1. Lets give an intro to understand the 18 decrees of beis Shammai and beis Hillel. By Torah law, a person or vessel does not become tamei from a secondary Tumah. (Dead body is avi avos hatumah, contact with dead body makes av hatumah. Then something with contact with that becomes a rishon. That’s the farthest tumah can extend to a person. Or, for example, a dead animal or rodent is an av hatumah, and a person who touches it will be a rishon.) Avi Avos- dead body Av hatumah- someone is contact with dead body. A dead animal. A dead rodent. Nidda, Zav, Métzorah- even their spit. Rishon- something in contact with an av. (Could be person, vessel, food, or drink) Sheini- food or drink in contact with a rishon Shelishi- (only by Terumah or kodshim)- food in contact with a sheini Revii- (only by kodshim)- food in contact with a shelishi.

There is one scenario from the Torah of a person being like a “sheini” in the sense that they can invalidate Terumah with their touch. A “tevul yom”- a Kohen who immersed in a mikveh but is waiting for nightfall to become completely pure.

1. However, the Rabbis decreed as the first of the 18 decrees that if a person eats tamei foods (either rishon or sheini) they become like a Sheini and any Terumah they touch would become invalid. The same is true for a person who drinks tamei liquids.

The reason for this decree is bc of the scenario where a person was eating a tamei food, and while it was in his moth, he took a drink of Terumah wine. The wine would become invalid inside his mouth when it makes contact with the tamei food. To guard against this, the rabbis simply said if you eat tamei food you are tamei and then there’s no possibility that he would drink Terumah wine.

1. Additionally, the Rabbis said that liquids that become tamei always become a rishon and not less. (Liquids have higher vulnerability to tumah and therefore they are always rishon.) When a tamei liquid touches a vessel, the Rabbis said the vessel becomes tamei. The reason for this decree is bc the spit of a metzorah or nidda is actually an av hatumah and can contaminate a vessel. So the rabbis Added that any tamei liquid can contaminate a vessel.

2. Someone who takes a bath (drawn water) after immersing in Mikveh or a Tahor person who takes a shower with drawn water becomes tamei. The reason for this decree is that people used to take baths after immersing in smelly mikveh waters and eventually the mistake was made that the bath is really the source of purity and not the mikveh.

3. A holy scroll is a sheini- so any Terumah that touches it would become invalid. The reason for this is they used to keep Terumah by their scrolls. (Both were holy!) mice would come to the food and eat away at the scrolls as well, so the rabbis said the scrolls are tamei to keep away Terumah from the scrolls.

4. Hands are automatically a Sheini until they are washed. Originally, Shlomo Hamelech instituted this rule for Kodshim. We’re concerned there may be something dirty on ones hands that will make the food repulsive and one won’t eat the kodshim and it will go to waste. So Shlomo said one’s hands are tamei and that forces washing. Shammai and Hillel added this law for Terumah as well. It wasn’t accepted though until their disciples legislated it once again.

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20 Mar 2020