Mishnah Kelim 15:6-16:1

Sugya Map

The legal architecture of Mishnah Kelim 15:6–16:1 operates at the intersection of two fundamental vectors in the laws of ritual purity: the ontology of a keli (vessel) and the functional classification of its auxiliaries (tashmish and shomer). The primary issues analyzed in this sugya are:

• The Receptacle Standard (Keli Kibul) vs. Flatness (Peshutim): Under biblical law, wooden, leather, bone, and glass vessels are only susceptible to impurity (tumah) if they possess a receptacle (receptaculi / kibul), as derived from the term "vessel" (keli) in Leviticus 11:32. Flat wooden vessels (peshutei klei etz) are biblically pure.
• The Volume Threshold of Forty Se'ah: Large-volume vessels (containing forty se'ah of liquid, equivalent to two kor of dry measure) represent a transition from "vessel" to "tent" (ohel). The sugya maps the dispute between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Judah regarding whether mobility (asuy le-taltel) strips these giant structures of their ohel status, rendering them susceptible to tumah.
• Auxiliaries (Tashmishei Kelim): The transition from the primary vessel to its hangers (tefeilah), cases (nerteik), and covers (kisuy).
• The Threshold of Completion (Gmar Melakha): Identifying the precise physical act (e.g., fishskin sanding, rim-rounding, stitching) that transitionally transforms raw material into a keli susceptible to tumah.

Nafka Mina (Halakhic Ramifications)

1. Susceptibility of Modern Utility Items: Determining if flat, open-sided shelves or hooks are susceptible to tumah.
2. The Definition of a Vessel for Handwashing (Netilat Yadayim): If a vessel lacks a kibul or is incomplete (gmar melakha is lacking), it cannot be used for washing Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 159:1.
3. The Metaphysical Status of Auxiliary Sacred Objects: Whether a cover of a holy scroll (tashmish kedushah) shares the status of the scroll itself.

Primary Sources

• Leviticus 11:32 — The biblical source for klei etz (wooden vessels).
• Mishnah Kelim 15:6 — The baseline classifications of large vessels, musical instruments, and the Sefer Azarah.
• Mishnah Kelim 16:1 — The completion thresholds for leather and wood, and the taxonomy of cases and covers.
• Shabbat 66a — The talmudic analysis of anaktamon (wooden legs/crutches).
• Pesachim 16a — The status of Temple liquids (mashkeh beit matbechaya).

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Text Snapshot

נבלי השרה טמאין, ונבלי בני לוי טהורין. כל המשקין טמאין, ומשקה בית מטבחיא טהורין. כל הספרים מטמאין את הידים, חוץ מספר העזרה. מרכוף של עץ טהור. הבטנון והאנקטמין והאירוס טמאין. ר׳ יהודה אומר, האירוס טמא מושב, מפני שהאלית יושבת עליו...

— Mishnah Kelim 15:6

Textual and Philological Nuances

• נבלי השרה (Navlei Ha-Sharah): The Tosafot Yom Tov emends the reading based on the Rash (Rabbeinu Shimshon mi-Sens), stating: "השרה... כמו השירה" — meaning "harps of song," referring to secular musical instruments used for standard performance, which are susceptible to tumah as klei shir. This stands in contrast to "נבלי בני לוי" (harps of the Levites), which are sanctified for Temple use and thus excluded from standard tumah laws.
• אנקטמין (Anaktamin): The Tosafot Yom Tov notes that this is a musical instrument shaped like a leg, which must be distinguished from the "אנקטמון" mentioned in Mishnah Shabbat 6:8. The latter is a wooden prosthetic used by an amputee, which is tahor from tumah because it serves merely as a support rather than a standard vessel.
• האירוס (Ha-Erus): A drum or tambourine. Rabbi Judah's assertion that it is "טמא מושב" (susceptible to midras/sitting impurity) hinges on the identification of the "אלית" (the wailing woman / mekonenet) who sits upon it during funeral dirges.

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Readings

The conceptual anatomy of our sugya contains three primary axes of analytical dispute among the Rishonim and Acharonim.

1. The Ontology of the Prosthetic: Anaktamin vs. Anaktamon

The Tosafot Yom Tov Tosafot Yom Tov on Mishnah Kelim 15:6:5 wrestles with a glaring contradiction between our Mishnah—which states that the anaktamin is susceptible to tumah—and the Mishnah in Mishnah Shabbat 6:8, which implies that a prosthetic wooden leg (anaktamon) is tahor from standard tumah of maga (contact), even if it might be susceptible to madrass (pressure).

"אנקטמין. פי' הר"ב מין כלי של נגון עשוי בצורת רגל... והיינו אנקטמון דתנן בפ"ו דשבת מ"ט אלא שאותו הוא צורת רגל עשוי למי שנחתכה רגלו. ודהכא הוא כלי נגון. ומש"ה אע"ג דשל הכא טמא דשל התם טהור."

