Chagigah 18b (יח:) — the Talmud in English

MISHNA:

1. The Sages instituted “levels,” each one more stringent than the one below it, with regard to maintaining ritual purity for maaser sheni, teruma, sacrificial meat, and the water of the para aduma used to sprinkle upon those impure through contact with the dead].

The levels they instituted concern three areas of purity:

The first is the purity of the hands.

The second is a person’s intention regarding purity when immersing.

The third is the purity of the garments of those who eat teruma, maaser, and sacrificial food, and those who handle the water of the para aduma. "

These “levels” are all rabbinic ordinances.

Our Mishna mentions these levels of purity here, in connection with the halakhot of the Festival, because the laws of these matters of purity differ between the Festival and the rest of the year, as will be explained in the next chapter.

2. King Solomon decreed that hands should be deemed impure, and that they must be immersed before eating sacrificial food.

3. In later generations, the Sages decreed with regard to several things that they render the hands impure when the hands touch them [these things are listed in the first chapter of tractate Shabbat, on page 13 and onward].

In still later generations, they decreed impurity even upon ordinary hands, even when no impurity whatsoever was known to have affected them, because the hands are “inquisitive.”

Rashi explained in tractate Shabbat 14a that the hands touch dirty places, such as one’s flesh and filthy areas, and it is disgraceful for impurity to eat with soiled hands. Therefore, the Sages decreed that the hands are impure, as though they had touched an impure object.

4. The Sages endowed all forms of hand impurity with the status of a “second degree of impurity”: it disqualifies teruma that it touches, and renders sacrificial food that it touches impure, making it a third degree of impurity. When sacrificial food that has become a “third degree of impurity” touches other sacrificial food, it renders that food a “fourth degree of impurity with regard to sacrificial food,” thereby disqualifying it.

5. Our sugya will further explain the law of maaser sheni: Is it like teruma, so that it is disqualified through contact with a second degree of impurity [or disqualified through contact with hands that have the status of a second degree of impurity], or is it like non-sacred produce, so that it does not become impure through contact with a second degree of impurity or through contact with the hands?

1. And these are the levels instituted by the Sages with regard to the purity of the hands:

Hands are washed,

the fact that the hands can be purified merely by washing them with water, without requiring immersion in a ritual bath containing forty se’a, applies only

to

the matter of

non-sacred produce, and to

the matter of

second tithe

,

and to

the matter of

teruma.

But

for

the purpose of eating [Rashi:

sacrificial food

], washing the hands is insufficient; rather,

the hands must be immersed

in a ritual bath containing forty se’a.

Immersion of the hands for sacrificial food is a “level of sanctity” instituted by the Sages with regard to the purity of the hands.

But

with regard to

touching the water of

the ḥatat [

water sanctified with the ashes of the red heifer in order to sprinkle it upon those impure through contact with the dead], the Sages instituted an even more stringent level —

If

his hands became impure

—with ordinary hand impurity, which renders only the hands impure—

his entire

body

becomes impure

with regard to touching the water of the ḥatat. If he touches the water of the ḥatat with his body, he disqualifies it until he immerses his entire body. Purifying his hands is insufficient.

2. And these are the levels instituted by the Sages with regard to intention when immersing:

If

a person immersed

for non-sacred produce

, and

established himself [

intended] to become pure

for

the purpose of

non-sacred produce

, meaning that he intended through his immersion to establish his body in a state of purity for non-sacred produce, he is

prohibited with regard to second tithe

; an immersion performed with such an intention is insufficient to purify him with regard to maaser sheni.

And if he

immersed for second tithe

and

established himself

to become pure only

for second tithe

—he is

prohibited with regard to teruma, because the level of teruma is more stringent than the level of maaser sheni.

And if he

immersed for teruma

and

established himself for

the purpose of

teruma

, he is

prohibited with regard to sacrificial food, because sacrificial food has a more stringent level than teruma.

And if he

immersed for sacrificial food

and

established himself for

the purpose of

sacrificial food

, he is

prohibited with regard to

the water of

the ḥatat

, because ḥatat has a more stringent level than sacrificial food.

But conversely:

If he

immersed for the more stringent level

and established himself for it, he is

permitted with regard to the less stringent level. For example, if he immersed and established himself for the water of the ḥatat, he is permitted with regard to sacrificial food.

And if he

immersed but did not establish himself

at all, meaning that he intended merely to bathe, his law is

as though he had not immersed.

The Gemara will explain what the tanna teaches us through this law.

3. And these are the levels instituted by the Sages with regard to the purity of garments:

1. A person may eat non-sacred food both while he is impure and while the food is impure, but a person who does so is called an “am haaretz.”

2. The “perushim” are those people who were careful to eat even their non-sacred food in purity. That is, they were careful that the food itself be pure, and they were careful that their bodies be pure.

Consequently, the perushim were careful about the purity of everything they possessed, so that their non-sacred food would not become impure.

3. But some practiced a higher degree of purity and ate their non-sacred food “with the purity of teruma.”

That is, they were careful about the purity of their food even when it was non-sacred, as though it were teruma. If, assuming that it were teruma, this food would be impure, they would not eat it, despite the fact that, as non-sacred food, it was entirely pure.

For example, consider food touched by a second degree of impurity. If it were teruma, it would become a third degree of impurity; but if it were non-sacred food, it would not become a third degree of impurity, because there is no concept of a third degree of impurity with regard to non-sacred food, and it would remain entirely pure. Nevertheless, those who ate their food with the purity of teruma refrained from eating it, as though it were impure teruma.

They did so in order to accustom themselves to the purity of teruma. Consequently, they were careful about the purity of everything they possessed, so that it would not become impure even with an impurity that disqualifies only teruma.

4. Some added an additional level of purity and were careful to eat their non-sacred food with the purity of sacrificial food, whose purity is more stringent than that of teruma [for example, food touched by a third degree of impurity is not disqualified by becoming a fourth degree of impurity unless it is sacrificial meat, and they would not eat non-sacred food touched by a third degree of impurity].

The garments of an am haaretz

, who are not careful to eat their non-sacred food in purity, are considered as though they are impure with the impurity of

“midras” for

the

perushim

[who eat their non-sacred food only with the purity of non-sacred food]. "

The impurity of “midras” by Torah law applies to an object upon which a man with a flux or a menstruating woman sat or lay. It is the most severe impurity among the “fathers of impurity” [apart from a corpse, which is the “father of the fathers of impurity”], because it renders a person impure in such a way that he can render his garments impure. That is, it renders a person who touches it impure not only in himself, but also with the capacity to render his garments impure!

The other “fathers of impurity,” by contrast, render only the person who touches them impure. He becomes a “first degree of impurity,” but does not render his garments impure; he renders impure only food and liquids that he touches.

The reason that the garments of an am haaretz are considered impure with the impurity of midras for the perushim is that we are concerned that the wife of the am haaretz may have sat on those garments while she was menstruating, making them the midras of a menstruating woman, which is a father of impurity.

Whereas

the garments of the perushim

are considered impure with the impurity of

midras

they are

for

the

priests who eat teruma.

This is an additional level with regard to teruma: We are concerned that the garments of the perushim may have become the midras of a menstruating woman, despite the fact that the perushim who eat non-sacred food with the purity of non-sacred food protect their garments from the midras of a menstruating woman, which renders even non-sacred food impure.

The garments of those who eat teruma are midras

they are

for

those who eat

sacrificial food.

The garments

of those who eat

sacrificial food are midras

they are

for

those who handle the water of

the ḥatat.

All that is stated here consists of rabbinic levels. The Sages said: The maintenance of the purity of these people is not considered maintenance of purity with regard to those people. Since these groups are in contact with one another, it is as though the purity was not guarded; therefore, the Sages decreed with regard to their garments that perhaps a menstruating woman sat upon them, making them the midras of a menstruating woman.

The Mishna adds and explains that in this matter no honor is accorded to anyone [Meiri]. Accordingly:

Yosef ben Yo’ezer was a pious man of the priesthood

, and he ate teruma in purity [and was even the nasi, Meiri],

yet

nevertheless

his cloth

was impure with the impurity of

midras for sacrificial food.

Yoḥanan ben Gudgada would eat

his non-sacred food

with the purity of sacrificial food all his days.

