Chagigah 21b (כא:) — the Talmud in English

But the first clause—

when one immerses one vessel inside another,

it is possible to say that the water lifts and surrounds the vessel [since the water rises around the inner vessel within the outer one, and the water enters between them],

say

that this is not considered an interposition.

Therefore:

It is necessary

for our Mishna to teach us that even so, with regard to sacred物, one is concerned about such an interposition. Therefore, it listed these two interpositions separately.

The Gemara now explains:

The words of

Rabbi Ila—

who said that the reason for the first clause of the Mishna, which states that one may not immerse sacred vessels within sacred vessels, is because of an interposition—

are consistent with his position [his method], for he said: The Mishna teaches only ten levels. Yet, if one counts the levels, there are eleven levels in our Mishna.

However, according to Rabbi Ila, the first level is also due to an interposition. Therefore, it should not be counted as an additional level beyond the fifth level in our Mishna, which distinguishes, with regard to the laws of interposition, between sacred物 and teruma.

For Rabbi Ila said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa:

Ten levels are taught here

in our Mishna [apart from the first level], and they differ with regard to non-sacred food prepared in a state of purity for sacred物, as to whether its status is like that of sacred物 or not. Their laws are as follows:

The first five:

a. The outer surfaces, the interior, and the part where one grips the vessel are considered one vessel, even with regard to rabbinic impurity.

b. One who carries a midras may not carry sacred物.

c. The garments of those who eat teruma are considered a midras with regard to sacred物.

d. He removes the prohibition, dries the vessel, immerses it, and only afterward ties it [and included in this level is the rule that one may not immerse one vessel inside another because of an interposition].

e. Vessels whose manufacture is completed in a state of purity require immersion.

These five levels

apply both to sacred物 and to non-sacred food prepared in a state of purity for sacred物.

But the five

final:

a. The vessel joins together what is inside it.

b. Fourth-degree impurity renders it unfit.

c. If one of the hands became impure, he must immerse both of them.

d. It is prohibited to eat dry food with defiled hands.

e. An acute mourner and one lacking atonement require immersion.

These five levels apply

to sacred物

alone,

but not to non-sacred food prepared in a state of purity for sacred物.

And the Gemara explains:

What is the reason

that the first five levels differ from the final five with regard to non-sacred food prepared in a state of purity for sacred物?

Because the

five

levels

first [the initial ones], since

they have a trace of impurity by Torah law [there is a concern of impurity by Torah law], therefore

the Sages decreed with regard to them both for sacred物

and

for non-sacred food prepared in a state of purity for sacred物.

With regard to the first five levels—apart from the first, which is included in the fifth—there is a concern of impurity by Torah law:

With regard to the second level, “the outer surfaces, the interior, and the part where one grips the vessel are one vessel,” Rashi explained that although the case concerns only impurity of a vessel through impure liquids, and such impurity renders things impure only by rabbinic decree [the Sages were lenient with regard to it in the case of teruma but were not lenient with regard to sacred物, as explained in the note on the Mishna], nevertheless, since the reason for the impurity of liquids is a decree due to the liquids of a man or woman afflicted with gonorrhea, which are impure by Torah law, it is fundamentally a concern of impurity by Torah law.

With regard to the third level: One who carries a midras may not carry sacred物. Since the reason for the impurity is an incident that occurred in which it fell inside it, and when it falls inside it, it renders it impure by Torah law.

With regard to the fourth level: The garments of those who eat teruma are considered a midras, since the reason for the impurity is the concern that the wife of the one who sat on them may be a menstruating woman, and she renders things impure by Torah law.

With regard to the fifth level [and, according to Rabbi Ila, the first level]: the laws of interposition, since a complete interposition prevents immersion by Torah law.

With regard to the sixth level: Vessels whose manufacture is completed in a state of purity require immersion, since the prohibition is due to the concern that the spittle of an unlearned person fell upon them, and the basis of the impurity of the spittle of an unlearned person is the concern that he has the impurity of one afflicted with gonorrhea, who renders things impure by Torah law.

But with regard to the five levels

final [the last ones], since

they have no trace of impurity by Torah law [there is no concern of impurity by Torah law], therefore:

the Sages decreed with regard to them

only

for sacred物,

whereas

with regard to non-sacred food prepared in a state of purity for sacred物, the Sages did not decree with regard to them.

With regard to the final five levels, there is no concern of impurity by Torah law:

With regard to the seventh level: The vessel joins together what is inside it, because he follows the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan in Pesaḥim 39a, that the joining is rabbinic.

With regard to the eighth level: fourth-degree impurity.

According to Rashi, who maintains that fourth-degree impurity is only rabbinic, the explanation is straightforward, for this entire impurity is rabbinic and contains no concern of impurity by Torah law. From here Rashi proved his view that fourth-degree impurity with regard to sacred物 is only rabbinic. The explanation of the view of Tosafot appears in the note.

With regard to the ninth level: If one of the hands became impure, he immerses both of them. Since the entire impurity of the hands is only rabbinic.

With regard to the tenth level: Eating dry food with defiled hands, for the entire impurity of the hands is only rabbinic. With regard to the eleventh level: An acute mourner and one lacking atonement require immersion; the fundamental requirement for this immersion is only rabbinic.

Rava,

disagreed with Rabbi Ila above and said:

The reason for the first level [that one may not immerse one vessel inside another with regard to sacred物] is not an interposition. For

since the final clause [the fifth level]

is due to an interposition,

it necessarily follows that

the first clause [the first level]

is not due to an interposition [as the Gemara already challenged above].

And the first clause,

the first level,

has this reason:

A decree, lest one immerse impure needles and prongs [forks] when they are placed

in

side

a vessel whose opening is not

wide enough to measure

“like the mouth of a wineskin” [a tube placed in the mouth of a leather wineskin, with a diameter of two fingerbreadths].

Any vessel whose opening is not two fingerbreadths in diameter has water inside it that is not considered connected to the water of the ritual bath. Consequently, the needles and prongs were not immersed in the water of the ritual bath.

And

we likewise learned in tractate Mikvaot that the measure for connecting water to the water of a ritual bath is only when there is a connection of water between them the width of “the mouth of a wineskin”:

We learned:

The joining of ritual baths,

of a ritual bath that does not contain forty se’a of water with a full ritual bath beside it, in order to validate immersion even in the deficient ritual bath, is accomplished only by means of a water connection through an opening whose width is

like the mouth of a wineskin—

in its thickness!

and in its hollow!