The gemara says that the shulchan was mekabel tumah because it was lifted and shown to the people on Yom Tov so it was not a "clee ha'asui la'nachas". Why should it have this status when the shaulchan was not moved for the other 362 days in the year? Why shouldn't we go after the overwhelming majority of the year when the shulchan remained stationary?
allen schuldenfrei, baltimore, maryland USA
(a) The criteria for becoming Tamei is not that the utensil is being moved, but that it was made with the intention of moving it. Let me explain.
As the Gemara tell us in Chagigah 26b et al, a wooden utensil is Mekabel Tum'ah since the Torah says (Vayikra ) "Kol Kli Etz" become Tamei. However, the Torah implies that only a wooden utensil which is "like a sack" becomes Tamei. This means that (1) it has a receptable that can hold something in it, and (2) that it can, and does, carry the object that is in inside of its receptacle.
A Kli Etz he'Asuy l'Nachas is Tahor since it is not like a sack; it is a different type of object, However, if it is ever moved with its contents, it can no longer be classfied as a different type of object from a sack and as such it is Mekabel Tum'ah.
(b) Your question gains validity however, from the Mishnah in Kelim 15:1. We find there that a Kli Etz ha'Ba b'Midah which holds 40 Se'ah is only Metamei if it is constantly moved when full, not if it is only moved (when full) occasionally.
The Rishonim differentiated between that Mishnah and the case of the Shulchan by asserting that the Shulchan does not hold 40 Se'ah. It is Tahor for a different reason: either because it is forbidden to move it (Ra'avad Hilchos Kelim 3:1) or because it is never moved (Ritva Megilah 26b). It is to these qualities that the Gemara refers as "he'Asuy l'Nachas". Since the Shulchan is sometimes moved, it is no longer in the category of "Asuy l'Nachas" and it is Mekabel Tum'ah.
Best wishes,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Kollel Iyun Hadaf
Thank you for your response.
However I'm still somewhat confused. Isn't there a prohibition to move the Schulchan? If so:
1. How could they move it on Yom Tov? and
2. Wouldn't that prohibition taken it out of the class of "Sak" and therefore should be Tahor?
Thank you.
Allen Schuldenfrei
The reason why it was prohibited to move the Shulchan (according to the Ra'avad) was presumably because the Torah says "Lefanai Tamid", as the Gemara says in Chagigah 26b. For this reason, they took measures to ensure the Shulchan would not become Tamei, since they could not take it from the Heichal to immerse it in a Mikvah.
The Shulchan was moved to show the people the hot bread in a manner that did not violate this verse. As the Radvaz (6:2178) writes, it remained in the north side of the Heichal ("opposite the Menorah") and was only moved a bit closer to the entrance of the Heichal, to make it easier to view from the outside. This is still called "Lefanai".
(The Radvaz adds that this is the intention of Rashi in Yoma 21 as well.)
Be well,
Mordecai Kornfeld