Translation:Mishnah/Seder Moed/Tractate Pesachim/Chapter 1/6

Introduction

Mishnah 1:7 will address the question of whether they could permissibly burn clean leavened loaves of bread of an offering along with unclean loaves. Prefatory to that discussion, Mishnah 1:6 addresses two situations that Rabbi Meir considered analogous.

In the Babylonian Talmud, the discussion of Mishnah 1:6 begins on Pesachim 14a.

Hebrew Text

רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים, אוֹמֵר

מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים,

לֹא נִמְנְעוּ מִלִּשְׂרֹף אֶת הַבָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בִּוְלַד הַטֻּמְאָה

עִם הַבָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בְּאַב הַטֻּמְאָה,

אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמּוֹסִיפִין טֻמְאָה עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ.

הוֹסִיף רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְאָמַר:

מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים,

לֹא נִמְנְעוּ מִלְּהַדְלִיק אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶן שֶׁנִּפְסַל בִּטְבוּל יוֹם

בְּנֵר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בִּטְמֵא מֵת,

אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמּוֹסִיפִין טֻמְאָה עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ.

English Translation

Rabbi Chanina, the chief of staff of the priests, says:

During [all] the days of [the] priests,

they never refrained from burning [sacrificial] meat that had become unclean by a secondary uncleanness

[along] with [sacrificial] meat that had become unclean by a primary uncleanness,

even though they were adding uncleanness to its uncleanness.

Rabbi Akiva added and said:

During [all] the days of [the] priests,

they never refrained from lighting oil that had become unfit by [contact with] one who had ritually immersed that day

in a lamp that had become unclean by one who had become unclean by a corpse,

even though they were adding uncleanness to its uncleanness.

Explanation

one who had ritually immersed that day: This refers to an individual who had the status of primary uncleanness, and then immersed in a ritual bath. His uncleanness is not entirely removed until the sun sets that day. This is derived from the verse: "The sun shall come in, and he shall be clean; afterward he may eat of the holies, for that is his food." (Leviticus 22:7). Any priestly gifts that he touches during this time acquire tertiary uncleanness.