1)

(a)A Kadar is - a potter.

(b)The Tana Kama rules that if a Kadar (Chaver) leaves earthenware pots in the R'shus ha'Rabim to go and take a drink (see Tos. Yom-Tov) - the inner ones are Tahor, whereas the outer ones are Tamei.

(c)Inner in this context means - those that are nearest to the middle of the street, and outer - those are nearest to the side of the street.

(d)We suspect that - the clothes of an Am ha'Aretz (which are considered Tamei) walking along the side of the street may have entered the airspace of the outer row of pots as he passed (Tiferes Yisrael [see also Tos. Yom-Tov]).

2)

(a)R. Yossi qualifies the Tana Kama's ruling, confining it to single pots, but not to where the pots are tied together - because, he claims, if they are tightly packed together, the Am ha'Aretz's clothes are unlikely to have entered the airspace of the pots (see Tiferes Yisrael).

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

(c)The Mishnah now rules that if a Chaver hands the key of his house to an Am ha'Aretz - the Keilim in his house remain Tahor.

(d)We do not suspect the Am ha'Aretz of entering the house and touching them - because since he was only given the keys to look after, he will be afraid to enter the house, in case the owner catches him.

3)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses a case where one takes leave of an Am ha'Aretz in a room and returns a short while later. R. Meir declares the Keilim in the room, if he either left the Am ha'Aretz ...

1. ... awake and finds him awake, asleep and finds him asleep, or awake and finds him asleep - Tahor.

2. ... asleep and finds him awake - Tamei ...

(b)... due to the inquisitive nature of a person, who wants to examine something that he has not seen before, as in the latter case, but not in the former.

(c)The Chachamim qualify R. Meir's latter ruling - by confining it to as far as his hand reaches, but not beyond.

4)

(a)In the same case but where the Am ha'Aretz is a laborer - R. Meir and the Chachamim respectively rule as they did in the earlier case.

(b)Rebbi sees fit to repeat the Machlokes - because laborers tend to take more liberties, and we may therefore have thought that the Chachamim will concede to R. Meir that the all the Keilim in the room are Tamei.

(c)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim in both cases.

5)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses the case of the wife of a Chaver who gives permission to the wife of an Am ha'Aretz (see Tos. Yom-Tov) to grind in her house. Everything in the house is considered Tamei - from the moment she stops grinding.

(b)Prior to that - only whatever is within reach is Tamei ...

(c)... because she is too busy grinding to take an inspection trip round the house (see Tos. Yom-Tov DH 'Paskah ha'Rechayim').

6)

(a)The same ruling will apply - even if the wife of the Am ha'Aretz claims that she is Tahor, since an Am ha'Aretz together with his family are considered Tamei, until they accept Chavrus in Beis-Din (with all that it entails).

(b)In a case where the wife of the Chaver allows two wives of Amei-ha'Aretz to grind - R. Meir declares everything in the house, Tamei ...

(c)... because whilst one of the women grinds, the other one walks round the house inspecting.

(d)The Chachamim - draw no distinction between one woman and two.

(e)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim.

7)

(a)Now the Mishnah discusses a Chaver who places an Am ha'Aretz in his house to guard it. The Tana rules that all the food, drinks and open K'lei Cheres - are immediately Tamei ...

(b)... but the Mishkavos and Moshavos - only if he (the owner) cannot see the people who leave and enter the house (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(c)He also includes in this list - earthenware vessels whose lids is sealed shut ...

(d)... because we are afraid that a Nochri or a woman who is a Nidah entered and sat down on them.

8)

(a)The above Chumra - extends to where he can see the person who enters when he is standing but not when he is sitting ...

(b)... and it applies even if the guard is bound hand and foot, so that he can neither touch anything in the house nor sit on it.

(c)The items on the latter list are not Tamei even in the Reisha - because the Rabbinical Tum'ah pertaining to an Am ha'Aretz is confined to touching, and does not extend to Mishkav and Moshav or to Heset and Medras (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

9)

(a)The Mishnah rules that if the Gaba'im - Jewish tax-collectors (who are Amei-ha'Aretz) enter one's house to take a security, everything in the house (this will be explained shortly) becomes Tamei.

(b)If they claim ...

1. ... that they did not enter the house - they are believed, and the same applies if they claim ...

2. ... that they entered but did not touch anything.

(c)If they are accompanied by a Nochri - then in the latter case, they are not believed ...

