Chullin 49

ואפילו מלא חרדל

even though it is filled with mustard seed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' All the mustard seeds in the vessel are rendered unclean, even those which are in the center of the vessel. Now these latter become unclean only because they are in the air-space of an unclean earthenware vessel. It cannot be suggested that the seeds which touch the side of vessel convey uncleanness to those next to them, one seed conveying uncleanness to the other, and so on as far as the seeds in the center of the vessel, for the following reasons: (a) no foodstuff less than the size of an egg can convey uncleanness; (b) one foodstuff cannot convey uncleanness to another foodstuff; and (c) with unconsecrated food uncleanness can at the most be extended to the second degree, but no further. In our case, therefore, the vessel, being unclean in the first degree, would convey uncleanness by contact to the seeds next to it, and these would be unclean in the second degree and could not pass on the uncleanness to others even by contact.');">¹</span>

א"ל רב אדא בר אהבה לרבא

R'Ada B'Ahabah asked Raba: Should not an earthenware vessel be rendered unclean [by contact] from the outside by the following a fortiori argument: If all other vessels which are not rendered unclean through their air-space are nevertheless rendered unclean from the outside, an earthenware vessel which is rendered unclean through its air-space should surely be rendered unclean from the outside? - He replied: The verse reads: And every open vessel, which has no covering close-bound upon it, is unclean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XIX, 15.');">²</span>

ויהא כלי חרס מיטמא מגבו מק"ו ומה כל הכלים שאין מיטמאין מאוירן מיטמאין מגבן כלי חרס שמיטמא מאוירו אינו דין שיטמא מגבו

Now what kind of vessel is it to which uncleanness comes first through its opening?

אמר קרא

You must say: It is an earthenware vessel.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The fact that the verse specifically mentions 'open' suggests immediately that it is dealing with an earthen vessel which has a special rule concerning its 'opening' i.e., its air-space, for no other vessel can be rendered unclean or can convey uncleanness through its air-space.');">³</span>

(במדבר יט, טו) וכל כלי פתוח אשר אין צמיד פתיל עליו איזהו כלי שטומאתו קודמת לפתחו

And [the verse teaches that] if it has no covering close-bound upon it is unclean, but if it has a covering close-bound upon it it is clean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence it is proved that an earthenware vessel cannot be rendered unclean from the outside. ufu,');">⁴</span>

הוי אומר

And should not all other vessels be rendered unclean through their air-space by the following a fortiori argument: If an earthenware vessel which is not rendered unclean from the outside is nevertheless rendered unclean through its air-space, all other vessels which are rendered unclean from the outside should surely be rendered unclean through their air-space? - The verse says: In it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XI, 33. Heb. , the air-space.');">⁵</span>

זה כלי חרס

[toko], meaning the air-space of this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. an earthenware vessel.');">⁶</span>

וכי אין צמיד פתיל עליו הוא דטמא הא יש צמיד פתיל עליו טהור

[can suffer uncleanness] but the air-space of no other [can suffer uncleanness].

ויהיו כל הכלים מיטמאין מאוירן מק"ו

But have we not already interpreted these [terms] toko for other purposes?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the purposes of the analogy, v. supra ');">⁷</span>

ומה כלי חרס שאין מיטמא מגבו מיטמא מאוירו כל הכלים שמיטמאין מגבן אינו דין שמיטמאין מאוירן

Indeed, four expositions may be derived from 'toko', by reason of 'toko-tok', 'toko-tok':<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Actually the word 'toko' is mentioned twice in Lev. XI, 33, but it would have served the purpose of the text if in each case the word 'tok' was used. The addition to each word indicates further exposition.');">⁸</span>

אמר קרא

one [is required] for [the rule of] the text itself;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., that the air-space of un unclean earthenware vessel should render unclean foodstuffs or liquids which are within it.');">⁹</span>

תוכו תוכו של זה ולא תוכו של אחר

another for the analogy;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 123, n.5.');">¹⁰</span>

והני תוכו הא דרשינהו

and again another for [the rule that] the air-space of this [vessel can suffer uncleanness], and not the air-spa of any other [vessel]; and again another for [the rule that] the air-space of this [vessel can suffer uncleannes and not the air-space [of another vessel] which is within the air-space [of this vessel];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., if a vessel containing foodstuffs or liquids is suspended in the airspace of an earthenware vessel in such a way that the rim of the inner vessel is above the rim of the outer vessel, and a reptile is suspended in the airspace between the two vessels, then the contents of the inner vessel are not unclean, for they are not regarded as being within the air-space of the earthenware vessel, but only within the air-space of a vessel which is itself within the air-space of the earthenware vessel. The inner vessel, in other words, is a protection against the uncleanness reaching its contents, and for this reason, viz., since a vessel-even one which can be rendered unclean by contact from the outside - cannot be rendered unclean if it comes within the air-space of an unclean earthenware vessel (v. Pes. 20a) , its contents will be protected from uncleanness.');">¹¹</span>

ארבעה תוכו כתיבי

hence even a rinsable vessel<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., all vessels except earthenware vessels. The former are called rinsable because, if unclean, they can be rendered clean by being rinsed in the waters of a mikweh.');">¹²</span>

(ויקרא יא, לג) תוכו תוך תוכו תוך

is a protection [against uncleanness].