The Rambam's Resolution

The Rambam Rambam on Mishnah Kelim 15:6:1 and the Tosafot Yom Tov resolve this by dividing the two terms semitically and functionally:

• The Anaktamin of Kelim 15:6 is an instrument of song (keli shir). Its shape mimics a leg, but its essence is musical. Because it is a functional instrument, it possesses the status of a keli and is susceptible to standard tumah.
• The Anaktamon of Shabbat 66a is a functional prosthetic for an amputee.

The Tosafot's Lomdishe Alternative

In Shabbat 66a s.v. ve-Katmon, the Tosafot (quoting Rabbeinu Yitzchak) propose a deeper conceptual distinction. Why should a prosthetic leg be tahor from madrass impurity if the amputee leans their full weight upon it?

The Ri explains that the prosthetic is only used to walk through muddy paths to avoid spoiling the real limb or clothing:

"כיון שאינה עשויה אלא ללכת דרך העברה בטיט: אינו טמא מדרס"

The cheftza (object) of the prosthetic is not defined as a "seat" or a "sole support" of the body; rather, it is a protective shield (shomer or tashmish) for the person's stump against dirt. Because its primary designation is protection rather than weight-bearing support, it lacks the ontological status of a מושב (seat) or משען (staff), rendering it tahor from madrass.

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2. The Mechanics of Auxiliary Susceptibility: Rabbi Yose’s Dual-Use Criterion

In Mishnah Kelim 16:1, Rabbi Yose formulates a foundational meta-rule of tashmishei kelim (vessel auxiliaries):

"כל המשמשין את הכלים בשעת מלאכה ושלא בשעת מלאכה, טמאין. ובשעת מלאכה בלבד, טהורין."

(All objects that serve as a protection to vessels that a man uses, both when the latter are in use and when they are not in use, are susceptible to impurity; but those that serve them as a protection only when the latter are in use are clean.)

The Rash mi-Sens’ Reading

The Rash Rash on Mishnah Kelim 16:1 explains that this distinction hinges on whether the auxiliary object has an independent existence (cheftza bifnei azmo).

• If an object protects the primary vessel both during use and during storage (such as a sheath for a sword or a leather case for a tablet), it is considered an independent vessel of storage. It does not merely serve the action; it serves the object itself. Hence, it is susceptible to tumah as a keli kibul (receptacle) in its own right.
• If it only protects the vessel during its active operation (such as a glove worn by a blacksmith or a winnower to protect against heat or friction), it is completely subordinate to the physical act (tashmish melakha). It has no independent storage utility. Because it is absorbed into the gavra's (person's) action, it does not achieve the independent status of a keli, rendering it tahor.

The Chazon Ish’s Chiddush (Kelim 27)

The Chazon Ish refines this concept. He asks: why should an item that only functions during work be tahor? Surely, the moment of work is the peak of the vessel’s utility!

He explains that tumah requires a vessel to be a "finished utensil of utility" (keli ma'aseh). An object that functions only during the active labor is not serving the vessel; it is serving the man doing the labor (משמש את האדם). A glove worn by a blacksmith protects the hand of the blacksmith, not the hammer. Conversely, a sword sheath protects the sword itself from rusting while idle.

Therefore, "שלא בשעת מלאכה" (not during the time of work) is the litmus test: if it protects the item during rest, it serves the vessel (משמש את הכלי). If it only functions during the work, it serves the human worker (משמש את האדם), and human-service items that lack a classic receptacle are tahor.

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3. The Metaphysical Exemption of Temple Vessels: Navlei Bnei Levi and Sefer Azarah

The Mishnah states that the harps of the Levites (navlei bnei levi) and the Torah scroll of the Temple courtyard (Sefer Azarah) are tahor, whereas ordinary harps and ordinary scrolls are tamei.

Rambam’s Rationalization of Sefer Azarah

The Rambam Rambam on Mishnah Kelim 15:6:1 explains the rabbinic decree that "all holy scrolls render the hands impure" (gzerat yadayim):

"וטעם היות הספרים מטמאים את הידים הוא גזרה כדי שלא ישימו התרומה אצלם... ולא יחייבו זאת הגזרה לספר העזרה לפי שבכבודו המפורסם ממנו לא ישימו אצלו תרומה."

The rabbinic decree was enacted to prevent Kohanim from storing food of terumah alongside holy scrolls, which attracted mice that would gnaw on both the food and the sacred parchment. To prevent this desecration, the Sages declared that touching a holy scroll imparts rabbinic impurity to the hands, which would in turn disqualify any terumah they touched.

