Keilim 4:1 - 4:2

החרס שאינו יכול לעמוד – such as a shard that separates from the jug or from the pot in the place of the ear/handle, and it is not able to stand without support because of the weight of the ear/handle that makes it heavy and outweighs it, or because it had in it a pointed knob which is sharp at its bottom and it cannot sit [straight] without being supported.

נטלה האוזן טהור – for an earthenware vessel that is pure for one hour, it furthermore will not ever have defilement.

ור' יהודה מטמא – for he doesn’t hold this reasoning.

או שנחלקה –[or that was split] lengthwise like two troughs, and is unable to sit on its bottom other than on its sides.

רבי יהודה מטהר – for Rabbi Yehuda holds that as it is taught in the Mishnah (Tractate Kelim, Chapter 2, Mishnah 2): “The smallest/thinnest of earthenware vessels that sits without supports are impure, that is from the rims and not from the sides, that there needs to be a shard of the of the vessel sitting on its rim in the manner that it sits when it is whole.

וחכמים מטמאין – for they hold that vessels that are made to set them on their sides periodically.

ואינה יכולה להטלטל בחצי קב גרוגרות – because it is cracked/broken, and the dried figs weigh down upon the broken parts completely while being carried. And therefore, its measure is one-half-of-a-Kab, which is the measure of one meal. For a Kab of dried figs is the measure for two meals as it is proven at the end of the Tractate Peah (Chapter 8, Mishnah 5): “[When dispensing poor man’s tithe], they may give to the por at the threshing floor no less than…one Kab of dried figs.” But everything that is not worthy to carry in it the measure of one meal is like something that is broken.

גיסטרא (see Tractate Kelim, Chapter 2, Mishnah 6 – something defective/broken) – an earthenware vessel that is split into two, and it becomes two sides.

שאין שיריים לשיריים – we have compassion upon a complete vessel and because of a small crack, we don’t pour into it [liquids] and we bring the remnants of the vessel, that is the shards of a vessel and place them underneath it. But the shards of a vessel when it is cracked it releases liquid we throw it out, for we don’t say: bring a shard of one vessel to place underneath the shard of this vessel.