Mishnah Kelim 14:2-3

Sugya Map

• Issue: The criteria for metal object susceptibility (keli) when attached to or serving wood.
• Primary Sources: Mishnah Kelim 14:2-3, Tosefta Kelim Bava Metzia 3:15, Rambam, Commentary on the Mishnah, Kelim 14:2.
• Nafka Mina: Whether a metal component attached to a non-metal tool loses its independent identity as a keli.

Text Snapshot

Mishnah Kelim 14:2: "If it was once an independent vessel and then it was fixed to the staff, it remains susceptible to impurity. When does it become pure? Bet Shammai says: when it is damaged; And Bet Hillel says: when it is joined on."

• Leshon Nuance: The term mishchaber (joined on) implies a functional absorption into the structure of the wood, shifting the metal from being a "tool" to being "part of the furniture."

Readings

• Rambam (Comm. ad loc.): Explains that Bet Hillel’s threshold for purity is the moment the metal is integrated into the wood to serve an ornamental or structural purpose (e.g., a metal ring on a door). Once the metal "serves the wood," it ceases to be a keli in its own right.
• Tosafot Yom Tov: Navigates the Tosefta’s variant readings, noting that the stama (anonymous) Mishnah follows Rabbi Meir, who treats Bet Hillel’s "joined on" as a chumra (stricture) relative to the state of the metal, whereas other Tannaic traditions suggest more nuance regarding damage (chibul) versus connection.

Friction

• Kushya: If the metal was a functional keli before being attached, why does its attachment to wood negate its status? Does physical integration fundamentally alter halachic essence?
• Terutz: The principle of ha-metalleh ha-meshamesh et ha-etz (metal serving wood). According to Rambam, status is defined by primary utility. Once the object’s "servitude" shifts from independent utility to supporting the wood, the keli identity is nullified (batel).

Intertext

• Parallel: Mishnah Kelim 11:1 (General rules of keli susceptibility).
• SA/Responsa: The logic of batel here mirrors the discussion in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 308:3 regarding the status of functional components of tools on Shabbat.

Psak/Practice

The meta-psak heuristic here is functionalism: Kelim are defined by their capacity for independent use. When a component’s utility is subsumed by a larger, non-susceptible structure (wood), the metal loses its keli status.

Takeaway

Halachic identity is not just material; it is functional. A metal object that "serves the wood" ceases to be an independent vessel, regardless of its original manufacture.