הלכות טומאת מת כ״אDefilement by a Corpse 21

Halacha 1א׳

מִנַּיִן לְצָמִיד פָּתִיל שֶּׁמַּצִּיל בְּאֹהֶל הַמֵּת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יט טו) "וְכל כְּלִי פָתוּחַ אֲשֶׁר אֵין צָמִיד פָּתִיל עָלָיו טָמֵא הוּא" הָא יֵשׁ צָמִיד פָּתִיל עָלָיו טָהוֹר. וּמִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ שֶׁאֵין הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר אֶלָּא בִּכְלִי חֶרֶשׂ בִּלְבַד כְּלִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִטַּמֵּא אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ פִּתְחוֹ. לְפִיכָךְ אִם הָיָה פִּתְחוֹ סָתוּם וּמֻקָּף צָמִיד פָּתִיל הִצִּיל עַל כָּל שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ. קַל וָחֹמֶר לְכָל הַכֵּלִים שֶׁאֵין מְקַבְּלִין טֻמְאָה שֶׁיַּצִּילוּ בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל וְהֵם כְּלֵי גְּלָלִים כְּלֵי אֲבָנִים כְּלֵי אֲדָמָה וּכְלֵי עַצְמוֹת הַדָּג וְעוֹרוֹ וְעַצְמוֹת הָעוֹף וּכְלִי עֵץ הַבָּא בְּמִדָּה וּנְסָרִים שֶׁל עֵץ שֶׁהֵן פְּשׁוּטִין וְאֵינָן כֵּלִים וְגָלְמֵי כְּלֵי מַתֶּכֶת. כָּל אֵלּוּ מַצִּילִין בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל. אִם הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַכְּלִי הַמֻּקָּף נִצְּלוּ קַל וָחֹמֶר לַבְּלוּעִין וְלַכֵּלִים שֶׁתַּחַת הָאֹהָלִים. מַה בֵּין אֹהָלִים לַכֵּלִים שֶׁמַּצִּילִין בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל. שֶׁהַכֵּלִים אֵינָן מַצִּילִין אֶלָּא בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל וְהָאֹהָלִים מַצִּילִין בְּכִסּוּי בִּלְבַד:

From where do we know that a tightly sealed cover protects in the tent of a corpse? As it is said (Numbers 19:15), "And every open vessel which has no tightly sealed cover upon it is impure" — hence, if it has a tightly sealed cover upon it, it is pure. And from tradition they learned that Scripture speaks only of an earthenware vessel, a vessel that is made impure only by way of its opening. Therefore, if its opening was stopped and it was closed with a tightly sealed cover, it has protected all that is within it. And it follows a fortiori for all the vessels that do not receive impurity, that they should protect with a tightly sealed cover — and these are vessels of dung, vessels of stone, vessels of earth, vessels of a fish's bones and of its skin and of the bones of a bird, a wooden vessel of large capacity, boards of wood that are flat and are not vessels, and unfinished metal vessels. All these protect with a tightly sealed cover. And if the things that are within the closed vessel are protected, a fortiori things swallowed and vessels that are beneath tents. What is the difference between tents and the vessels that protect with a tightly sealed cover? That the vessels protect only with a tightly sealed cover, whereas tents protect with a covering alone.

Halacha 2ב׳

מַשְׁפֵּךְ שֶׁכָּפָהוּ מַצִּיל בְּכִסּוּי אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁקְּצָתוֹ נָקוּב נֶקֶב קָטָן הֲרֵי הוּא כְּסָתוּם:

A funnel that he turned over protects by a covering; and although part of it is pierced with a small hole, it is as though it were stopped up.

Halacha 3ג׳

כָּל הַכֵּלִים הַמַּצִּילִין בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל אִם הָיוּ בָּהֶן טֶפַח עַל טֶפַח עַל רוּם טֶפַח וּכְפָאָן עַל פִּיהֶם עַל הָאָרֶץ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא מֵרֵחַ בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל מִן הַצְּדָדִין הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ מַצִּילִין כָּל מַה שֶּׁתַּחְתֵּיהֶן עַד הַתְּהוֹם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן כְּאֹהֶל וְהָאֹהֶל מַצִּיל. אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן הָיָה הַכְּלִי כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ שֶׁאֵין אָהֳלֵי כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ מַצִּילִין. כֵּיצַד. חָבִית שֶׁכְּפוּיָה עַל פִּיהָ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמֵּרְחָהּ בְּטִיט מִן הַצְּדָדִין כָּל מַה שֶּׁתַּחְתֶּיהָ טָמֵא. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יט טו) "צָמִיד פָּתִיל עָלָיו" וְלֹא צָמִיד פָּתִיל עַל גַּבּוֹ. הִדְבִּיק פִּיהָ לַכֹּתֶל וּמֵרְחָהּ מִן הַצְּדָדִים מַצֶּלֶת עַל כָּל מַה שֶּׁבְּתוֹכָהּ וְעַל כָּל שֶׁכְּנֶגְדָהּ בַּכֹּתֶל. וְאִם לֹא מֵרֵחַ מִן הַצְּדָדִין אֵינָהּ מַצֶּלֶת שֶׁאֵין כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ מַצִּיל מִשּׁוּם אֹהֶל כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ. אֲבָל שְׁאָר כָּל הַכֵּלִים הַמַּצִּילִין בְּצָמִיד פָּתִיל שֶׁהָיוּ פִּיּוֹתֵיהֶן דְּבוּקוֹת בְּדָפְנֵי הַבַּיִת מַצִּילִין בְּלֹא צָמִיד פָּתִיל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן מַצִּילִין מִשּׁוּם אֹהֶל. לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּדֹפֶן הַכְּלִי טֶפַח שֶׁאֵין הַכֵּלִים מַצִּילִין עִם דָּפְנוֹת אֹהָלִים עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָהֶן דֹּפֶן [טֶפַח]. הָיָה לַכְּלִי דֹּפֶן חֲצִי טֶפַח וְהָיָה יוֹצֵא מִדֹּפֶן הָאֹהֶל שָׂפָה חֲצִי טֶפַח וְהִדְבִּיק זֶה לָזֶה. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם חֲלַל טֶפַח אֵינוֹ מַצִּיל עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה טֶפַח מִמָּקוֹם אֶחָד:

All the vessels that protect with a tightly sealed cover, if there is in them a handbreadth by a handbreadth by a handbreadth in height and he turned them over upon their mouths on the ground — then although he did not smear a tightly sealed cover at the sides, these protect all that is beneath them down to the depths, since they are as a tent and the tent protects; unless the vessel was an earthenware vessel, for the tents of an earthenware vessel do not protect. How so? A jar that is turned over upon its mouth — although he smeared it with clay at the sides, all that is beneath it is impure, as it is said (Numbers 19:15), "a tightly sealed cover upon it" — and not a tightly sealed cover upon its back. If he fixed its mouth to the wall and smeared it at the sides, it protects all that is within it and all that is opposite it in the wall; and if he did not smear it at the sides, it does not protect, since an earthenware vessel does not protect by reason of a tent, as we have explained. But as for all the other vessels that protect with a tightly sealed cover, if their mouths were fixed to the walls of the house, they protect without a tightly sealed cover, since they protect by reason of a tent. Therefore the side of the vessel must be a handbreadth, for vessels do not protect together with the sides of tents unless they have a side of a handbreadth. If the vessel had a side of half a handbreadth, and there projected from the side of the tent a ledge of half a handbreadth, and he fixed the one to the other — then although there is there a hollow of a handbreadth, it does not protect until there be a handbreadth from one place.