Keilim 17:16 - 17:17

קנה המאזנים (the beam of the balance) – The deceivers make it hollowed out and place in the hallowed out section, pure silver, and when they weigh it, it diverts/perverts the beam a bit and the live silver goes to the side of the thing that is being weighted and makes it heavy and overwhelms it.

והמחוק (an instrument for levelling a measure of grain/a strike) – that blots out the measurement when it is heaped up. But if they make it of gourds/cucumbers and similar things like it from the light things which lighten it and are bad for the seller, but if one makes of metal which makes it heavy and bad for the purchaser. But one makes it of olives and nuts and of box-tree/ebony tree. But the deceiver makes the instrument for levelling a measure of grain of olive and of hallowed out nuts, and when he sells it, he brings in metal in order that it would be made heavy, but when he purchases, he removes it.

והאסל (a carrying yoke – in which there is a hidden receptacle for money) – a balancing pole/staff that they carry it on the shoulder. But when there are many workers, after he has received his payment/compensation, he places the compensation in the receptacle that is in the balancing pole/staff, and states to the house owner (i.e., the boss), “You did not give me my compensation,” and when they search him, they don’t give attention to search there [in the carrying pole].

קנה של עני שיש בו בית קבול מים – and he drinks from them, and when they ask him if he tasted anything, he states, “I am fasting today.” But My Rabbis explained, a receptacle for water is a receptacle for liquids, and when he is busy [with his work] with the owner/the boss in the olive press, he steals from the oil there.

מקל שיש לו בית קיבול מזוזה ומרגליות – and they use them as such in order to steal in it the taxes/tolls.

אוי לי אם אומר – perhaps/lest that people learn from me to deceive [others].

אוי לי אם לא אומר – perhaps/lest the deceivers will say that the Sages are not experts in the work of our hands, and through this they will come to deceive even more. And why did he say [these things]? Because it is written (Hosea 14:10): “For the paths of the LORD are smooth; The righteous can walk on them, while sinners stumble on them.”

תחתית הצורפים (the goldsmith’s anvil) – those who smelter gold and silver, their bottoms/base are a vessel which is called a frame in which an anvil is set. And it is made to place within it silver and/or gold rubbish/broken ware. But that of a smith is not made to receive, and it is not made explicitly also for sitting.

משחזת (whetting implement of stone or wood) – of wood that they sharpen/whet the knives. And they make for it a receptacle for oil that they smear [the implements] with oil to sharpen them.

פנקס של שעוה – that the storekeeper has and the money changer that he writes upon it with a stylus/engraving tool.

קש – the tails of the ears of grain, and make mats out of them.

ושפופרת הקש – which is hollow and it has a receptacle.

רבי עקיבא מטמא – and even though its receptacle is small, for it is taught in the Mishnah above (see Tractate Kelim, Chapter 17, Mishnah 15), “that a person who makes a receptacle of any sort – it is ritually defiled.” And there is a difference of opinion if it is thing that is standing or not, for there is nothing unclean/defiled other than if it stands on its own. But Rabbi Akiva considers something that is standing, whereas Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri does not consider for himself something that is standing. But the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiva.

פקועות (bitter-apple/a gourd) – a desert gourd. But there are those who say, small, bitter melons. And their reed is hollow like the tube of straw.

חלף (rush/shoot) – it is a kind of grass and they make from it shoots/rush and mats. And they call it CHALFA in Arabic.

טהורה – from the ritual defilement of a reptile, but not from laying and sitting, for according to the Torah, if it is not made for overhanging boughs or twigs.

קנה שחתכו לקבלה – to place in it powder for painting the eye-lids/stibium.

הככי (pith/a web-like reed pith that has substance) – the white marrow that is withing the reed. But prior to this, the reed does no have susceptibility to receive defilement, and even according to the words of the Scribes.