Translation:Mishnah/Seder Moed/Tractate Pesachim/Chapter 1/6

Introduction
Mishnah 1:7 will address the question of whether they could permissibly burn clean leavened loaves of bread of an offering along with unclean loaves. Prefatory to that discussion, Mishnah 1:6 addresses two situations that Rabbi Meir considered analogous.

In the Babylonian Talmud, the discussion of Mishnah 1:6 begins on Pesachim 14a.

Hebrew Text

 * רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים, אוֹמֵר
 * מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים,
 * לֹא נִמְנְעוּ מִלִּשְׂרֹף אֶת הַבָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בִּוְלַד הַטֻּמְאָה
 * עִם הַבָּשָׂר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בְּאַב הַטֻּמְאָה,
 * אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמּוֹסִיפִין טֻמְאָה עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ.


 * הוֹסִיף רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְאָמַר:
 * מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים,
 * לֹא נִמְנְעוּ מִלְּהַדְלִיק אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶן שֶׁנִּפְסַל בִּטְבוּל יוֹם
 * בְּנֵר שֶׁנִּטְמָא בִּטְמֵא מֵת,
 * אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמּוֹסִיפִין טֻמְאָה עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ.

English Translation

 * Rabbi Chanina, the chief of staff of the priests, says:
 * During [all] the days of [the] priests,
 * they never refrained from burning [sacrificial] meat that had become unclean by a secondary uncleanness
 * [along] with [sacrificial] meat that had become unclean by a primary uncleanness,
 * even though they were adding uncleanness to its uncleanness.


 * Rabbi Akiva added and said:
 * During [all] the days of [the] priests,
 * they never refrained from lighting oil that had become unfit by [contact with] one who had ritually immersed that day
 * in a lamp that had become unclean by one who had become unclean by a corpse,
 * even though they were adding uncleanness to its uncleanness.



Explanation
one who had ritually immersed that day: This refers to an individual who had the status of primary uncleanness, and then immersed in a ritual bath. His uncleanness is not entirely removed until the sun sets that day. This is derived from the verse: "The sun shall come in, and he shall be clean; afterward he may eat of the holies, for that is his food." (Leviticus 22:7). Any priestly gifts that he touches during this time acquire tertiary uncleanness.

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