1MISHNAH: All spittle 1 Any impurity caused by a human body itself, such as in a person afflicted by gonorrhea, is a source of severe impurity, and all his body fluids are sources of severe impurity. In any place other than Jerusalem, one must assume that spittle was ejected by an impure person whose impurity was caused by his body (cf. Mishnah Ṭahorot 4:5 ). By rabbinic usage, all Gentiles are considered to be in this category. In Jerusalem, where people are used to eat sancta the entire year according to R. Meïr, or on the holidays according to R. Yose, one may assume that impure people are careful not to contaminate their pure neighbors. This is a reconstruction by authors living two generations after the destruction of the Temple. found in Jerusalem is pure except on the Upper Market 2 A Gentile neighborhood. , the words of Rebbi Meïr. Rebbi Yose says, on all other days of the year, those in the middle of the road are impure, and those on the sides pure. On holidays, those in the middle of the road are pure and those on the sides impure since the minority will remove themselves to the sides. All implements which are found in Jerusalem on the road descending to the place of immersion are impure, on the way ascending they are pure since they were brought down on a way different from that on which they were brought up, the words of Rebbi Meïr. Rebbi Yose says, all are pure except the bag and the rake 15 As the Halakhah shows, a word “the hoe” is missing here, found in B and the independent Mishnah mss. set apart for graves. If a knife was found on the Fourteenth 21 The 14 th of Nisan, the day of slaughter of the Pesaḥ sacrifice. Even though the previous Mishnah stated that all implements found in Jerusalem are presumed to be pure, for use on sancta one is restrictive and requires immersion in a miqweh and waiting for the following sundown. The only time this requirement is waived is the 14 th of Nisan, the day of mass slaughter, where it is presumed that every knife which is qualified to be used for ritual slaughter was immersed in a miqweh the previous day. , one may slaughter with it immediately; on the Thirteenth one has to repeat and immerse 22 Since all knives are immersed on the 13 th of Nisan, one has to assume that this particular knife was lost on the way to the miqweh . . A dagger 23 Which is not usable for slaughter and therefore not necessarily immersed in a miqweh . in either case one has to repeat and immerse. If the Fourteenth falls on a Sabbath, one may slaughter with it immediately 24 Since one may not immerse on that day, certainly the knife had been immersed on the 13 th . ; on the Fifteenth one may slaughter with it immediately 25 Since the 15th of Nisan is a holiday where immersion is not done, and the knife was purified for the 14th, the presumption of purity extends to this case. . If it 26 The dagger. was tied to a knife its status is that of the knife.
2HALAKHAH: “All spittle,” etc. Rebbi Abbin in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: A Gentile fortification 3 Reading קצטרן, “their castra ”. The Babli text reads קצרן “their laundry”. was there. Rebbi Ḥanina said, they were stabbing wild donkeys in Jerusalem and the feet of the pilgrims were immersed in blood up to their knee joints 4 As explained in the next paragraph, while carcasses of four-legged animals are a source of impurity ( Lev. 11:26–28 ), this does not extend to their blood, which does not cause impurity. Gentile circus games have no impact on purity in Jerusalem (except for the removal of the carcasses which must be done by Gentiles.) Babli Menaḥot 103b . . [They came before the Sages who did not tell them anything.] 5 Corrector’s addition from B, correct but unnecessary. Rebbi Simeon bar Abba in the name of Rebbi Ḥanina: A Gentile fortification was there.
