Nazir — Daf 64a

מאי טעמא דת"ק א"ר יצחק בר אבודימי כתיב (ויקרא יא, מג) בכל השרץ השורץ כל מקום שהוא שורץ וכתיב על הארץ הא כיצד ודאי מגעו טמא ספק מגעו טהור

ורבי שמעון מ"ט אמר עולא כתיב (ויקרא יא, לו) אך מעין וכתיב יטמא (עד הערב) הא כיצד צפה בכלים טמא בקרקע טהור:

ת"ר כל הניטלין והנגררין ספיקן טמא מפני שהן כמונחין והנזרקין ספיקן טהור

חוץ מן כזית המת והמאהיל על פני טומאה וכל דבר שמטמא מלמעלה כלמטה לאיתויי זב וזבה

בעי רמי בר חמא מת בכלי וכלי צף על פני המים מהו בתר כלי אזלינן או בתר מיתא אזלינן

את"ל בתר כלי אזלינן מת על גבי שרץ מהו כיון דהאי טומאת ערב והאי טומאת שבעה כמאן דמחתא טומאה בכלי דמיא או דילמא טומאה סמיכתא היא

ואת"ל כמאן דמחתא טומאה בכלי דמיא וטמא ודאי שרץ על גבי נבלה ונבלה צפה מהו כיון דתרוייהו טומאת ערב אינון טומאה סמיכתא היא או דילמא האי כזית והאי כעדשה

שרץ על גבי שרץ מהו הני ודאי חד שיעורא נינהו או דילמא כיון דמפסקי מהדדי לא

ואת"ל שרץ על גבי שרץ כיון דמפסקי מהדדי כמאן דמנחא בכלי דמי שרץ על גבי נבלה שנימוחה מהו כיון דנימוחה הויא ליה משקה או דלמא האי אוכלא הוא

ואת"ל דאוכלא הוא שרץ ע"ג שכבת זרע מהו ואת"ל כיון דמיתעקרא ה"ל כי אוכלא שרץ ע"ג מי חטאת ומי חטאת צפין על גבי המים מהו לא ידעינן תיקו:

What is the first Tanna's reason?R. Isaac b. Abudimi said: Scripture says. [Ye shall not mistake yourselves abominable] with any swarming thing that swarms,  signifying no matter where it swarms,  and says further, 'On the earth'.  How are these verses to be reconciled? Where there is no doubt that he touched it he is [always] unclean, but if there is a doubt he remains clean. And what is R. Simeon's reason? — 'Ulla said: Scripture says, Nevertheless a fountain [… shall be clean]and continues [But he who toucheth their case] shall be unclean.  How are we to reconcile these? Whilst floating in a vessel [a doubtful object] is treated as unclean, but on the earth it is treated as clean. Our Rabbis taught: Where there are doubts concerning any [source of defilement] that is carried  or dragged along, the objects are regarded as unclean, because it is as though they are at rest,  but where the doubt concerns things that are thrown,  they are treated as clean, with the exception of an olive's bulk of a corpse, one who overshadows a source of defilement, and all [other] things that propagate defilement upwards as well as downwards,  [This last expression] serves to include sufferers from gonorrhoea, male and female. Rami b. Hama propounded: What is the law concerning a corpse  lying in a vessel floating on the surface of the water. Is the vessel the criterion,  or the corpse?  Should it be decided that the vessel is the criterion,  what would be the law if the [fragment of] a corpse was lying on a [dead] reptile?  Seeing that the latter defiles only until evening and the former for seven days, are we to consider it as though it were lying in a vessel,  or should it perhaps be considered a compact source of defilement?  Should it be decided [further] that this is considered as though it were lying in a vessel, and therefore is treated as though defilement were certain, what would be the law if a [dead] reptile were lying on a floating animal carcase? Seeing that both defile only until evening, are they to be regarded as a compact source of defilement, or should we consider rather that of the one an olive's bulk is necessary,  whilst of the other a lentil's bulk is sufficient? [Further] what would be the law if one reptile lay on the other? Here certainly the measure is the same,  but perhaps, seeing that they are distinct, we should regard it as lying in a vessel? Again, should it be decided that in the case of one reptile lying on another, it is regarded as though it lay in a vessel because the [two reptiles] are distinct, what would be the law regarding a reptile floating on a liquefied animal carcase?  Seeing that it has been liquefied is it to be regarded as liquid,  or do we perhaps say that after all it is [now] a solid?  [Again], should you decide that it is a solid, what would be the law regarding a reptile [floating] on an effusion of semen? Should you decide that the latter, because it originates by detachment [from the human body] is a solid, what would be the law regarding a reptile floating on Water of Cleansing,  that was floating on the surface of [ordi nary] water?  — We do not know. All these problems remain unsolved.