1)

(a)The Tana now discusses up to which point broken Keilim are still considered Keilim (and remain subject to Tum'ah [see Tos. Yom Tov]). The Shi'ur K'li of ...

1. ... a broken bucket is - one with which one is still able to draw water.

2. ... a broken kettle (Kumkum) - one that can still be used to boil water in it (to drink [Tos. Yom Tov]).

3. ... a broken pot for boiling water (Meicham, which is larger than a kettle [see also Tos. Yom Tov]) - one that can still be used to store Sela coins (a Sela = four Dinrim) in it.

(b)And the Shi'ur K'li of ...

1. ... a broken Lefes (or Leves [which is also made to boil water in it, but which is larger still than a Meicham]) is - one that can hold Kitoniyos (metal water jars, as it is used to boil water in it and then to wash Kitoniyos in the water).

2. ... broken Kitoniyos is - one in which one is able to store Perutos.

(c)According to the Tana Kama, wine-measures are still considered Keilim as long as they can still be used for measuring wine (they will not allow too much wine to seep out). The equivalent Shi'ur K'li for measuring oil is that - they can still be used for measuring oil.

(d)It is necessary to mention both, - because a hole that will allow wine to seep through will not necessarily let out oil (which is more dense [Tiferes Yisrael]).

(e)According to R. Eliezer, all the above broken Keilim have the same gauge - if they one is able to store P'rutos in them.

2)

(a)R. Akiva says that a K'li that lacks Chatifah - a cover (it has no lid) is subject to Tum'ah.

(b)He is referring to - where the vessel is first manufactured ...

(c)... and he is coming to teach us that - a vessel does not require a lid in order to attain the status of a K'li.

(d)He also rules that Keilim that still need to be sharpened - are Tahor, because they have not yet attained the status of a K'li.

3)

(a)The Tana Kama declares both a wooden stick with a Chezyana - a metal ball (a club) and a Simro - one with metal nails protruding from it, Tamei.

(b)They are both used as weapons.

(c)According to R. Shimon - a Simro must have at least three rows of nails, in order to be subject to Tum'ah.

(d)Both of the above will be Tahor - if the ball or the nails are purely ornamental (see Tos. Yom Tov) ...

(e)... because then it is metal serving a wooden K'li, which is Tahor; whereas the former are cases of wood serving a metal K'li, which is Tamei.

4)

(a)If one makes a Meinekes for the above or for a door, it is Tahor. A Meinekes for ...

1. ... a Chezyana or a Simra is - a short metal tube into which the wooden end of the Chezyana or the Simra fit. (see Tiferes Yisrael).

2. ... a door is - a metal rim underneath the door (see Tiferes Yisrael). Both serve the purpose of preventing the wood from rotting.

(b)The Meinekes is be subject to Tum'ah - if it had an independent use before being fitted on to the stick or the door.

(c)Beis Shamai maintain that it becomes Tahor only when it breaks. According to Beis Hillel - when he affixes it with nails to one of the above (see also Tos. Yom Tov).

5)

(a)The Tana declares a builder's Kantor and a carpenter's Dakor (both made of metal), subject to Tum'ah. The former is a sort of metal stick that is used to demolish walls (see also Tos. Yom Tov). The latter is - a chisel (Rambam).

(b)Likewise, he declares Tamei both metal tent pegs (see Mishnah Achronah) and measurer's pegs - pegs used by land measurers when dividing land for brothers or partners.

(c)And the measurer's chain is Tamei too. This is used - for the same purpose, to prevent cheating (by stretching the ropes [that one might otherwise use] in favor of one of the partners). The chains however, which are of a standard size, cannot be stretched.

(d)One that is used for wood however, the Tana declares Tahor. This refers, either to a chain with which one ties bundles of wood or - to chains that are used to measure wood (where it is sold by the number of 'rope'-lengths).

6)

(a)A chain of four Tefachim that is used to draw water in a large bucket is Tamei - because that is how much is needed to lower and raise the bucket into the well and from it. More that that - is more of a hindrance than a help (see Tiferes Yisrael).

(b)The maximum size of the equivalent chain used to draw water in a small bucket is - ten Tefachim.

(c)A blacksmith's donkey too is Tamei. Some say that this is a wooden (see Sefer Tavnis Keilim) stand on which he places the bellows during bellowing. According to others - it is a large metal horse on one end of which the blacksmith sits whilst he works on large vessels that are hanging on the other end.

7)

(a)The Mishnah declares the blade of a saw that hangs down from a slit in the ceiling above the door ...

1. ... Tamei. It serves - as a lintel (for the door to shut against.

2. ... upside-down, so that its smooth section hangs down from the lintel - Tahor ...

(b)... because, unlike the previous case, its original function is not currently applicable.

(c)The saw will even be Tahor in the former case - once it is fixed permanently to serve as a lintel.

8)

(a)The Tana rules that - all lids are Tahor ...

(b)... except for the lid of a kettle, which is subject to Tum'ah, because it has an independent use (and therefore an independent name) ...

(c)... and the same applies to other similar lids (as we learned above in Perek 12, regarding the lid of a basket).