However, the Sefer Azarah (the master scroll kept in the Temple Sanctuary) was treated with such extraordinary awe and security that there was zero concern that anyone would place common terumah food near it. Where the reason for the decree (t'ama de-gzerah) is utterly inapplicable due to the intrinsic sanctity of the site, the Sages did not apply their decree.

The Ra'avad’s Conceptual Split on Temple Instruments

Why are the Levites' harps (navlei bnei levi) tahor?

• The Ra'avad Ra'avad on Rambam Hilkhot Kelim 1:14 argues that Temple vessels are categorically excluded from the laws of tumah because they are owned by the public (klei hekdesh / tzibbur), and the Torah states "your vessels" Leviticus 11:32, excluding sanctified public property.
• The Rash argues a different angle: the Levites' harps were structurally different, made without a standard receptacle (peshutim), or were permanently affixed to the Temple structure, which conceptually integrates them into the floor of the Temple (ka'ka d'heichala), which is immune to tumah.

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Friction

The Clash: The Impurity of the Wailing Woman's Drum (Erus)

The Mishnah states:

"הבטנון והאנקטמין והאירוס טמאין. ר׳ יהודה אומר, האירוס טמא מושב, מפני שהאלית יושבת עליו."

(The belly-lute, the anaktamin, and the erus are susceptible to impurity. Rabbi Judah says: the erus is susceptible to sitting impurity [midras], since the wailing woman sits on it.)

The Kushya

The Sages rule that the erus (tambourine/drum) is susceptible to standard tumah (as a wooden vessel), but not to midras (pressure/sitting) impurity. Rabbi Judah argue that it is susceptible to midras because the wailing woman (alit) sits on it during her lamentations.

The Gemara's baseline rule for midras susceptibility is: "מי שייחדו לכך"—an object must be specifically designated or designed for sitting, lying, or riding Shabbat 59a. If an object's primary function is non-sitting (e.g., a musical instrument), and someone occasionally sits on it, it does not contract midras impurity unless they actively converted its primary structural purpose (yichud).

How can Rabbi Judah argue that the wailing woman's casual act of sitting on a drum during a funeral transforms the drum into a cheftza of sitting (moshav)? Furthermore, how can the Sages disagree if it is common practice for these women to sit on them?

The Terutz of the Tosafot Yom Tov

The Tosafot Yom Tov Tosafot Yom Tov on Mishnah Kelim 15:6:7, quoting the Maharam of Rothenburg, offers a psychological-functional resolution:

"ונ"ל שמרוב צער יושבת עליו להראות סימן אשר בשיר לא ישתו יין עוד. על כן יושבת על כלי שיר."

The act of sitting on the drum is not an accidental or casual choice of seating; it is an expressive, symbolic act of mourning. By sitting on the instrument of music, the wailing woman physicalizes the verse: "They shall no longer drink wine with song" Isaiah 24:9.

• According to Rabbi Judah: Because sitting on the drum is a structured, standard part of the mourning performance, the drum has been functionally designated (nitnayachad) as a seat for this specific role. The performance itself defines the drum's objective utility.
• According to the Sages: Despite the symbolic nature of the act, the drum’s physical form is designed to produce sound. Symbolic utility does not override physical engineering. Because its physical design is for music, and sitting on it actually dampens or risks breaking its skin, it cannot be classified as a functional seat. Hence, it remains tahor from midras.

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The Paradox of Mashkeh Beit HaMatbechaya (Temple Slaughterhouse Liquids)

Our Mishnah states:

"כל המשקין טמאין, ומשקה בית מטבחיא טהורין."

(All liquids are susceptible to impurity, but the liquids in the Temple slaughtering house are clean.)

The Kushya

This statement is highly problematic. According to biblical law, liquids (mashkin) contract tumah and transmit it with great severity. How can the liquids in the Temple slaughterhouse (the blood of sacrifices and the water used to wash the courtyard) be categorically "clean"?

If this is a rabbinic suspension of tumah to prevent the Temple service from grinding to a halt (shvut be-Mikdash), why does the Mishnah state it as an absolute ontological reality ("טהורין" - they are clean)? If it is a biblical exemption, where is it derived from?

The Terutz of the Gemara (Pesachim 16a-b)

The Gemara in Pesachim 16a records a dispute between Rav and Shmuel regarding the nature of this purity:

"משקה בית מטבחיא דכן... הילכתא גמירי לה."

1. The Halakha Le-Moshe Mi-Sinai Approach: The purity of the slaughterhouse liquids is a Halakha Le-Moshe Mi-Sinai (a Sinaitic tradition). It is a biblical exception.
2. The Functional Definition of "Purity": The Gemara explains that "pure" (d'chen) in this context means two things:
   • They do not contract tumah themselves.
   • Crucially: They do not make other foods susceptible to tumah (ein makhshirin). Under biblical law Leviticus 11:38, dry foodstuff cannot contract tumah until it has been intentionally wetted by one of the seven liquids (hekhsher). The blood and water of the Temple slaughterhouse do not trigger this susceptibility.

