Defilement by a CorpseAll 1,023 chapters of the Mishneh Torah open with Premium, from $2.60 a month.Become a premium member

The Rambam · Sefer Taharah

הלכות טומאת מת י״בDefilement by a Corpse 12

Chapter 12 of 25 in Defilement by a Corpse — 8 halachot

Checking for audio…

Halacha 1א׳

טֶפַח עַל טֶפַח מְרֻבָּע עַל רוּם טֶפַח מֵבִיא אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה וְחוֹצֵץ בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה דִּין תּוֹרָה. שֶׁאֵין קָרוּי אֹהֶל אֶלָּא טֶפַח עַל טֶפַח בְּרוּם טֶפַח אוֹ יֶתֶר עַל זֶה. כֵּיצַד. כְּזַיִת מִן הַמֵּת מֻנָּח לַאֲוִיר וּבְצִדּוֹ כֵּלִים כְּגוֹן מְחָטִין וְצִנּוֹרוֹת וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן וְאֵינָן נוֹגְעִים בְּטֻמְאָה. אִם הֶאֱהִיל עֲלֵיהֶן אֹהֶל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ טֶפַח עַל טֶפַח וְהָיָה גָּבוֹהַּ מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ טֶפַח הֲרֵי זֶה מֵבִיא אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה לַכֵּלִים וּטְמֵאִין. הָיוּ כֵּלִים אֲחֵרִים עַל גַּבֵּי אֹהֶל זֶה שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ טֶפַח עַל טֶפַח הֲרֵי הֵן טְהוֹרִין. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָאֹהֶל חוֹצֵץ בֵּינָם וּבֵין הַטֻּמְאָה. הִנֵּה לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁכְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָאֹהֶל מְטַמֵּא כָּל שֶׁתַּחְתָּיו מַצִּיל כָּל שֶׁחוּצָה לוֹ וְחוֹצֵץ בֵּין הַטֻּמְאָה וּבֵין כֵּלִים שֶׁעַל גַּבָּיו. וְכֵן אִם הָיְתָה הַטֻּמְאָה עַל גַּבָּיו וְכֵלִים תַּחְתָּיו הַכֵּלִים טְהוֹרִין. שֶׁהָאֹהֶל חוֹצֵץ בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה. הָיָה הָאֹהֶל פָּחוֹת מֵרוּם טֶפַח אוֹ פָּחוֹת מִטֶּפַח עַל טֶפַח. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא גָּבוֹהַּ כַּמָּה טְפָחִים הַכֵּלִים שֶׁבְּצַד הַטֻּמְאָה טְהוֹרִים וְכֵלִים שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵאֹהֶל זֶה כָּל שֶׁכְּנֶגֶד הַטֻּמְאָה טָמֵא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֶאֱהִילוּ עַל הַטֻּמְאָה וְאֵין שָׁם אֹהֶל לָחֹץ בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה. וְכֵן אִם הָיְתָה טֻמְאָה עַל גַּבֵּי אֹהֶל זֶה וְכֵלִים תַּחְתָּיו כָּל שֶׁכְּנֶגֶד הַטֻּמְאָה טָמֵא שֶׁהֲרֵי הֶאֱהִילָה עֲלֵיהֶן וְאֵין שָׁם אֹהֶל שֶׁיָּחֹץ בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה שֶׁכָּל פָּחוֹת מֵרוּם טֶפַח כִּנְגִיעָה הוּא חָשׁוּב. וְטֻמְאָה שֶׁתַּחְתָּיו טֻמְאָה רְצוּצָה הִיא כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים כְּשֶׁלֹּא הָיָה הָאֹהֶל אָדָם אוֹ כֵּלִים. אֲבָל אָדָם אוֹ כֵּלִים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ אֹהֶל עַל הַטֻּמְאָה בֵּין שֶׁהָיוּ הֵן עַצְמָן אֹהֶל בֵּין שֶׁהָיוּ עַמּוּדֵי הָאֹהֶל אֲפִלּוּ הָיוּ כֵּלִים שֶׁאֵין מְקַבְּלִין טֻמְאָה כָּל עִקָּר הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ מְבִיאִין אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה וְאֵינָן חוֹצְצִין בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה. כֵּיצַד. לוּחַ שֶׁהָיָה מֻנָּח עַל גַּבֵּי אַרְבָּעָה בְּנֵי אָדָם אוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי אַרְבָּעָה כֵּלִים אֲפִלּוּ כְּלֵי אֲבָנִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן מִכֵּלִים שֶׁאֵין לְמִינָן טֻמְאָה. וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר אִם הָיָה מֻנָּח עַל אַרְבָּעָה שִׁפּוּדִין אוֹ אַרְבָּעָה קָנִים שֶׁגְּבוֹהִין טֶפַח. וְהָיְתָה טֻמְאָה וְכֵלִים תַּחְתָּיו הַכֵּלִים טְמֵאִים. וְאִם הָיוּ כֵּלִים עַל גַּבָּיו אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא כְּנֶגֶד הַטֻּמְאָה טְמֵאִים. וְאִם הָיְתָה טֻמְאָה עַל גַּבֵּי לוּחַ וְכֵלִים תַּחְתָּיו כָּל כֵּלִים שֶׁתַּחַת הַלּוּחַ טְמֵאִין. אֲבָל אִם הַלּוּחַ הָיָה מֻנָּח עַל גַּבֵּי אַרְבַּע אֲבָנִים אוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה. וְהָיְתָה טֻמְאָה תַּחְתָּיו הֲרֵי הַכֵּלִים שֶׁעַל גַּבָּיו טְהוֹרִין:

