1)

(a)The Mishnah lists the type of Kelim which are subject to Tzamid Pasil - they protect what is inside them from Tum'ah.

(b)Besides K'lei Cheres, the list includes K'lei Gelalim - vessels that are manufactured from animal manure (see Tos. Yom-Tov), K'lei Avanim and K'lei Adamah.

(c)These three (as well as all the other items on the list) - are all themselves all not subject to Tum'ah, which is why they are subject to Tzamid Pasil.

(d)In spite of the fact that the Pasuk in Chukas (which teaches us the Din of Tzamid Pasil) "v'Chol K'li Pasu'ach ... " is basically speaking about a K'li Cheres, we learn that it applies to other Kelim as well - from the word "ve'Chol" (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

2)

(a)Besides K'lei Neser (a kind of potter's clay), the Tana also lists the bones of a fish and bones of other sea creatures, but not the bones of other animals - because bones (and other components) of sea creatures exclusively, are not subject to Tum'ah (see Tos. Yom-Tov) ...

(b)... and this also extends to their skin (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(c)And we learn further from the Pasuk in Matos (in connection with Tum'as Kelim) 've'Chol Ma'aseh Izim' that - the current concession extends to Kelim made from the bones of Tahor birds (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(d)The final item on the list is K'lei Eitz ha'Tehorim - incorporating large wooden vessels that can hold forty Sa'ah of liquid (or two Kur [sixty Sa'ah] of solids [see also Tos. Yom-Tov]).

3)

(a)Tzamid Pasil applies where the lid is fixed firmly on the regular opening - and also where it is firmly attached to a hole in the side or to one in the base ...

(b)... irrespective of whether the K'li is sitting on its base or whether it is lying on its side.

(c)In a case where it is actually placed upside-down, the Tana rules that - it saves whatever is directly beneath it right down to the middle of the earth (see Tos. Yom-Tov) from becoming Tamei.

(d)Based on the Pasuk "Tzamid Pasil Alav" (see Tos. Yom-Tov) R. Eliezer rules that - a vessel that is turned upside-down does not save from Tum'ah ...

(E) ... even if it is cemented to the ground).

4)

(a)Despite the fact that all the above kinds of Kelim save from Tum'ah via Tzamid Pasil, the Tana draws a distinction between K'lei Cheres - which only save food, drink and other K'lei Cheres, and Kelim made of the other materials - which save whatever is inside them.

(b)The reason that K'lei Cheres save only food, drink and other K'lei Cheres that they contain is - because they are all not subject to Taharah in a Mikveh (see Tos. Yom-Tov), as opposed to other things that are.

5)

(a)Discussing the Din of Tzamid Pasil, the Mishnah lists lime, Gipsid (which is whiter than regular lime), pitch, wax, cement, dung (see Tos. Yom-Tov), mortar and Charsis - crushed earthenware mixed with water.

(b)The Tana - incorporates all of these in the Din of Tzamid Pasil (because they both cover and stick the lid to the barrel) ...

(c)And he includes whatever is Mismare'ach - by which he means anything that spreads when it is rubbed.

(d)The list precludes - tin and lead ...

(e)... because they cover but do not stick.

6)

(a)The Mishnah precludes from Tzamid Pasil ...

1. ... a fat piece of a cake of figs - because should water come on it, it will become subject to Tum'ah (even though it is not subject to Tum'ah now) ...

2. ... or a dough that was kneaded with fruit-juice - for the same reason (even though as long as it has been kneaded with fruit-juice alone is not subject to Tum'ah).

(b)In the event that one did seal the lid shut with one of them however - it will save what it contains, as long as it is not subject to Tum'ah at the time (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

7)

(a)R. Yehudah considers Tzamid Pasil the lid of a barrel that shakes (Mechalcheles [see also Tos. Yom-Tov]) but that does not come off - because as long as it does come off it falls under the category of Tzamid Pasil (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(b)The Chachamim however hold - that it is only called Tzamid Pasil if it does not move at all ...

(c)... and that is the Halachah.

(d)The Mishnah rules that in a case where the 'Beis Etzba' (the finger-hold of the lid) protrudes into the barrel, and there is ...

1. ... a Sheretz inside it - the barrel is Tamei.

2. ... food inside it, and a Sheretz in the barrel - the food is Tamei ...

(e)... because the lid of a barrel is considered part of the barrel (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

8)

(a)The Mishnah incorporates a ball of wool or a spool of reeds that one places on top of a barrel in the Din of Tzamid Pasil - on condition it is cemented at the sides, on top and at the bottom.

(b)It will not suffice to cement the ball to the barrel via its sides alone - because the ball is full of holes, which will not prevent the Tum'ah from entering unless one cements it completely.

(c)In the case of ...

1. ... a piece of cloth - the Tana issues the equivalent ruling to the previous case, but in the case of ...

2. ... a cover made of paper or of leather, one need only tie it to the barrel with string and cement the sides.

9)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses an earthenware barrel whose cement has been peeled off, though the pitch remains intact (see also Tos. Yom-Tov). The Mishnah is speaking about a barrel - which is cemented on the outside and overlaid with pitch on the inside.

