רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בָּבָא הֵעִיד חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים. שֶׁמְּמָאֲנִים אֶת הַקְּטַנּוֹת, וְשֶׁמַּשִּׂיאִין אֶת הָאִשָּׁה עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד, וְשֶׁנִּסְקַל תַּרְנְגוֹל בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם עַל שֶׁהָרַג אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, וְעַל הַיַּיִן בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם שֶׁנִּתְנַסֵּךְ עַל גַּב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וְעַל תָּמִיד שֶׁל שַׁחַר שֶׁקָּרַב בְּאַרְבַּע שָׁעוֹת: Rabbi Judah ben Bava testified concerning five things:That women who are minors are made to declare an annulment of their marriage; That a woman is allowed to re-marry on the evidence of one witness; That a rooster was stoned in Jerusalem because it had killed a human being; And about wine forty days old, that it was used as a libation on the altar; And about the morning tamid offering, that it is offered at the fourth hour.
הֵעִיד רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא בֶּן אֱלִינָתָן אִישׁ כְּפַר הַבַּבְלִי, עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַמֵּת שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא, שֶׁרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, וַהֲלֹא קַל וָחֹמֶר. וּמַה מִן הַחַי שֶׁהוּא טָהוֹר, אֵבֶר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ טָמֵא, הַמֵּת שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אֵבֶר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ טָמֵא. אָמַר לָהֶם, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי. דָּבָר אַחֵר, מְרֻבָּה טֻמְאַת הַחַיִּים מִטֻּמְאַת הַמֵּתִים, שֶׁהַחַי עוֹשֶׂה מִשְׁכָּב וּמוֹשָׁב מִתַּחְתָּיו, לְטַמֵּא אָדָם וּלְטַמֵּא בְגָדִים, וְעַל גַּבָּיו מַדָּף לְטַמֵּא אֳכָלִים וּמַשְׁקִין, מַה שֶּׁאֵין הַמֵּת מְטַמֵּא: Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Nehunia ben Elinathan, a man of Kefar Habavli, testified concerning a limb [separated] from a corpse that it is impure; whereas Rabbi Eliezer says: they declared [this] only of a limb from a living [man]. They said to him: is not there an inference from the minor to the major (kal vehomer): If in the case of a living man [who is himself pure] a limb severed from him is impure, how much more in the case of a corpse [which is itself impure] should a limb severed from it be impure! He said to them: they have [nevertheless] declared it only of a limb from a living man. Another answer: The impurity of living men is greater than the impurity of corpses, because a living man causes that on which he lies and sits to become capable of making impure a man and clothing, and [he causes also] what is over him to transfer impurity to foods and liquids- which is defilement that a corpse does not cause.
כַּזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֵבָר מִן הַחַי, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְטַמֵּא, וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא מְטַהֲרִים. עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֵבָר מִן הַחַי, רַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא מְטַמֵּא, וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מְטַהֲרִין. אָמְרוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, מָה רָאִיתָ לְטַמֵּא כַזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֵבָר מִן הַחַי. אָמַר לָהֶם, מָצִינוּ אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי כְּמֵת שָׁלֵם. מַה הַמֵּת, כַּזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ טָמֵא, אַף אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי, כַּזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ יִהְיֶה טָמֵא. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לֹא, אִם טִמֵּאתָ כַזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הַמֵּת, שֶׁכֵּן טִמֵּאתָ עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ, תְּטַמֵּא כַזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֵבָר מִן הַחַי, שֶׁכֵּן טִהַרְתָּ עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ הֵימֶנּוּ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא, מָה רָאִיתָ לְטַמֵּא עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֵבָר מִן הַחַי. אָמַר לָהֶם, מָצִינוּ אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי כְּמֵת שָׁלֵם. מַה הַמֵּת, עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ טָמֵא, אַף אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי, עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ יִהְיֶה טָמֵא. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לֹא, אִם טִמֵּאתָ עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הַמֵּת, שֶׁכֵּן טִמֵּאתָ כַזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ, תְּטַמֵּא עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֵבָר מִן הַחַי, שֶׁכֵּן טִהַרְתָּ כַזַּיִת בָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, מָה רָאִיתָ לַחֲלֹק מִדּוֹתֶיךָ, אוֹ טַמֵּא בִשְׁנֵיהֶם אוֹ טַהֵר בִּשְׁנֵיהֶם. אָמַר לָהֶם, מְרֻבָּה טֻמְאַת הַבָּשָׂר מִטֻּמְאַת הָעֲצָמוֹת, שֶׁהַבָּשָׂר נוֹהֵג בַּנְּבֵלוֹת וּבַשְּׁרָצִים, מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בָּעֲצָמוֹת. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֵבֶר שֶׁיֵּשׁ עָלָיו בָּשָׂר כָּרָאוּי, מְטַמֵּא בְמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא וּבְאֹהֶל. חָסֵר הַבָּשָׂר, טָמֵא. חָסֵר הָעֶצֶם, טָהוֹר. אָמְרוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא, מָה רָאִיתָ לַחֲלֹק מִדּוֹתֶיךָ, אוֹ טַמֵּא בִשְׁנֵיהֶם אוֹ טַהֵר בִּשְׁנֵיהֶם. אָמַר לָהֶם, מְרֻבָּה טֻמְאַת הָעֲצָמוֹת מִטֻּמְאַת הַבָּשָׂר, שֶּׁהַבָּשָׂר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הַחַי טָהוֹר, וְאֵבָר הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְהוּא כִבְרִיָּתוֹ, טָמֵא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כַּזַּיִת בָּשָׂר מְטַמֵּא בְמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא וּבְאֹהֶל, וְרֹב עֲצָמוֹת מְטַמְּאִים בְּמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא וּבְאֹהֶל. חָסֵר הַבָּשָׂר, טָהוֹר. חָסֵר רֹב עֲצָמוֹת, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁטָּהוֹר מִלְּטַמֵּא בְאֹהֶל, מְטַמֵּא בְמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כָּל בְּשַׂר הַמֵּת, שֶׁהוּא פָחוֹת מִכַּזַּיִת, טָהוֹר. רֹב בִּנְיָנוֹ וְרֹב מִנְיָנוֹ שֶׁל מֵת, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם רֹבַע, טְמֵאִין. אָמְרוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מָה רָאִיתָ לְטַהֵר בִּשְׁנֵיהֶם. אָמַר לָהֶם, לֹא, אִם אֲמַרְתֶּם בַּמֵּת, שֶׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ רֹב וְרֹבַע וְרָקָב, תֹּאמְרוּ בַחַי שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ רֹב וְרֹבַע וְרָקָב: 1) An olive’s quantity of flesh severed from a limb of a living man: 1) Rabbi Eliezer pronounces impure and Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Nehunia pronounce pure. a) A barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from a limb of a living man, b) Rabbi Nehunia pronounces impure and Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua pronounce pure. 2) They said to Rabbi Eliezer: what reason have you found for pronouncing impure an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from a limb of a living man? 1) He said to them: we find that a limb from a living man is like an entire corpse; just as in the case of a corpse, an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from it is impure, so also in the case of a limb from a living man an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from it must be impure. 2) They said to him: No! When you pronounce impure an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from a corpse, it is because you have pronounced impure a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from it. But how can you also pronounce impure an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from a limb of a living man, seeing that you have pronounced pure a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from it? 3) They said to Rabbi Nehunia: what reason have you found for pronouncing impure a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from a limb of a living man? 1) He said to them: we find that a limb from a living man is like an entire corpse; just as in the case of a corpse, a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from it is impure, so also in the case of a limb from a living man, a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from it must be impure. 2) They said to him: No! When you pronounce impure a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from a corpse, it is because you have pronounced impure an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from it. But how can you also pronounce impure a barley-grain’s quantity of bone severed from a limb of a living man, seeing that you have pronounced pure an olive’s quantity of flesh severed from it? 1) They said to Rabbi Eliezer: what reason have you found for dividing your standards? Either pronounce them both impure, or pronounce them both pure! 1) He said to them: greater is the impurity of flesh than the impurity of bones, for the defilement of flesh applies both to (animal) carcasses and to creeping things, but it is not so in the case of bones. Another answer: a limb which has on it the proper quantity of flesh causes impurity by touching and by carrying and by being under the same roof-space (ohel); if the flesh is diminished it is still impure, while if the bone is diminished it is pure. They said to Rabbi Nehunia: what reason have you found for dividing your standards? Either pronounce them both impure, or pronounce them both pure! He said to them: greater is the impurity of bones than the impurity of flesh, for flesh severed from a living man is pure, whereas a limb severed from him, while in its natural condition, is impure. Another answer: an olive’s quantity of flesh (from a corpse) causes impurity by touching and by carrying and by being under the same roof-space (ohel); and a majority of a corpse’s bones causes impurity by touching and by carrying and by being under the same roof-space (ohel); if the flesh is diminished it is pure, but if a majority of the bones is diminished, although it does not cause impurity by being under the same roof-space, it yet causes defilement by touching and by carrying.Another answer: any flesh of a corpse less than an olive’s quantity is pure, but bones forming the greater portion of the body’ build or the greater portion of the number of the corpse’s bones, even though they do not fill a quarter-kav are yet impure. They said to Rabbi Joshua: what reason have you found for pronouncing them both pure? He said to them: No! When you pronounce impure in the case of a corpse, it is because the rules of “majority”, “quarter-kav”, and “decayed matter” apply to it. But how can you say the same of a living man, seeing that the rules of “majority”, “quarter-kav”, and “decayed matter” do not apply to him?