(d)... because they are afraid of being punished in the event that they do not examine all the vessels in the house (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

10)

(a)If thieves entered one's house - the Tana declares Tamei all the rooms that they entered (see Tiferes Yisrael).

(b)Assuming they are not accompanied by a Nochri - all food and drink, and unsealed earthenware vessels become Tamei ...

(c)... whereas Mishkavos and Moshavos, sealed earthenware vessels remain Tahor.

(d)If however, they are accompanied by a Nochri or a woman - then everything is Tamei, (because the woman may have been a Nidah (see Tos. Yom-Tov) and the Nochri has the Din of of a Zav (mi'de'Rabbanan [which an Am ha'Aretz does not have) who is Metamei what he touches, moves, sits or lies on.

11)

(a)R. Elazar ben Azaryah declares Tahor clothes that one leaves on the window-sill of Odyarin - the room of the bath-attendants ...

(b)... because, once he locks the door outside the window-sill (see also Tiferes Yisrael), we are not afraid that a Tamei person may have touched it from the inside, since he is afraid that he may get caught in the act.

(c)The Chachamim declare him Tamei unless he gives the bath-attendant the key, in spite of the fact that the latter is himself an Am-ha'Aretz - as we learned at the beginning of the Perek, that if one hands one's key to the owner, the house is Tahor (since he to, would not dare enter).

(d)His clothes remain Tahor if the bath-attendant gives him a Chosam - a seal to lock the outer door (see Tiferes Yisrael) or if he makes a Siman to ascertain that nobody touched the clothes.

(e)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim.

12)

(a)The Mishnah rules that the Tahor Keilim which a Kohen deposits with an Am ha'Aretz - from whom he purchases Terumah wine, from one year to the next, remain Tahor.

(b)If in place of the Kohen, the purchaser is a Yisrael who is particular to eat his Chulin be'Taharah - they are Tamei ...

(c)... because whereas the Am ha'Aretz will be afraid to touch the Kohen's Keilim, he will not be afraid to touch those of a Yisrael, even if he prepares his wine be'Taharah.

13)

(a)Alternatively, the Tana is drawing a distinction (not between a Kohen and a Yisrael, but) between a Nochri and a Yisrael. The Keilim will be ...

1. ... Tahor in the case of a Nochri - because he will not dare touch them, since that will cause him a big loss, seeing as it will render all his wine Yayin Nesech.

2. ... Tamei in the case of a Yisrael - because we are afraid that he may have touched them.

(b)The Keilim will be Tahor however, even if the owner deposits them with a Yisrael - if the owner keeps a lookout over them.

14)

(a)R. Yehudah declares Tahor a Kohen who was Tahor for Terumah at the time of eating, and who is then Masi'ach Da'as (takes his mind off) from eating any more Terumah - because the Teme'im who know that he is Tahor, remain careful not to touch him.

(b)The Chachamim - declare him Tamei once he is Masi'ach Da'as' from eating Terumah (see Tos. Yom-Tov).

(c)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim.

15)

(a)The Mishnah rules that if someone whose hands are Tahor at the time of eating then claims that even after he finished his meal they did not become Tamei - he is not believed ...

(b)... because hands move around inadvertently and touch things and locations that are not clean (and that therefore require washing [see Tos. Yom-Tov]).

(c)Consequently - they will render Tamei Terumah which they touch.

(d)R. Yehudah agrees with this ruling.

16)

(a)The Tana now discusses two similar scenarios; one where the wife of a Chaver enters the house to fetch a loaf for a poor man, and when she emerges with the loaf she finds him standing beside loaves of Terumah; the other - where she emerges from her house to find another woman (the wife of an Am ha'Aretz) stoking coals underneath a pot containing Terumah.

(b)R. Akiva declares the loaves and the pot, Tamei, the Chachamim - Tahor (see Tiferes Yisrael).

(c)R. Elazar ben Pila attributes R. Akiva's ruling (in the latter case) to the greed of women (as a result of which the woman stoking the pot will have most likely been tempted to open the pot to see what's cooking, and if it is to her liking, to have had a quick taste, in spite of the risk of getting caught).

(d)The ramifications of his reason, says the Tos. Yom-Tov are that - in the case of the poor man, R. Akiva will concede to the Tana Kama that the loaves are Tahor (in the opinion of R. Elazar ben Pila).

(e)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim.