פירוש על עבודה זרה 104:6

Both sages here refer to a verse from II Chronicles about the vessels that were defiled by the wicked King Ahaz. To both sages, this situation is parallel to the situation of vessels used in the Temple of Onias. The question is what did these people do with the vessels? According to R. Yose, they immersed them in a mikveh and then used them again. The same could be done with the vessels in the Temple of Onias. In contrast, according to Rabbi, they removed them and replaced them. Thus the vessels used in the Temple of Onias cannot be used in Jerusalem.