9)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses the metal accessories of a wagon. The Ol (the yoke), the Katrev (the equivalent cross-piece underneath the animal's neck), the Kenafayim (the rings at the side of the yoke to which the reins are tied), the crescent-shaped piece of metal that is held under the animal's neck and Somech (the metal ring that is attached to the middle of the yoke) - are all subject to Tum'ah.

(b)The function of ...

1. ... the Katrev is - to prevent the head of the animal from slipping out of the yoke.

2. ... the crescent-shaped piece of metal is - to prevent the animal from choking over the Machger (which we will discuss shortly).

3. ... the Somech is - to hold the long pole that ties the cart to the yoke.

(c)The list continues with Machger (the metal chain (Tos. Yom Tov) that is tied underneath the neck of the animal), Tamchuyos (small crescent-shaped pieces of metal attached near the end of the yoke to protect the animal from the weight of the yoke [See Tos. Yom Tov and Rambam]), the Inbal (the striker inside the bell), the Tzinora (the hooks in the wagon) - to stop the items in the cart from slipping around, and the nails - which hold together any of the above.

(d)Some texts replace Machger with Masger (see Tos. Yom Tov) - which is a metal peg attached to the end of the yoke, to prevent the wagon from twisting due to the length of the yoke (refer to Seifer Tavnis Keilim, though it is still unclear exactly what this is [see Tos. Yom Tov]).

10)

(a)Now the Tana lists the accessories of a wooden (See Tos. Yom Tov) wagon that are Tahor. He declare Tahor ...

1.... the Ol - if it is made of wood and only overlaid with metal (because metal that serves wood is Tahor).

2. ... the Kenafayim - if they are purely ornamental.

(b)He also includes hollow tubes that make a noise, and the Avor (an ornamental piece of lead beside the animal's neck). The function of the hollow tubes - is purely to create a pleasant atmosphere (see Tos. Yom Tov).

(c)And he also lists the metal rim of the wheel (which we discussed in the eleventh Perek), thin boards and metal plating to overlay (see Tos. Yom Tov). He rules that ...

1. ... ornamental nails - are Tahor, though ...

2. ... metal horse-shoes are Tamei, whereas ...

3. ... horse-shoes made of Sha'am (a kind of rubber) - are Tahor (see Tos. Yom Tov).

(d)A rusty ...

1. ... sword becomes subject to Tum'ah once again - from the moment one sand-papers it, and a rusty ...

2. ... knife - from the moment it is sharpened.

11)

(a)R. Yehudah declares Tahor the lid of a metal basket that one converted into a mirror - which is what it was before it was converted.

(b)The Chachamim rule that - it has now become subject to Tum'ah (see Tos. Yom Tov).

(c)A broken mirror made of metal becomes Tahor - when one can no longer see the majority of one's face on it.

12)

(a)hen R. Eliezer rules 'Klei Matchos Mitam'in u'Mitaharin Shevurin, he means that ...

1. ... first became Tamei, but they ...

2. ... broke - only after the first Haza'ah (with the ashes of the Parah Adumah) had already been performed (on the third day).

(b)The second Haza'ah may be performed - immediately, provided the K'li has been repaired ...

(c)... not before - because Haza'ah can only be done on a complete vessel.

(d)R. Eliezer follows the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who confines the Chumra of Tum'ah Yeshanah to vessels that became Tamei through a dead person, and was initiated purely so as not to circumvent the need for Mei Chatas (as we learned in the eleventh Perek).

13)

(a)R. Yehoshua rules that - even in this case, which is only a Chumra d'Rabbanan, the second Haza'ah cannot take place before the seventh day ...

(b)... because of the principle 'Kol d'Tikun Rabanan, ke'Ein d'Oraysa Tikun' (see Tos. Yom Tov).

(c)The Halachah is - like R. Yehoshua.

14)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses the Din of a broken key. A Mafte'ach shel ...

1. ... Arkuvah is - a key that is shaped like a bent 'Nun' (with a ridge similar to many of the modern keys [see Tos. Yom Tov DH 'Miftei'ach ... ' & 've'shel Gam']).

2. ... shel Gam - (a Greek Gamma), which is similar to an upside-down 'Nun' (see Tos. Yom Tov).

(b)The Tana Kama declares Tahor ...

1. ... the former - if the handle of the key broke away from the ridge.

2. ... the latter (though nobody disagrees with this - if it breaks away from the vertical part of the Gam.

(c)R. Yehudah declares it Tamei - because it can still be used to open and close the door from the inside.

(d)The Halachah is - like the Tana Kama.

15)

(a)The Mishnah rules that a dual-functional key (with both pins that fit into holes in the lock and holes that fit into pins in the lock), whose ...

1. ... pins have broken off - remains Tamei because of the holes.

2. ... holes have been stopped up - remains Tamei because of the pins.

(b)The key will become Tahor however (even if the holes are not stopped up) - if both the pins have broken off and the holes have broken into each other.

16)

(a)The Mishnah declares Tahor a mustard-strainer - when it has three holes in the bottom (the straining area) which have all joined to form one large hole.

(b)The Tana also declares Tamei the metal Afarcheis of a mill (see Tos. Yom Tov). Afarcheis is - the funnel (wide at the top, narrow at the base) which feeds the grain into the actual mill.