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Mishnayos Chullin Perek 9 Mishnah 3

חולין פרק ט׳ משנה ג׳

3

The halakhic status of the hide of an animal after it was flayed is no longer like its flesh in terms of becoming impure and imparting impurity. Nevertheless, in the case of one who flays either a domesticated animal or an undomesticated animal; a ritually pure animal that was slaughtered properly and afterward came in contact with impurity, e.g., the one flaying it is impure, or a ritually impure unslaughtered carcass; a small animal, e.g., sheep, or a large animal, e.g., cattle; and even after flaying the animal’s hide is still partially attached to the flesh, the hide’s halakhic status remains that of flesh in some circumstances. These circumstances are: If he is flaying the animal for the purpose of using the hide as a carpet, a tablecloth, or to drape over a couch, in which case he would cut the hide along the length of the animal from head to tail and then remove the hide from both sides, its halakhic status remains that of flesh until he has flayed the measure of grasping the hide, i.e., two handbreadths. And if he is flaying the animal for the purpose of crafting a leather jug, in which case he cuts a circle near the animal’s neck and removes the hide in a downward movement, its halakhic status remains that of flesh until he flays the animal’s entire breast. In the case of one who seeks to fashion a jug and begins flaying from the legs, until he removes the animal’s hide in its entirety, the entire hide is considered as having a connection with the flesh and its halakhic status remains that of flesh with regard to impurity, i.e., with regard to becoming impure and with regard to imparting impurity. If one removed the entire hide except for the hide over the neck, Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri says: It is not considered to have a connection to the flesh, and the Rabbis say: It is considered to have a connection to the flesh until he removes the animal’s hide in its entirety, including the neck.

הַמַּפְשִׁיט בַּבְּהֵמָה וּבַחַיָּה, בַּטְּהוֹרָה וּבַטְּמֵאָה, בַּדַּקָּה וּבַגַּסָּה, לְשָׁטִיחַ, כְּדֵי אֲחִיזָה. וּלְחֵמֶת, עַד שֶׁיַּפְשִׁיט אֶת הֶחָזֶה. הַמַּרְגִּיל, כֻּלּוֹ חִבּוּר לַטֻּמְאָה, לִטָּמֵא וּלְטַמֵּא. עוֹר שֶׁעַל הַצַּוָּאר, רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן נוּרִי אוֹמֵר, אֵינוֹ חִבּוּר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, חִבּוּר, עַד שֶׁיַּפְשִׁיט אֶת כֻּלּוֹ:

ג׳
Bartenura

בטהורה ובטמאה – whether it (i.e., the animal – beast or wild animal) is ritually slaughtered as a pure animal and the one who flays it is impure, or whether it is a impure carrion and the one who flays it is pure, if he flays it to make from the hide a spread–mat, that is, a mattress to spread out on top of the bed or on top of a table, as for example, when he tears and severs the hide completely lengthwise from the head of the animal until its tail, and he begins to flay the hide, there would be a connecting handle to remove the defilement from the carrion if a pure individual comes in contact with the hide, to bring in the defilement to the meat if it is pure.

עד כדי אחיזה (enough for a hold [on the carcass]) – which are two handbreadths, but more than this it is not handle to bring in or to remove defilement, but if the meat is pure and defilement touched it with more than these two handbreadths, the meat was not defiled, but if the meat was carrion and something pure that is more than two handbreadths touched it, these did not defile the pure [meat].

ולחמת (waterskin) – if he did not sever the hide lengthwise from the beginning, but rather flays it double for the needs of the waterskin, he begins from the neck and turns it over towards its tail.

עד שיפשיט את החזה (until he will flay the breast) – which is the connector. And one who touches the hide is like one who touches the meat–skin – whether to become impure–contract uncleanness or whether to make impure–impart it, because the breast is the hardest to flay from all of the limbs.

המרגיל (one who flays the animal from the foot upwards (the entire skin is considered as connected with the flesh – as long as the process lasts – for purposes of Levitical uncleanness) – that he begins from the feet of the animal to flay and he flays it double for the needs of the waterskin.

כולו חבור – because e he breast is the end of his flaying. Therefore, it is all connected until the breast, and a person who touches the flayed hide, l=is like touching the skin–meat whether to impart uncleanness or to become unclean.

עור שעל הצואר – and it was flayed of itself. Therefore, it is not connected to do the first playing that is connected in the manner that the breast makes.

וחכמים אומרים וכו' – and the Halakha is according to the Sages.

בטהורה ובטמאה. בין שהיא טהורה שחוטה והמפשיט טמא, בין שהיא נבילה טמאה והמפשיט טהור, אם מפשיטו לעשות מן העור שטיח דהיינו מצע להציע על גבי המטה או על גבי שלחן, כגון שקורע וחותך העור כולו לארכו מראש הבהמה ועד זנבה, ומתחיל להפשיט העור, הוי חבור יד להוציא טומאה מן הנבילה אם נוגע אדם טהור בעור, ולהכניס טומאה לבשר אם טהורה היא:

עד כדי אחיזה. שהן שני טפחים. וטפי מהכי לא הוי יד להכניס ולהוציא טומאה, ואם הבשר טהור ונגעה טומאה ביותר משני טפחים אלו לא נטמא הבשר, ואם הבשר נבילה ונגע טהור ביותר משני טפחים הללו לא נטמא הטהור:

ולחמת. אם לא חתך העור מתחלה לארכו אלא מפשיטו כפול לצורך חמת, מתחיל מצואר והופכו כלפי זנבה:

עד שיפשיט את החזה. הוי חבור. והנוגע בעור כנוגע בבשר בין ליטמא בין לטמא. מפני שהחזה קשה להפשיט מכל האברים:

המרגיל. שמתחיל מרגלי הבהמה להפשיט ומפשיטו כפול לצורך חמת:

כולו חבור. מפני שהחזה לסוף הפשטו הוא לפיכך כולו חבור עד החזה, והנוגע בעור המופשט כנוגע בבשר בין ליטמא בין לטמא:

עור שעל הצואר. מעצמו נפשט, לפיכך אינו חבור לעשות המופשט הראשון חבור כדרך שהחזה עושה:

וחכמים אומרים וכו׳ והלכה כחכמים: