הלכות טומאת מת י״אDefilement by a Corpse 11

Halacha 1א׳

אֶרֶץ הָעַכּוּ"ם בַּתְּחִלָּה גָּזְרוּ עַל גּוּשָׁהּ בִּלְבַד כְּבֵית הַפְּרָס ולֹא הָיוּ מְטַמְּאִים אֶלָּא הַמְהַלֵּךְ בָּהּ אוֹ נוֹגֵעַ אוֹ נוֹשֵׂא מֵעֲפָרָהּ. חָזְרוּ וְגָזְרוּ עַל אֲוִירָהּ שֶׁיְּטַמֵּא וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא נָגַע וְלֹא נָשָׂא אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִכְנִיס רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ לַאֲוִיר אֶרֶץ הָעַכּוּ"ם נִטְמָא. וְכֵן כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ שֶׁהִכְנִיס אֲוִירוֹ לְאֶרֶץ הָעַכּוּ"ם וּשְׁאָר כֵּלִים שֶׁהִכְנִיס רֻבָּם לַאֲוִיר אֶרֶץ הָעַכּוּ"ם נִטְמְאוּ:

The land of the gentiles: at first they decreed upon its clods alone, like a beit ha-peras, a field in which a grave was ploughed, and they conveyed impurity only to one who walks in it, or who touches or carries some of its soil. They went back and decreed upon its airspace, that it should convey impurity even though he did not touch and did not carry; rather, once he has brought his head and the greater part of himself into the airspace of the land of the gentiles, he has become impure. So too an earthenware vessel whose airspace he brought into the land of the gentiles, and the other vessels the greater part of which he brought into the airspace of the land of the gentiles, have become impure.

Halacha 2ב׳

טֻמְאַת אֲוִיר אֶרֶץ הָעַכּוּ"ם לֹא עָשׂוּ אוֹתָהּ כְּטֻמְאַת עֲפָרָהּ אֶלָּא קַלָּה הִיא מִמֶּנָּה. שֶׁעַל טֻמְאַת עֲפָרָהּ שׂוֹרְפִין תְּרוּמוֹת וְקָדָשִׁים. וְהַמִּתְטַמֵּא בְּגוּשָׁהּ טָמֵא טֻמְאַת שִׁבְעָה וְצָרִיךְ הַזָּיָה שְׁלִישִׁי וּשְׁבִיעִי. אֲבָל הַנִּטְמָא בַּאֲוִירָהּ אֵין צָרִיךְ הַזָּיָה שְׁלִישִׁי וּשְׁבִיעִי אֶלָּא טְבִילָה וְהַעֲרֵב שֶׁמֶשׁ. וְכֵן תְּרוּמָה וְקָדָשִׁים שֶׁנִּטְמְאוּ מֵחֲמַת אֲוִירָהּ תּוֹלִין לֹא אוֹכְלִין וְלֹא שׂוֹרְפִין:

They did not make the impurity of the airspace of the land of the gentiles like the impurity of its soil; rather it is lighter than it. For on account of the impurity of its soil, heave-offerings and consecrated food are burned, and one who becomes impure through its clods is impure with a seven-day impurity and requires the sprinkling on the third day and on the seventh. But one who became impure through its airspace does not require the sprinkling on the third day and on the seventh, but only immersion and the setting of the sun. And likewise heave-offering and consecrated food that became impure on account of its airspace are held in suspense: they are neither eaten nor burned.

Halacha 3ג׳

עֲפַר אֶרֶץ הָעַכּוּ"ם וַעֲפַר בֵּית הַפְּרָס מְטַמְּאִין בְּמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ. וְכַמָּה שִׁעוּרָן כְּחוֹתַם הַמַּרְצוּפִין וְהוּא כְּפִיקָה גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁל סַקָּאִין. עֲפַר בֵּית הַפְּרָס וַעֲפַר חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ שֶׁבָּא בְּיָרָק. אִם יֵשׁ בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד כְּחוֹתַם הַמַּרְצוּפִין מְטַמֵּא וְאִם לָאו אֵינוֹ מִצְטָרֵף. שֶׁלֹּא גָּזְרוּ אֶלָּא עַל גּוּשׁ כִּבְרִיָּתוֹ. מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁהָיוּ אִגְּרוֹת בָּאוֹת מִחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ לִבְנֵי כֹּהֲנִים גְּדוֹלִים וְהָיוּ בָּהֶן כִּסְאָה וּכְסָאתַיִם חוֹתָמוֹת וְלֹא חָשׁוּ לָהֶן מִשּׁוּם טֻמְאָה לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בְּחוֹתָם מֵהֶן כְּחוֹתַם הַמַּרְצוּפִין:

The soil of the land of the gentiles and the soil of a beit ha-peras convey impurity by contact and by carrying, as we have explained. And how much is their measure? Like the seal upon the large packing-sacks, which is like a large whorl of the sack-makers. Soil of a beit ha-peras and soil of outside the Land that came in with a vegetable: if there is in one place as much as the seal upon the large packing-sacks, it conveys impurity; and if not, it does not join together, since they decreed only upon a clod in its natural state. It once happened that letters came from outside the Land to the sons of the High Priests, and there were upon them a se'ah or two se'ah of seals, and they were not apprehensive about them on account of impurity, since there was not in any one seal of them as much as the seal upon the large packing-sacks.