Chullin

even though it is filled with mustard seed.1 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.2 Now what kind of vessel is it to which uncleanness comes first through its opening? You must say: It is an earthenware vessel.3 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.4 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 it5 [toko], meaning the air-space of this6 [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?7 Indeed, four expositions may be derived from ‘toko’, by reason of ‘toko-tok’, ‘toko-tok’:8 one [is required] for [the rule of] the text itself;9 another for the analogy;10 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];11 hence even a rinsable vessel12 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,13 that is to say, only with regard to this14 [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.15 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;16 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!17 — 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.18 The following metal articles are regarded as unfinished: whatever still requires latter become unclean only because they are in the air-space of an unclean earthenware vessel. It cannot be suggested that the seeds which touch the side of vessel convey uncleanness to those next to them, one seed conveying uncleanness to the other, and so on as far as the seeds in the center of the vessel, for the following reasons: (a) no foodstuff less than the size of an egg can convey uncleanness; (b) one foodstuff cannot convey uncleanness to another foodstuff; and (c) with unconsecrated food uncleanness can at the most be extended to the second degree, but no further. In our case, therefore, the vessel, being unclean in the first degree, would convey uncleanness by contact to the seeds next to it, and these would be unclean in the second degree and could not pass on the uncleanness to others even by contact. which has a special rule concerning its ‘opening’ i.e., its air-space, for no other vessel can be rendered unclean or can convey uncleanness through its air-space. each case the word ‘tok’ was used. The addition to each word indicates further exposition. it. that the rim of the inner vessel is above the rim of the outer vessel, and a reptile is suspended in the airspace between the two vessels, then the contents of the inner vessel are not unclean, for they are not regarded as being within the air-space of the earthenware vessel, but only within the air-space of a vessel which is itself within the air-space of the earthenware vessel. The inner vessel, in other words, is a protection against the uncleanness reaching its contents, and for this reason, viz., since a vessel-even one which can be rendered unclean by contact from the outside — cannot be rendered unclean if it comes within the air-space of an unclean earthenware vessel (v. Pes. 20a), its contents will be protected from uncleanness. clean by being rinsed in the waters of a mikweh. vessels have a covering close-bound upon them is no protection. hollowed out in order to hold a Kab it is regarded as unfinished as long as this had not been done.