Gemara Clarity

Gittin 61b

גיטין ס״א ע״ב

Learn Gittin 61b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Gittin 61b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Dealing with people who are not careful about טומאה, מעשר and שביעית: grinding for them, leaving produce with them, and when we worry they switched our food

Overview

This amud continues the discussion of the wife of a חבר grinding together with the wife of an עם הארץ. A ברייתא forbids grinding for people who eat their food in טומאה, and אביי explains that it means a כהן who eats תרומה in טומאה, a Torah-level sin. The גמרא then asks how that ברייתא can allow depositing produce with such a כהן. רבי אילעא suggests the produce is sealed in a clay vessel (צמיד פתיל), but this fails because his wife, while a נדה, could make it טמא just by moving it. So רבי ירמיה answers that depositing is allowed only for produce not yet made ready to receive טומאה. Next, a משנה about bringing wheat to an עם הארץ miller shows that we do not worry he switched the grain. The גמרא tests this against cases where we do worry about switching: a mother-in-law and an innkeeper. Each turns out to have a special personal motive. Finally, the גמרא asks whether ordinary people are really never suspected. It quotes a ברייתא with רבי שמעון בן אלעזר's stricter view, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

טוֹחֲנִין וּמַפְקִידִין אֵצֶל אוֹכְלֵי שְׁבִיעִית,

One may grind and deposit with those who eat Sabbatical-Year produce,

וְאֵצֶל אוֹכְלֵי פֵירוֹתֵיהֶן בְּטוּמְאָה;

and with those who eat their own produce in impurity;

אֲבָל לֹא לְאוֹכְלֵי שְׁבִיעִית,

but not for those who eat Sabbatical-Year produce,

וְלֹא לְאוֹכְלֵי פֵירוֹתֵיהֶן בְּטוּמְאָה!

and not for those who eat their own produce in impurity!

The steps (16)

  1. ChallengeA ברייתא forbids grinding for people who eat in impurity
  2. Resolutionאביי: the ברייתא is about a כהן eating תרומה in impurity
  3. ChallengeHow can you leave produce with such a כהן?
  4. Resolutionרבי אילעא: the produce is sealed in a clay vessel
  5. ChallengeThe wife could make the sealed vessel impure by moving it
  6. Resolutionרבי ירמיה: produce that is or is not ready to receive impurity
  7. ChallengeA משנה says wheat at an ignorant miller loses its purity status
  8. ResolutionNo contradiction: we already said that ברייתא is about produce not ready for impurity
  9. QuestionWhy was the miller source quoted at all?
  10. ResponseThe miller source sets up a contradiction about switching
  11. ChallengeThe mother-in-law case: we do worry about switching
  12. ResolutionThe mother-in-law has a special reason to switch
  13. ChallengeThe innkeeper case: suspected even without family ties
  14. ResolutionThe innkeeper also has her own reason to switch
  15. ChallengeAre ordinary people really never suspected of switching food?
  16. Proofרבי שמעון בן אלעזר forbids grinding together even when she is impure