Pesachim 39

נשאלין עליה אפילו בכלי המונח על גבי קרקע כדבר שיש בו דעת לישאל

we inquire about it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: its owners must consult Rabbinic authority about it - I.e., It is not automatically clean.');">¹</span>

והבשר טמא האי בשר דאיתכשר במאי

even in the case of a utensil lying on the ground, just as though it were an object which has the understanding to be questioned.'

אי נימא דאיתכשר בדם והא א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן מנין לדם קדשים שאינו מכשיר שנאמר (דברים יב, כד) לא תאכלנו על הארץ תשפכנו כמים דם שנשפך כמים מכשיר ושאינו נשפך כמים אינו מכשיר

While the flesh is unclean' - By what was this flesh made fit?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To contract defilement. A foodstuff is subject to defilement only after moisture has fallen upon it.');">²</span>

ואלא דאיתכשר במשקי בית מטבחיא והא א"ר יוסי בר' חנינא משקי בית מטבחיא לא דיין שהן דכן אלא שאין מכשירין

Shall we say that it was made fit by the blood? - surely R'Hiyya B'Abba said in R'Johanan's name: How do we know that the blood of sacrifices does not make [anything] fit [to be defiled]?

ואלא דאיתכשר בחיבת הקודש אימור דמהניא ליה חיבת הקודש לאיפסולי גופיה למימנא ביה ראשון ושני נמי

Because it is said, thou shalt pour it out [sc. the blood] upon th earth as water:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XII, 24.');">³</span>

תיפשוט דבעי ריש לקיש צריד של מנחות מונין בו ראשון ושני או לא

blood which is poured out as water renders fit; blood which is not poured out as water does not render fit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Supra ');">⁴</span>

אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל כגון שהיתה פרה של זבחי שלמים והעבירה בנהר ושחטה ועדיין משקה טופח עליה

Again, if it was made fit by the liquids of the slaughter-house,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g.. the water with which it was washed down.');">⁵</span>

נמצאת בפרש הכל טהור וניהדר פרש וניטמייה לבשר אמר רב אדא בר אהבה בפרש עבה רב אשי אמר אפי' תימא בפרש רכה משום דהוי משקה סרוח

- surely R'Jose B'R'Hanina said: The liquids of the [Temple] slaughterhouse, not enough that they are clean, but they cannot even make [eatables] fit?

תני תנא קמיה דרב ששת שרץ מטמא את המשקין ומשקין מטמאין את הכלי וכלי מטמא את האוכלין והאוכלין מטמאין את המשקין ולמדנו שלש טומאות בשרץ הני ארבעה הן גוז משקין דרישא

Again, if it was made fit through the prizing of sacred objects.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sacred objects were prized so highly that they were fit to become unclean even without a liquid having been upon them.');">⁶</span>

אדרבה גוז משקין דסיפא לא אשכחן תנא דאמר משקין מטמאין כלי אלא רבי יהודה והדר ביה וסימניך נזייתא

- say that the prizing of sacred objects is efficacious in rendering that itself unfit, is it also [sufficient] that first and second degree shou counted therein?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For 'the flesh is unclean' implies that it can defile other flesh too (v. p. 62, n. 2) .');">⁷</span>

תנן התם שרץ שנמצא בתנור הפת שבתוכו שניה מפני שהתנור תחלה

[In that case] you may solve what Resh Lakish asked: The dry portion of meal-offerings,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That which has not been touched by oil.');">⁸</span>

אמר ליה רב אדא בר אהבה לרבא וניחזי להאי תנור כמאן דמלי טומאה דמי ותיהוי האי פת ראשונה

do we count first and second degrees therein or not?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But if the prizing of sacred objects is so efficacious, obviously we do.');">⁹</span>

אמר ליה לא סלקא דעתך דתניא יכול יהו כל הכלים מטמאין מאויר כלי חרס

- Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: E.g. if it was an animal for a peace-offering and it was led through a river and then slaughtered, and the water is still dripping upon it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That water makes it fit to contract uncleanness. - The animal was led through the water immediately prior to its slaughter in order to facilitate flaying, v. Bez. 40a.');">¹⁰</span> 'If found in the excrements, it is all clean.' But let the excrements defile the flesh in their turn?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'go back'. It is assumed that the excrements rank as a fluid, since the animal was watered immediately before slaughter (v. Bez. 40a) . The needle should therefore defile the excrements, and that in turn should defile the flesh.');">¹¹</span> Said R'Adda B'Ahabah: It refers to thick [solid] excrements.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is not a liquid.');">¹²</span> R'Ashi said: You may even say that it refers to loose [fluidlike] excrements, [its non-defilement being] because it is a noisome liquid.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Supra 18a.');">¹³</span> A tanna recited before R'Shesheth: A sherez defiles liquids, and the liquids defile a utensil, and the utensil defiles eatables, and the eatables defile liquids,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., each in turn defiles the other.');">¹⁴</span> and [thus] we learn three [stages of] uncleanness in the case of a sherez. But there are four? - Delete liquids in the first clause, on the contrary, delete liquids the last clause? - We find no other Tanna who maintains [that] liquids defile utensils save R'Judah, and he retracted.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence if we retain liquids in the first clause, there is no authority for the second clause, 'and liquids defile a utensil'. By deleting it, however, the reading becomes: a sherez, defiles utensils.');">¹⁵</span> And your sign [for remembering the order] is the brewing process.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' First there is the vessel; an eatable (sc. dates) is put therein, whence the liquid (sc. beer) is manufactured.');">¹⁶</span> We learned elsewhere: If a creeping thing is found in an oven, the bread therein is a second, because the oven is a first.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The sherez touches the oven, which in turn touches the bread, Kelim VIII, 5.');">¹⁷</span> R'Adda B'Ahabah said to Raba: Let us regard this oven as though it were fined with uncleanness,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For immediately the sherez, enters the air space of the oven, even before it');">¹⁸</span> and let the bread be a first? - Said he to him, You cannot think so,for it was taught: You might think that all utensils become unclean through the air space of an [unclean] earthen vessel: