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Text Excerpt
ואמר רב: אישתבש כהני. מידי הוא טעמא אלא לרב? רב ״משקי בית מטבחיא״ תני, אבל משקי בי מדבחיא — מטמא.
And Rav said: The priests erred in this regard, as those substances are actually impure. This source indicates that along with the meat, the stew, wine, and oil, which are liquids, also become ritually impure. The Talmud rejects this proof. This difficulty is reasonable only according to Rav, and Rav teaches that the testimony of Yosei ben Yo’ezer was that the liquids of the slaughterhouse, blood and water associated with the slaughter of offerings, do not become ritually impure. However, Rav agrees that the liquids of the chamber of the altar, wine and oil that accompany the offering on the altar, can become impure. The rabbinic decree that liquids can become impure is not in effect with regard to the liquids of the Temple slaughterhouse, but it is in effect with regard to the liquids offered on the altar. Therefore, the liquids listed by Haggai can become impure and transmit impurity by rabbinic law.
גופא, רב אמר: אישתבש כהני, ושמואל אמר: לא אישתבש כהני.
Apropos Rav’s statement with regard to Haggai’s exchange with the priests, the Talmud discusses the matter itself. Rav said: The priests erred, as they should have said the oil is rendered impure. And Shmuel said: The priests did not err.
The Talmud elaborates: Rav said that the priests erred, as Haggai raised the dilemma before them whether or not consecrated items become impure with 4th-degree ritual impurity. The question in the verse pertains to the following case: One is carrying a dead creeping animal in the corner of his garment and bread comes into contact with it, conferring upon the bread 1st-degree ritual impurity status; and stew comes in contact with the bread, conferring upon the stew 2nd-degree ritual impurity status; and wine comes in contact with the stew, conferring upon the wine 3rd-degree ritual impurity status; and oil comes into contact with the wine. The question is: In that case, does the wine confer upon the oil 4th-degree ritual impurity? And when the priests said to him that it is pure, they erred. In fact, the oil is disqualified with 4th-degree ritual impurity, because it is a consecrated item.