Chagigah 19b — the Talmud in English

Rabbi

Meir used to say: He immerses in the upper one

, for we say, “gud asik.”

And

if

I say:

he immerses

in the lower one

because we say, “gud ahit,”

but not in the upper one

, because we do not say, “gud asik”?

Rabbi Yohanan said

to Ulla:

If it is taught

in a beraita according to your words, that Rabbi Judah does not concede to Rabbi Meir—

it is taught!

That is to say: I retract.

We learned in the Mishna:

One who immerses for non-sacred food and was established as being for non-sacred food

, is forbidden for tithe.

And we raise a difficulty:

Whose

is the Mishna?

Our Mishna, which requires intention in immersion with regard to tithe, even though for non-sacred food intention is not required, is necessarily according to the method of

the Rabbis

—in the Mishna in tractate Parah, mentioned above, on page 18b—

who distinguish between non-sacred food and tithe

with regard to impurities that are by rabbinic enactment. And the same applies: there is a higher level in second tithe, greater than that of non-sacred food, with regard to intention in immersion.

And if so, this is difficult for you:

say the latter clause

of our Mishna:

The garments of an am ha-aretz—

a source of ritual impurity by sitting for the perushim

who eat their non-sacred food in the purity of non-sacred food.

The garments of perushim—

a source of ritual impurity by sitting for those who eat teruma.

And the tanna did not continue to say that the garments of perushim are a source of ritual impurity by sitting for those who eat tithe.

And necessarily, the latter clause

comes

and proceeds

to

the words of

Rabbi Meir, who says: Non-sacred food and tithe are equivalent

[they are equal]. For according to the Rabbis, who hold that the level of tithe is greater than that of non-sacred food, one must also be stringent regarding garments, and say that the garments of perushim, which are pure for non-sacred food, are a source of ritual impurity by sitting for those who eat tithe.

And if so, this is difficult: are we to say that the

first clause

of our Mishna is according to

the Rabbis, and

whereas the

latter clause

of our Mishna is according to

Rabbi Meir?!

And we answer:

Yes!

Indeed, this is how one must force the matter, and say:

The first clause—

the Rabbis, and the latter clause—

Rabbi Meir!

But

Rav Aha bar Adda taught it

, he teaches

in the latter clause

, concerning the higher levels of the garments,

“five higher levels”

, instead of the four higher levels that we teach, for he added one higher level in the latter clause: the garments of perushim are a source of ritual impurity by sitting for those who eat second tithe.

And he establishes it

for

the entire

Mishna

according to the Rabbis.

Rav Mari said: Infer from this

from our Mishna:

Non-sacred food that was made in the purity of the sacred—

is considered like the sacred.

And this is so: concerning one who conducts himself by eating non-sacred foods in purity as though they were sacred, we do not say that his opinion is null and that there is no such higher level; rather, indeed there is such a higher level, and one who conducts himself according to it must safeguard his non-sacred food as though it were sacred, and their safeguarding is indeed effective also for the sacred.

And Rav Mari explains:

From where

, from where is it inferred from our Mishna that non-sacred food made in the purity of the sacred has its level like the level of the sacred?