Yet

nevertheless

his cloth

was considered impure with the impurity of

midras for

one who touches the water of

the ḥatat; [but not for sacrificial food, since there is no distinction between one who eats non-sacred food with the purity of sacrificial food and one dealing with actual sacrificial food, as the Gemara explains].

GEMARA:

We learned in the Mishna: Hands are washed for non-sacred produce and for second tithe.

And we raise an objection: Is it so that

non-sacred produce and second

tithe

require hand-washing

at all?!

Hand impurity has the status of a second degree of impurity, and a second degree of impurity renders only sacrificial food and teruma impure, as is explained in the Mishna cited by the Gemara. What need is there, then, to wash the hands for non-sacred produce and maaser sheni?!

And we raise a contradiction

from the Mishna in tractate Bikkurim:

As we learned there:

Teruma and first fruits:

1.

Non-priests are liable

who eat them

for

—if they ate them intentionally—

death

at the hands of Heaven.

2.

And

non-priests who ate teruma or first fruits inadvertently are obligated to repay the principal, together with an additional payment of

one-fifth

of the principal they repay.

3.

And non-priests are prohibited

from eating teruma and first fruits, by a prohibition, as it is stated: “And no non-priest shall eat sacrificial food.”

4.

And they

—teruma and first fruits—once given to a priest, are

the property of a priest

, for they are considered his full property, which he may use to betroth a woman, and to purchase slaves, land, and impure animals [Rashi].

5.

And they are annulled [

when mixed with non-sacred produce] only

in a ratio of one to one hundred [

one hundred permitted units opposite one prohibited unit]. But when there is less than this ratio, they are not annulled; rather, all the non-sacred produce is prohibited to non-priests. It is not like other prohibitions, which are annulled in an ordinary majority, at a ratio of one to two.

6.

And they require

—teruma and first fruits—

hand-washing

before one touches them, for the Sages decreed that the hands have the status of a second degree of impurity, and every second degree of impurity disqualifies teruma.

7.

And

one who became impure with a Torah-level impurity and immersed is required to wait until

nightfall

on the day on which he immersed, because he becomes pure to eat teruma and first fruits only once that day has passed and night has fallen.

These are

—all the laws stated—applicable exclusively

to teruma and first fruits, unlike second tithe

.

Second tithe may be eaten by non-priests, and therefore death and the additional payment of one-fifth do not apply to its consumption. The one-fifth that must be added when redeeming second tithe is not relevant to this beraita, since teruma and first fruits cannot be redeemed.

Likewise, second tithe is not the property of its owner, to be used to purchase whatever he wishes, since second tithe may be used only for eating, drinking, and anointing.

Similarly, an impure person who immersed and came to eat second tithe need not wait until nightfall; once he has immersed, he may eat second tithe.

We therefore learn from this Mishna that second tithe does not require hand-washing before it is eaten,

and certainly non-sacred produce

does not require hand-washing. And since this is so:

There is a difficulty concerning second tithe

: our Mishna indicates that hand-washing is required

with regard to second tithe

, whereas the Mishna in Bikkurim indicates that it is not required?!

Likewise,

there is a difficulty concerning non-sacred produce

: our Mishna requires hand-washing for it,

whereas with regard to non-sacred produce

in that Mishna, it appears that hand-washing is not required?!

And we explain:

Granted, there is no difficulty concerning second tithe in relation to second tithe

, because one can distinguish between them:

This

—the Mishna in Bikkurim, which does not require hand-washing for second tithe—

is the opinion of Rabbi Meir

.

And this

—our Mishna, which requires hand-washing for second tithe—

is the opinion of the Rabbis

, who maintain that every second degree of impurity, including the hands, disqualifies even second tithe, and not only teruma and sacrificial food [as Rabbi Meir maintains. Tosafot].

And we find the method of Rabbi Meir, who does not require washing of the hands for second tithe, in tractate Para,

as we learned

there:

Anyone who is required by rabbinic enactment to immerse in water,

Any person who is impure with an impurity that is only rabbinic in origin, and is not an impurity from the Torah, and whom the Sages required to immerse in water and become pure—including one whose hands are impure with the impurity of the hands, which is only rabbinic in origin—is therefore considered a second-degree impurity. Accordingly, he:

a.

