. Judah surely would not have said that whosoever touched the earth thereof would become unclean.');"><sup>20</sup></span>
מאן דמתני לה ארישא כל שכן אסיפא
but he who reports it in reference to the last clause will hold that in the fi clause even though the entire length [of the creature] had not been developed [whosoever touches the fleshy part thereof becomes unclean].
ומאן דמתני לה אסיפא אבל רישא אע"ג דלא השריץ
Our Rabbis taught: Since Scripture mentioned 'the mouse'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XI, 29: And these are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the toad after its kind.');"><sup>21</sup></span>
מתוך שנאמר עכבר שומע אני אפילו עכבר שבים ששמו עכבר
There is, however, an argument [against this]: [Scripture] declared the weasel unclean and the mouse unclean, therefore as the weasel refers only to those that live upon the land<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For there are no weasels, nor any creatures by the name of weasel, that live in the sea.');"><sup>22</sup></span>
טימא בחולדה וטימא בעכבר מה חולדה מין הגדל על הארץ אף עכבר מין הגדל על הארץ
Or you might argue in this way: [Scripture] declared the weasel unclean and the mouse unclean, therefore as the weasel refers to every creature which bears the name weasel, so the mouse refers to every creature which bears the name mouse, and so it will include the sea-mouse since it bears the name mouse! The text therefore teaches: Upon the earth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. This serves to exclude those that live in the sea.');"><sup>23</sup></span>
טימא בחולדה וטימא בעכבר מה חולדה כל ששמה חולדה אף עכבר כל ששמו עכבר אפי' עכבר שבים ששמו עכבר
can render unclean, but if it went down into the sea it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc., the mouse, be it land-mouse or sea-mouse.');"><sup>24</sup></span>