A handbreadth by a handbreadth square, at the height of a handbreadth, brings the impurity and interposes before the impurity, by Torah law; for nothing is called a tent but a handbreadth by a handbreadth at the height of a handbreadth, or more than this. How so? An olive's bulk of a corpse that is lying in the open, and beside it vessels such as needles and hooks and the like, which do not touch the impurity: if a tent that has in it a handbreadth by a handbreadth overshadowed them, and it was a handbreadth high above the ground, this brings the impurity to the vessels, and they are impure. If there were other vessels upon this tent that has in it a handbreadth by a handbreadth, they are pure, since the tent interposes between them and the impurity. You have thus learned that just as the tent conveys impurity to all that is beneath it, so it saves all that is outside it and interposes between the impurity and vessels that are upon it. And so too if the impurity was upon it and vessels beneath it, the vessels are pure, since the tent interposes before the impurity. If the tent was less than a handbreadth in height, or less than a handbreadth by a handbreadth — even though it is several handbreadths high — the vessels that are at the side of the impurity are pure; and as for the vessels that are above this tent, whatever is directly opposite the impurity is impure, since they have overshadowed the impurity and there is no tent there to interpose before the impurity. And so too if the impurity was upon this tent and vessels beneath it, whatever is directly opposite the impurity is impure, since it has overshadowed them and there is no tent there to interpose before the impurity; for everything less than a handbreadth in height is reckoned as contact, and impurity that is beneath it is compressed impurity, as we have explained. To what does this apply? When the tent was not a person or vessels. But a person or vessels that were made a tent over the impurity — whether they themselves were the tent or whether they were the pillars of the tent, and even if they were vessels that do not receive impurity at all — these bring the impurity and do not interpose before the impurity. How so? A board that was resting upon four men, or upon four vessels, even vessels of stone and the like from among the vessels whose kind is not subject to impurity — and it goes without saying if it was resting upon four spits or four reeds that are a handbreadth high — and there were impurity and vessels beneath it, the vessels are impure. And if there were vessels upon it, they are impure even where they are not directly opposite the impurity. And if the impurity was upon the board and vessels beneath it, all the vessels that are beneath the board are impure. But if the board was resting upon four stones, or upon a domestic animal and a wild animal, and the impurity was beneath it, the vessels that are upon it are pure.

Halacha 2ב׳

הָיְתָה טֻמְאָה עַל גַּבָּיו הֲרֵי כָּל הַכֵּלִים שֶׁתַּחְתָּיו טְהוֹרִין מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָאֹהֶל חוֹצֵץ בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה. וּכְלֵי גְּלָלִים וּכְלֵי אֲבָנִים וּכְלֵי אֲדָמָה הַבָּאִים בְּמִדָּה הֲרֵי הֵם כְּאֹהָלִים וְאֵינָם כְּכֵלִים וּלְפִיכָךְ חוֹצְצִים בִּפְנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה:

If the impurity was upon it, all the vessels that are beneath it are pure, since the tent interposes before the impurity. And vessels of dung, vessels of stone and vessels of earth of large capacity are as tents and are not as vessels; and therefore they interpose before the impurity.

Halacha 3ג׳

נֶסֶר שֶׁהוּא נָתוּן עַל פִּי תַּנּוּר חָדָשׁ וְעוֹדֵף מִכָּל צְדָדָיו בְּפוֹתֵחַ טֶפַח. הָיְתָה טֻמְאָה תַּחַת הַנֶּסֶר כֵּלִים שֶׁעַל גַּבָּיו טְהוֹרִין. טֻמְאָה עַל גַּבָּיו כֵּלִים שֶׁתַּחְתָּיו טְהוֹרִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁתַּנּוּר חָדָשׁ אֵינוֹ כְּכֵלִים לְעִנְיָן זֶה. וְאִם הָיָה יָשָׁן הַכּל טָמֵא:

A board that is set upon the mouth of a new oven and projects on all its sides by an opening of a handbreadth: if the impurity was beneath the board, the vessels that are upon it are pure; if the impurity was upon it, the vessels that are beneath it are pure, since a new oven is not as vessels for this matter. And if it was old, all is impure.

…and 3 more halachot in this chapter.

Become a premium member

Or start free — a free account opens your first 5 gematria searches in full. Create free account

The daily learning is free on your account, every day.

Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: rendered from the Hebrew for this app — our own, not a borrowed translation