Tohorot (tractate)

Tohorot(Hebrew:טָהֳרוֹת, literally "Purities" ) is a tractate in theMishnahandTosefta,treating especially of the lesser degrees ofuncleannessthe effects of which last untilsunsetonly. In most editions of the Mishnah it is the fifth tractate in the orderTohorot.It is divided into ten chapters, comprising ninety-six paragraphs in all.

Contents

• Chapter 1: The thirteen regulations concerning thenebelahof a bird, i.e., afowlnotritually slaughtered;what quantity of such fowl causes uncleanness asnebelah,and what quantity uncleanness merely as other unclean foods; which parts are not included to make up the minimum required quantity; from which moment a head ofcattlenot ritually slaughtered acquires a lesser degree of uncleanness, i.e., that of ordinary foods, and when the higher degree of impurity, that of thenebelah;which parts are included in order to make up the minimum quantity for the lesser degree, but not for the higher degree (§§ 1-4); the mi xing of different unclean foods to make up the required quantity—the size of anegg;cases in which, when the parts possess different degrees of impurity, the entire quantity becomes unclean either in the lesser or in the higher degree (§§ 5-6); parts of a mass ofdoughor a loaf ofbreadconnected with or touching each other; how the uncleanness of one part affects the others (§§ 7-9).
• Chapter 2: How foods become impure when touched by an unclean person (§ 1); how a person becomes unclean through partaking of impure food (§ 2); difference between foods not sanctified, those constituting "terumah",and other sanctified foods, as regards their becoming unclean in the various degrees (§§ 3-8).
• Chapter 3: Impurity of beverages when in aliquid state,and when they havesolidified;which drinks acquire the same degree of uncleanness in the liquid as in the solid state (§§ 1-3); how unclean foods become clean by a change of the prescribed quantity (§ 4); the degree of uncleanness of a thing is judged from the condition in which it is found (§ 5); doubtful cases of uncleanness, when it is not known whether the unclean parts have been touched by the person in question; the difference betweenreasoningand unreasoning beings in such cases; cases in which it is doubtful whether an animal has transferred impurity from unclean drinks to foods (§§ 6-8).
• Chapter 4: Doubtful cases of impurity (§§ 1-4); six cases in whichterumahis burned because of suspected impurity (§§ 5-6); doubtful cases of impurity in which the sages declared the object to be clean; other doubtful cases in which the sages declared the object to be permissible (§§ 7-12).
• Chapter 5: Regulations concerning various cases of doubtful impurity.
• Chapter 6: Difference between private domain ( "reshut ha-yaḥid") andpublic domain( "reshut harabbim") with reference to cases of doubtful impurity: in the former in all doubtful cases objects are to be declared unclean; in the latter, clean (§§ 1-5); different localities which are considered private domain with reference to theSabbath,but public domain with regard to cases of doubtful impurity (§§ 6-10).
• Chapter 7: Various cases in which a thing is rendered unclean by being touched by a person ignorant of the law ( "am ha-aretz"): as such a person does not observe the laws of cleanliness, his touch is necessarily unclean. Cases in which one must suspect anam ha-aretzof having touched foods and drinks, although he, personally, may have had nothing to do with them. If, for example, the wife of anam ha-aretzis seen to attend to the fire in astoveon which a pot containingterumahis standing, it must be assumed that she, although attending to the fire only, has touched the food also; women being generally curious to find out what their neighbors are cooking, she would most likely remove thecoverof the pot in order to discover the contents.
• Chapter 8: Further regulations concerning precautions to be taken by one conversant with the Law ( "chaber") in order to protect himself against uncleanness caused by the touch of anam ha-aretz(§§ 1-5); what is to be considered fit forhuman food,thus forming a basis for the regulations concerning the impurity of foods (§ 6); further regulations concerning the impurity of beverages (§§ 7-9).
• Chapters 9-10: Concerningolivesand thepressing of oil;how they can be rendered unclean. Other regulations concerning cleanness and uncleanness, with special reference towine-presses.

Tosefta and Gemara

The Tosefta to this tractate is divided into eleven chapters, and contains many passages elucidating the Mishnaic tractate.

There is noGemaraforTohorotin either theBabylonian TalmudorJerusalem Talmud.