The Tosafot Yom Tov Tosafot Yom Tov on Mishnah Kelim 15:6:2 references Mishnah Eduyot 8:4, where Yosef ben Yoezer of Tzreidah testified that the Temple slaughterhouse liquids are permanently pure.

This is a structural design of the Mikdash: the entire Temple courtyard is conceptually modeled as dry land (yabasha). The liquids running through it are halakhically non-existent regarding the laws of tumah, ensuring that the meat of the sacrifices (kodashim) never becomes disqualified through accidental contact with minor impurities.

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Intertext

The conceptual boundary of what constitutes a "vessel" (keli) and its "auxiliary case" (nerteik) directly governs the contemporary laws of Tashmishei Kedushah (accessories to holiness) in the Shulchan Aruch.

The Halakhic Parallel: Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 282 & Orach Chayim 154

In Mishnah Kelim 16:1, we learned:

"זה הכלל: העשוי לנרתיק, טמא; והעשוי לכיסוי, טהור."

(This is the general rule: that which serves as a case is susceptible to uncleanness, but that which is merely a covering is clean.)

This distinction between a "Case" (Nerteik) and a "Covering" (Kisuy) is imported directly into the laws governing the sanctity of Torah scroll cases and Mezuzah covers.

"תיק של ספר תורה... הוא תשמיש קדושה, ונגנז עמו. אבל מטפחות שפורסים על התיבות... אינם אלא תשמיש דתשמיש."

— Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 154:3

Concept in Kelim (Purity)	Concept in Orach Chayim (Sanctity)	Halakhic Mechanism
Nerteik (Case): Susceptible to tumah because it structurally houses and conforms to the shape of the object.	Tashmish Kedushah (Direct Accessory): Absorbs the actual holiness of the scroll; must be buried and cannot be discarded.	The case and the object form a singular functional unit.
Kisuy (Cover/Wrap): Tahor from tumah because it merely drapes over or covers the object externally.	Tashmish d'Tashmish (Secondary Accessory): Does not absorb intrinsic holiness; may be discarded or repurposed once worn out.	The cover remains structurally independent of the primary object.

This parallel demonstrates a deep conceptual consistency in Chazal's thought: structural integration (nerteik) creates halakhic identity transfer, whereas external protection (kisuy) preserves halakhic separation. Just as a kisuy is too detached to contract tumah from its vessel, it is too detached to absorb kedushah from its scroll.

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Psak / Practice

How do these abstract parameters of Kelim materialize in modern halakhic decision-making?

1. The Vessel Requirement for Handwashing (Netilat Yadayim)

According to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 159:1, the water for washing hands before meals must be poured from a "vessel" (keli).

The Shulchan Aruch rules:

• A vessel that cannot stand on its own without support (אינו יכול לעמוד שלא מסומך) is not classified as a keli. This is derived directly from the laws of Kelim regarding whether a rounded-bottom basket or flask has been finished (gmar melakha).
• If a cup has a crack that cannot hold liquid, it is "broken" (nishbar) and loses its vessel status, rendering it unfit for Netilat Yadayim. This directly applies our Mishnah’s rule: "If they are broken they become clean again" Mishnah Kelim 15:6 — physical damage that strips an object of its tumah susceptibility simultaneously strips it of its utility for mitzvot.

"כל כלי שאינו מחזיק רביעית... או שהוא נקוב... אין נוטלים ממנו לידים, שאינו קרוי כלי."

— Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 159:1

2. The Meta-Psak Heuristic: Ma'aseh (Action) vs. Yichud (Intent)

Our Mishnah states that if a bedmaker decides not to sand the wood with fishskin, the bed becomes susceptible to tumah immediately:

"ואם חשב עליהם שלא לשוף, טמאין."

— Mishnah Kelim 16:1

This establishes a fundamental halakhic principle: Intent (machshava) can accelerate physical completion (gmar melakha).

• If a manufacturer intends to perform further processing, the item is legally "incomplete" and tahor.
• If the owner decides to halt production and use the item as-is, their mental resolution (yichud) instantly transforms the incomplete object into a finished keli.

This heuristic is used by contemporary poskim to determine when industrial plastic molds or unfinished 3D-printed items become subject to the laws of Tevilat Kelim (immersion of vessels purchased from non-Jews). If the consumer intends to sand down or modify the 3D print, it is not yet a keli; the moment they decide to use it in its raw state, it instantly becomes a keli requiring immersion.

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Takeaway

A vessel's halakhic identity is defined not by its material mass, but by its functional subordination to human design; when intent halts production or design defines utility, raw matter instantly crystallizes into a keli.