Renders sacred objects impure

by making them third-degree impure; and when that third-degree impurity comes into contact with another sacred object, it disqualifies it.

b.

Disqualifies teruma [

but that teruma does not render other teruma impure, since teruma can become only third-degree impure. Therefore, he is called one who “disqualifies” rather than one who “renders impure”].

c.

Is permitted

even to eat

non-sacred food and second tithe

in the second degree of impurity,

according to Rabbi Meir.

But the Sages prohibit—

one who became impure with a rabbinic impurity, including the hands—

with regard to second tithe

even through mere contact.

Our Mishna, which required washing of the hands for second tithe, follows the opinion of the Sages. And the Mishna in tractate Bikkurim, which does not require washing of the hands for second tithe, follows Rabbi Meir.

Rather,

what we asked concerning the contradiction between the mishnayot from

non-sacred food concerning non-sacred food—

still

remains difficult?!

And we answer:

It is not difficult:

Here—

our Mishna, which required washing for non-sacred food, is speaking

of eating,

and even for eating non-sacred fruit, and not specifically bread, washing of the hands is required.

Here—

the Mishna in tractate Para, which does not require washing for non-sacred food, is speaking

of contact

alone.

Rav Shimi bar Ashi raised an objection against this:

Surely,

the Sages did not disagree with Rabbi Meir—

in the Mishna in Para—

except with regard to

the

“eating” of second tithe!

For even according to the Sages, the prohibition against eating without washing the hands applies only to eating second tithe, for one who became impure with a rabbinic impurity, including the hands—[here the Gemara retracts its earlier understanding of the Sages’ opinion concerning second tithe, namely, that it applies even to contact].

But with regard to contact with second tithe

and

eating non-sacred food,

everyone

agrees

that impurity of the hands does not prevent it.

Since the Mishna does not say that the Sages “disqualify” second tithe, but rather that the Sages “prohibit” second tithe, this indicates that even with regard to second tithe, the Sages prohibited only eating, and did not speak of disqualification through contact.

And it follows from all this that they prohibited eating only with regard to second tithe, whereas even eating non-sacred food is permitted.

And since that is so, our Mishna, which required washing for non-sacred food, is difficult even if you interpret it as referring to eating: According to whose opinion is it?!

Rather

It may be said that

this one,

our Mishna,

and this one,

the Mishna in tractate Para, are both speaking

of eating:

The Gemara now retracts its answer to the question of “second tithe concerning second tithe” that it gave at the beginning of the sugya—this one is Rabbi Meir, and this one is the Sages.

Rather, our Mishna follows Rabbi Meir, who holds in the Mishna in tractate Para that washing is not required for second tithe even when eating, and all the more so for non-sacred food.

And

what our Mishna said, that washing is required for second tithe and for non-sacred food—

is not difficult!

Here—

our Mishna, which required washing for non-sacred food and second tithe, is speaking

of eating bread [

bread], for the Sages required washing of the hands before eating bread, even bread of non-sacred food, because of “the association with teruma,” so that those who eat teruma would become accustomed to washing their hands before eating teruma [Hullin 106a].

Here—

the mishnayot in tractates Bikkurim and Para, in which Rabbi Meir did not require washing for second tithe and non-sacred food, are speaking

of eating fruit [

eating fruit].

For Rav Naḥman said: Anyone who washes his hands for fruit is one of the “haughty in spirit,”",

who pretends to conduct himself with piety in a matter that is not obligatory.

The Sages taught: One who washes his hands:

If he

intended

through washing them to purify them, then

his hands are pure.

But if he

did not intend

to purify them, then

his hands

remain

impure.

And likewise, one who immerses his hands

in a ritual bath containing forty se’a:

If he

intended

to purify them, then

his hands are pure;

but if he

did not intend

to purify them, then

his hands are impure.

And we raised a difficulty:

But it was taught in a beraita: Whether he intended or did not intend—

his hands are pure?!

Rav Naḥman said: It is not difficult:

Here—

where it teaches that even if he did not intend, his hands are pure—

for

eating bread of

non-sacred food.