(b)According to R. Yehudah, the pitch does not save the contents from Tum'ah - because the Torah writes 'Tzamid Pasil Alav' (on top, and not on the inside).

(c)The Chachamim say - that it does ...

(d)... and that is the Halachah.

10)

(a)The same Machlokes pertains to Kevosim shel Muryas - earthenware jars in which one stores fish-juice.

(b)The case is - where the jars are sealed with Gafsis (a very white lime [as we learned in Mishnah 2]), only the rim of the jars protrudes above the seal.

11)

(a)The Mishnah rules that a barrel of wine that sprung a hole (see Tos. Yom-Tov), that is stopped up by the dregs of wine - is considered Tzamid Pasil.

(b)If one stopped up the hole with ...

1. ... one twig - it must be cemented on both sides; with ...

2. ... two twigs - it must be cemented in between them as well.

(c)Similarly, a plank that lies across the top of a Tanur will save the contents of the Tanur from Tum'ah - if it is cemented on both sides of the barrel; if there are ...

(d)... two planks - it must be cemented in between them as well.

(e)That is not necessary however, if one wedges between the two boards ...

1. Sinin - thin pieces of bush (see also Tos. Yom Tov), or ...

2. Shugmin - thin pieces of bark of a Shugmin tree.

12)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses an old oven inside a new one, which is covered by a S'ridah, a kneading-board that is slightly bent in the middle - to facilitate kneading.

(b)An oven can be defined as old - as soon as it has been heated up sufficiently to bake Sufganin (a sort of doughnut).

(c)Old really means that - it is completed and is therefore a K'li.

(d)The significance of the fact that the outer oven is new is that - it is not therefore classified as a K'li, in which case it is not subject to Tum'ah (and is therefore able to prevent Tum'ah from entering it).

13)

(a)Assuming that there is a Meis in the same room, the Tana declares the inner oven ...

1. ... Tamei - if the S'ridah is lying across it (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

2. ... Tahor - if it covers the outer oven.

(b)Even though the S'ridah is not cemented to the outer oven, it nevertheless saves the inner one from Tum'ah, in the latter case - because it is only the lid of a K'li that needs to be cemented to the K'li in order to save it from Tum'ah, but not the Mechitzah of an Ohel, which has nothing to do with the Din of K'li.

(c)The S'ridah does not save the inner oven in the former case - because it is a K'li, which requires Tzamid Pasil to save it from Tum'ah, and the outer Tanur has no Ohel to save it either.

(d)It will however, save the inner oven from Tum'ah, even if it is not resting on the walls of the outer oven - if there is a distance of less than a Tefach between the S'ridah and the top of the outer oven ...

(e)... because it is then considered as if the S'ridah is resting on its walls).

14)

(a)The Tana now discusses three pans (Lefasin/Ilfasin) one inside the other, but whose top surfaces are all of the same height. Although generally these pans are made of metal, here - they are made of earthenware (Tos. Yom Tov).

(b)When the Tana refers to a Sheretz in the top pan or in the bottom one, he means - the inner or the outer one, with reference to their respective bases.

(c)Where a Sheretz is found inside one or the other, he rules that - it alone is Tamei, whereas the other two remain Tahor.

(d)We learn from the Pasuk in Shemini ...

1. ... "Kol asher Yipol el Tocho ... " that - the food (see Tos. Yom-Tov) in the bottom K'li Cheres remains Tahor if a Sheretz is found in the top one ("el Tocho", 've'Lo el Toch Tocho').

2. ... "Kol asher b'Socho Yitma" that - the same applies to the reversed case ("asher be'Socho", 've'Lo be'Toch Tocho').

15)

(a)The Tana rules that if the Sheretz is in the top pan, all the pans are Tamei (see Tos. Yom-Tov) - if they have a hole large enough to let in liquid ...

(b)... the Shi'ur to negate its status as a K'li (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(c)There where the Sheretz is in the bottom pan - then it is Tamei, but the other pans are Tahor, because Tum'ah can only enter the K'li by way of its top, not via its base.

(d)Nevertheless, since he did not cement up the hole (see Tos. Yom-Tov), any food or drink in the top pan - will become Tamei, because, seeing as the pans have lost their status as Kelim, the food is considered as if it was lying in the bottom K'li.

16)

(a)In a case where (there is no hole and) there is a Sheretz in the top pan, and the walls of the bottom one protrude above it - both pans are Tamei (because since the walls of the outer pan protrude above it, it is as if the Sheretz was lying inside it, too ...

(b)... but the middle one is not - because a K'li cannot receive Tum'ah via the air-space of a K'li Cheres.

(c)The middle pan will be Tamei however - if it contains sufficient liquid to make the hands that touch it sufficiently wet to make whatever they touch wet ...

(d)... because the Chachamim decreed that Tamei liquid renders a K'li Tamei.

17)

(a)The Chachamim decreed that Tamei liquid renders a K'li Tamei - on account of the liquids of a Zav and a Zavah, which are Metamei a K'li min ha'Torah.

(b)The Tana might just as well have taught us this latter Chidush - in the previous case (where the Sheretz is in the top one, and the walls of the bottom one protrude above those of the top one).