Language Studies

Aramaic Thoughts

Aramaic Literature - Part 19 - The Mishnah

Following Niddah is Makshirin (predisposers). Predisposers is defined as “means which render foodstuffs susceptible to uncleanness” (Danby p. 758, n. 1). This comes from the statement of Leviticus 11:38: “but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.” Thus, suppose a man blew on lentils to determine whether they were good or not, and suppose that he accidentally spit on the lentils. Are the lentils rendered unclean? According to Rabbi Simeon, the rule does not apply, and the lentils are clean. But according to the Sages, the rule does apply, and the lentils are rendered unclean (1.6).

Drippings from damp walls in houses, cisterns, or caverns (for example) do not render foods unclean. Nor does a man’s sweat render foods unclean (2.1).

The treatise deals with much more than food issues, however. For example, if a child is found abandoned in a city, if there are more Gentiles than Jews in the city, the child is presumed to be a Gentile. If there are more Jews, the child is presumed to be a Jew. However, Rabbi Judah says that it should be determined by which (Jew or Gentile) is more likely to abandon children (2.7).

If a man finds lost property in a city, and most of the population is Gentiles, then he may keep the property. If most of the population is Jewish, he must announce the find (2.8)

Following Makshirin is Zabim (those who suffer from a bodily discharge, Leviticus 15:1-15). Here, the precise nature of the discharge is discussed, as well as the length of its occurrence in order to determine whether the person is unclean, and the extent of his uncleanness. It should be noted that, for the man, these discharge are separate from the emission of semen, and seem to presuppose some sort of infection, such as a sexually transmitted disease. Since the Biblical text discusses only a few of the possible scenarios, the Mishnah extends the discussion quite a bit.

Following Zabim is the treatise Tebul Yom (he that immersed himself that day). According to Leviticus 15:1-15, most of the discharges dealt with in Zabim are cleansed by means of the person washing himself and then waiting until evening (see, for example, Leviticus 15:6). The question naturally arises regarding the level of uncleanness of the one who has washed himself, but is still waiting for sunset. In sum, “he does not render common food unclean, but he renders Heave-offering ‘invalid’… He may not, therefore, touch the Hallowed Things and he may not enter the Temple beyond the Court of the Gentiles” (Danby, p.773, n. 6).

The next treatise is Yadaim (hands) and has to do with the washing of hands. These considerations are mentioned occasionally in the Gospels as a matter of dispute between the Pharisees and Jesus. The discussion deals with the amount of water necessary to make the washing adequate. However, other issues are also raised regarding things that make the hands unclean. Those will be treated in next week’s discussion.

Copyright Statement
'Aramaic Thoughts' Copyright 2024© Benjamin Shaw. 'Aramaic Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/aramaic-thoughts.html  2) 'Aramaic Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.