Parallel
חולין 25:1
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
even though it is filled with mustard seed. 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. Now what kind of vessel is it to which uncleanness comes first through its opening? You must say: It is an earthenware vessel. 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. 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 [toko], meaning the air-space of this [can suffer uncleanness] but the air-space of no other [can suffer uncleanness]. But have we not already interpreted these [terms] toko for other purposes? Indeed, four expositions may be derived from ‘toko’, by reason of ‘toko-tok’, ‘toko-tok’: one [is required] for [the rule of] the text itself; another for the analogy; and again another for [the rule that] the air-space of this [vessel can suffer uncleanness], and not the air-space of any other [vessel]; and again another for [the rule that] the air-space of this [vessel can suffer uncleanness], and not the air-space [of another vessel] which is within the air-space [of this vessel]; hence even a rinsable vessel is a protection [against uncleanness]. [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, that is to say, only with regard to this [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. MISHNAH. 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. GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: Unfinished wooden articles can be rendered unclean, but flat wooden articles cannot; unfinished metal articles cannot be rendered unclean, but flat metal articles can. 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. 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. 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. ‘Whatever still requires to be hollowed out’! But this is obvious! — 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. The following metal articles are regarded as unfinished: whatever still requires
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