36 The text was copied more or less in Chapter 3:2, Notes 40 ff. The full explanation is given in Šabbat 8, Notes 51–62 . Rebbi Simon in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: It happened that a mule of Rebbi’s household died and they declared its blood pure regarding the carcass. Rebbi Eleazar asked Rebbi Simon, how much? He did not take notice of him. He asked Rebbi Joshua ben Levi who told him, it is pure up to a quartarius . More than that is impure. Rebbi Eleazar felt badly that Rebbi Simon had not repeated the tradition to him. Rav Bevai was sitting stating this occurrence. Rebbi Isaac bar Bisna asked him, is it pure up to a quartarius ; more than that impure? He was unfriendly to him. Rebbi Zeriqa asked him, because he asked you, you were unfriendly to him? He answered him, because my mind was not clear, as Rebbi Ḥanin said, 7 Deut . 28:66 . your life will hang far from you , that is one who buys a year’s supply of wheat, you will be fearful night and day , that is one who buys from the Saracen, and you will not believe in your survival , that is one who buys from the retail store, and I am dependent on retail stores. What about it? “Rebbi Joshua ben Bathyra testified about blood of carcasses that it is pure. 8 Mishnah Idiut 8:1 . ” What means pure? It is pure in that it does not prepare, but for impurity it makes impure. There, we have stated “The blood of a crawling animal is like its flesh, it makes impure but does not prepare. Nothing else is like this, 9 Mishnah Makhširin 6:5 . ” in the amount needed for impurity but its blood makes impure like its flesh. Rav Joseph said, he who says “impure” follows Rebbi Jehudah; he who said “pure” follows Rebbi Joshua ben Bathyra. Rav Eudaimon the emigrant said to him, this is correct. Rebbi Jehudah was the instructor of the Patriarch.
4Did not Rebbi Abbahu say in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina, they did not decide about spittle in Jerusalem 10 Nobody required that heave and other sancta be considered potentially impure because they touched spittle of unknown provenience, in contrast to all places in the Holy Land outside of Jerusalem ( Mishnah Ṭahorot 4:5 ), since the number of people whose impurity is caused by their own body is minuscule. Then why is the Upper Market in Jerusalem excluded? Babli Pesaḥim 19b . ? [Was it not said] 11 Corrector’s addition from B, in Babli terminology. about this, Rebbi Abbin in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: A Gentile fortification 3 Reading קצטרן, “their castra ”. The Babli text reads קצרן “their laundry”. was there 12 One must assume that the spittle is a Gentile’s, automatically impure by rabbinic standards. ? In the remainder of the days of a year the impure ones are walking on the path 13 A form of שביל “path”, not “ear of grain”. and the pure ones are walking on the shoulder. The pure ones walk without saying anything, the impure ones tell them, keep apart. During a holiday 14 When practically everybody was pure as long as the Temple existed. the pure ones are walking on the path and the impure ones are walking on the shoulder. The impure ones walk without saying anything, the pure ones tell them, keep apart.
5But did not Rebbi Abbahu say in the name of 16 Missing in B. Rebbi Joḥanan, they did not decide about vessels in Jerusalem 17 In contrast to all other places in the Holy Land, one does not have to presume that vessels found in Jerusalem be impure. Then why does R. Meïr declare some vessels impure? ? Since they were found on the road descending to the place of immersion, it is proof 18 These must be presumed impure unless the opposite is proven. .
6Abba Shaul used to call it 19 The word for “hoe” missing in the Mishnah. The word מְרִיצָה is a hapax and according to the second opinion used exclusively for the gravedigger’s (or burial cave excavator’s) hoe. “fingernail” since it is shaped like a fingernail. He who said מְרִיצָה because it quickly dispatches the stone [to the cemetery.] 20 Corrector’s addition from B; questionable since the text seems to refer to excavating burial caves (impossible in the Iraqi plain.)
7It was stated: If he knife was tied to it 26 The dagger. its status is that of the knife 27 It seems that the last sentence in the Mishnah was missing in the original Yerushalmi Mishnah; therefore it is quoted as a baraita ; cf. Note 43 . .
8MISHNAH: If a gobelin 28 In the Temple, separating the Holiest of Holies from the Temple Hall. Since it is an implement, not a fixed part of the building, it may become impure. became impure by derivative impurity 29 A rabbinic impurity. By biblical standards, implements may become impure only by contact with original impurity. , one immersed it inside and brought it back immediately. But if by original impurity, one immersed it outside and spread it out in the ante-court 30 The enclosed plaza in front of the entrance to the Temple courtyard. because it requires sundown. If it was new, one spreads it out on the roof of the stoa 31 The double stoa built by Herod as enclosure of the Temple district. so the people could see its workmanship, which was beautiful. Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rebbi Simeon, the son of the Executive Officer of the Temple 32 Who credibly could inform about details of the Temple some 80 years after its destruction. : The thickness of a gobelin was a hand-width. It was woven on 72 strings 33 Of the warp. and each string was composed of 24 threads 34 Since the gobelin had to be made from blue, purple, and crimson wool, and byssus ( Ex. 26:31 ), and each kind was twined of six threads. . Its length 40 cubits and its width 20 cubits; it was made for 820’000 {denar}. Two were made every year 35 According to the Tosephta (3:15 ), one was hung new on the Eve of the Day of Atonement and the other kept in reserve if some impurity should occur on one of the two which were in use. and 300 Cohanim were immersing it 36 For purification; see end of Halakhah 4 . .
9HALAKHAH: If it had said “thread”, one, “double”, two, “twisted”, three, “ entwined ”, six 37 One tries to explain why the expression entwined used in the biblical text for all woven textiles used in the Temple (except the garments of the simple priests) means a multiply twisted string. Since there are other words available for small numbers of threads, entwined must designate heavy strings. . There are four kinds, this makes 24. It was stated 32. If it had said “thread”, one, “double”, two, “twisted”, four, “ entwined ”, eight. There are four kinds, this makes 32. It was stated 48. If it had said “thread”, one, “double”, two, “plaited” three, “twisted”, six, “ entwined ”, twelve. There are four kinds, this makes 48.
1038 Tosephta 3:14 ; explained differently in Babli Yoma 72b . “One verse says embroidered work 39 Ex. 26:36 . , and one verse says, intelligent work 40 Ex. 26:31 . . Embroidered work , one face 41 Greek προσώπον, τό. The scribe originally wrote correctly פרוסיף. , intelligent work, two faces.” Rebbi Jehudah and Rebbi Nehemiah, one said embroidered work, a lion on each side, intelligent work, a lion on one side and nothing on the other side. The other one said, embroidered work, a lion on one side and nothing on the other side, intelligent work, a lion on one side and an eagle on the other side.
11(It was stated:) 43 This was written by the scribe but then deleted. S. Liebermann ( Tarbiz 5, p. 261) also sees here a sign that the statement was not part of the original Galilean Mishnah. “It was made for 820’000 {denar}.” Rebbi Isaac bar Bisna in the name of Samuel: exaggerated 44 In the Babli, as also in B, always the noun “exaggeration” is used. . There, we have stated 45 Mishnah Tamid 2:2 , describing the amount of ashes accumulated on the altar at the end of a night. B quotes the entire Mishnah. : “Sometimes there was on it about 300 kor 46 About 114m 3 , a volume impossible for the surface area of 174.5m 2 of the fire on the altar. Babli Tamid 29a , Ḥulin 90b . .” Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Samuel: exaggerated.
12MISHNAH: Flesh of most holy sacrifices 47 Elevation, purification, and reparation sacrifices, whose flesh never should leave the sacred precinct. which became impure either by original impurity or by derivative impurity 48 Derivative impurity is rabbinic impurity; according to biblical standards the flesh could be eaten. , whether inside or outside, the House of Shammai are saying that everything has to be burned inside except what became impure outside by original impurity 49 Since most holy sacrifices may not leave the sacred precinct, flesh disqualified for the altar must be burned in the courtyard. Only if the flesh was taken outside and became biblically impure can it not be returned and must be disposed of by being burnt outside. . The House of Hillel are saying that everything has to be burned outside except what became impure inside by derivative impurity 50 They hold that flesh impure by biblical standards has to be removed as quickly as possible from the sacred precinct; then it can be burned outside in leisurely fashion. Flesh inside which is considered impure only by common usage, not biblical decree, may be burned in the courtyard. No flesh impure in any way may be introduced into the sacred precinct. . Rebbi Eliezer says, what became impure by original impurity, whether inside or outside, shall be burned outside. But what became impure by derivative impurity, whether inside or outside, shall be burned inside 51 In the matter of burning, he considers rabbinic impurity as nonexistent. . Rebbi Aqiba said, the place of its impurity is the place of its burning 52 This is his interpretation of the hidden meaning of Lev. 6:23 , as explained in Sifra Saw Pereq 8(5–6), where also additional opinions of RR. Meïr and Jehudah are reported. .