[Avodah] Mashke of the Beit Mit'bechayah

[Jonathan Baker]

From: Sholom Simon <sholom at aishdas.org>
 
> In Eduyos 8:4 (and Keilim 15:6, and Pesachim 16a, and Sanhedrin 37b) 
> we learn that the mashke of the Beis Mitbichayah is an exception to 
> the rule that the seven liquids are mekabel tumah.
 
> But I couldn't find any reasons.
 
> Any thoughts as to why?

>From the Conservative's Mishnah Yomit program:

Section two:  The liquid which would be found on the floor of the slaughter-house of the Temple, which is assumedly a mixture of blood and water, is pure and cannot become impure.  One explanation of this is that the concept of the impurity of liquids is a Rabbinic innovation (derabanan).  The Rabbis did not include in this innovation the liquids found in the Temple, so as not to increase the impurity of things found in the Temple.  

http://mishnahyomit.org/eduyoth/Eduyoth%208-4.doc

>From Kehati (Torah Community Connections site):

And that liquid in the slaughterhouse - The blood which runs out of the slaughterhouse in the Temple courtyard from the sacrifices which have been slaughtered, as well as water used in the Temple courtyard, is clean - That it is completely clean and cannot become unclean, as the uncleanness of liquids is only by Rabbinic decree and is not Torah law. When the Sages enacted this decree they did not include the liquids in the Temple courtyard. Some add that this liquid, even if it falls on food, cannot make it susceptible to becoming unclean (Rambam). There are others, though, who hold that these liquids can become unclean by Torah law, and they interpret the testimony of R. Yose b. Yoezer to mean that the blood and water from the Temple courtyard cannot make anything else unclean, but they themselves can become unclean (Avodah Zarah 37b).

http://www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/5762/28-04-02/friday.htm

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        name: jon baker              web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker
     address: jjbaker at panix.com     blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com