Study Shabbat folio 14B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
כיון דהך גזור ברישא, הא תו למה לי? אלא הך גזור ברישא, והדר גזור בכולהו ידים.
once they decreed that first, why do I need that decree of impurity on hands that touch a sacred scroll as well? Once the rabbis decreed impurity on hands in general, there is no longer a necessity to decree impurity on hands that touched a Torah scroll, as hands are impure in any case. Rather, certainly the rabbis decreed impurity on this, hands that touched a Torah scroll, first. And then they decreed impurity on all hands.
וטבול יום — טבול יום דאורייתא הוא, דכתיב: ״ובא השמש וטהר״! סמי מכאן טבול יום.
Among the decrees listed in the Mishnah, there is the decree that contact with one who immersed himself during the day disqualifies teruma. The Talmud asks: One who immersed himself during the day transmits impurity by Torah law, as it is written: “One who touches it remains impure until evening. He should not eat of the consecrated items and he must wash his flesh with water. And the sun sets and it is purified. Afterward, he may eat from the teruma, for it is his bread” (Leviticus 22:6–7). Consequently, until sunset he is prohibited by Torah law from touching consecrated items, and the same is true for teruma. The Talmud answers: Delete from here, from the list of decrees in the Mishnah, one who immersed himself during the day.
והאוכלין שנטמאו במשקין — במשקין דמאי? אילימא במשקין הבאין מחמת שרץ — דאורייתא נינהו, דכתיב: ״וכל משקה אשר ישתה״. אלא במשקין הבאין מחמת ידים, וגזירה משום משקין הבאין מחמת שרץ.
And among the decrees that were listed, there is also the decree concerning the impurity of the foods that became impure through contact with liquids. The Talmud asks: With liquids that became impure due to contact with what source of impurity? If you say that the Mishnah is referring to liquids that come to be impure due to contact with a creeping animal, they are impure by Torah law, as it is written with regard to the impurity of creeping animals: “And every liquid that is drunk in any vessel, will be impure” (Leviticus 11:34). Rather, the Mishnah is referring to liquids that come to be impure due to contact with impure hands. The rabbis issued this decree due to liquids that come to be impure through contact with a creeping animal.