חד לגופיה וחד לג"ש וחד תוכו של זה ולא תוכו של אחר וחד תוכו ולא תוך תוכו ואפילו כלי שטף

[One might argue that] all other vessels should not be rendered unclean [by contact] from the outside, but only by contact from the inside, by the following a fortiori argument: If an earthenware vessel which is rendered unclean through its air-space is nevertheless not rendered unclean from the outside, all other vessels which are not rendered unclean through their air-space should surely not be rendered unclean from the outside! - The verse therefore reads: And every open vessel, which has no covering close-bound upon it, is unclean,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XIX, 15.');">¹³</span>

ולא יהו כל הכלים מיטמאין מגבן אלא מתוכן ובנגיעה מק"ו

that is to say, only with regard to this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., an earthenware vessel.');">¹⁴</span>

ומה כלי חרס שמיטמא מאוירו אינו מיטמא מגבו כל הכלים שאין מיטמאין מאוירן אינו דין שאין מיטמאין מגבן

[is the distinction made, namely,] if it has no covering close-bound upon it it is unclean, and if it has a covering close-bound upon it it is clean; whereas all other vessels, whether they have or have not a covering close-bound upon them, are unclean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It follows therefore that all other vessels can be rendered unclean from the outside, seeing that the fact that these vessels have a covering close-bound upon them is no protection.');">¹⁵</span>

אמר קרא

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>THAT WHICH CANNOT BE RENDERED UNCLEAN IN WOODEN ARTICLES CAN BE RENDERED UNCLEAN IN METAL ARTICLES, AND THAT WHICH CANNOT BE RENDERED UNCLEAN IN METAL ARTICLES CAN BE RENDERED UNCLEAN IN WOODEN ARTICLES.

(במדבר יט, טו) וכל כלי פתוח אשר אין צמיד פתיל עליו טמא הוא האי הוא דכי אין צמיד פתיל עליו טמא הא יש צמיד פתיל עליו טהור

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>Our Rabbis taught: Unfinished wooden articles can be rendered unclean, but flat wooden articles cannot;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For wooden vessels do not contract uncleanness unless they contain a cavity.');">¹⁶</span>

הא כל הכלים בין שיש צמיד פתיל עליהם בין שאין צמיד פתיל עליהם מיטמאין:

unfinished metal articles cannot be rendered unclean, but flat metal articles can.

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> טהור בכלי עץ טמא בכלי מתכות טהור בכלי מתכות טמא בכלי עץ:

It follows therefore, that that which cannot be rendered unclean in wooden articles can be rendered unclean in metal articles, and that which cannot be rendered unclean in metal articles can be rendered unclean in wooden articles.

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> תנו רבנן

The following wooden articles are regarded as unfinished: whatever still requires to be smoothed, or adorned with designs, or planed, or trimmed round, or polished with [the skin of a] tunny-fish.

גולמי כלי עץ טמאין פשוטיהן טהורין

Whatever still lacks the base or the rim or the handle can be rendered unclean, but whatever still requires to be hollowed out cannot be rendered unclean.'

גולמי כלי מתכות טהורין פשוטיהן טמאין

Whatever still requires to be hollowed out'! But this is obvious!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For it is merely a flat piece of wood.');">¹⁷</span>

נמצא טהור בכלי עץ טמא בכלי מתכות טהור בכלי מתכות טמא בכלי עץ

- It is necessary to be mentioned for the following case: where one hollowed out of [a block which was intended to hold] a Kab only as much as would hold a Kapiza.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A small measure equal to three logs; a Kab is a measure that holds four logs. In this case, since the wood was to be hollowed out in order to hold a Kab it is regarded as unfinished as long as this had not been done.');">¹⁸</span>

ואלו הן גולמי כלי עץ

The following metal articles are regarded as unfinished: whatever still requires

כל שעתיד לשוף לשבץ לגרר לכרכב להטיח בטונס מחוסר כן או אוגן או אוזן טמא

מחוסר חטיטה טהור

מחוסר חטיטה פשיטא

לא צריכא דחק קפיזא בקבא

ואלו הן גולמי כלי מתכות

כל שעתיד