Siman - Chagigah Daf 22
- Why there is a concern of איבה – enmity of an am ha’aretz for kodesh but not terumah
On the previous Daf we learned two different reasons why keilim may not be immersed inside other keilim, for kodesh. The Gemara asks why these two reasons do not equally apply for terumah, and answers that the Mishnah is addressing chavairim, those who maintain the laws of taharah for chullin, and are knowledgeable about the laws of tevilah. They know to be careful that if one kli inside another is too heavy, they lift the inner one, and they know that the opening of the outer kli cannot be too narrow, for otherwise the tevillah would be passul. When the Gemara follows up and suggests that they would be equally careful with kodesh, it answers that an am ha’aretz might see them immerse one kli within the other and do it themselves. The Gemara clarifies that chaveirim accept kodesh from amei ha’aretz because of איבה – hatred that would develop for chaveirim if they did not accept the am ha’aretz’s kodesh. If the Temple administrators, who are all chaverim, did not accept kodesh from an am ha’aretz, then amei ha’aretz would be completely excluded from the realm of kodesh. There is not an equal concern for a chaver not accepting terumah from an am ha’aretz, דאזיל יהיב ליה לכהן עם הארץ חבריה – for he can go and give the terumah to a Kohen who is also an am ha’aretz.
- Why wine and oil brought by amei ha’aretz are accepted all year
The Gemara asks, who is the Tanna of our Mishnah דחייש לאיבה – who is concerned for enmity, and answers that it is Rebbe Yose, for it was taught in a Baraisa: Rebbe Yose said: מפני מה הכל נאמנין על טהרת יין ושמן כל ימות השנה – Why are all believed about the taharah of wine and oil for offerings the whole year, that even if an am ha’aretz brings wine or oil offerings to the Beis Hamikdash they are considered tahor? שלא יהא כל אחד ואחד הולך ובונה במה לעצמו ושורף פרה אדומה לעצמו – so that it should not arise that every person should go build a bamah for himself and burn a parah adumah for himself.
- When is an am ha’aretz believed when he says he did a proper tevillah?
The Gemara brought a Baraisa that states that an am ha’aretz is believed regarding immersion, and a Gemara that conflicts with this that taught than an am ha’aretz is not believed. Abaye said there is no difficulty. הא בגופו והא בכלים - He is believed when he said he immersed his body properly to become tahor, but he is not believed when he says he immersed his keilim properly. Rava said that both cases could be dealing with keilim. The Baraisa, which states that he is believed, is where he says that he never immersed one kli within another, whereas the Gemara’s case, where he is not believed, is when he says that he did immerse one kli within another, but he did not immerse it in a kli whose opening was not the size a flask skin tube. A Baraisa is brought to support this distinction, which states: נאמן עם הארץ לומר פירות לא הוכשרו אבל אינו נאמן לומר פירות הוכשרו אבל לא נטמאו – An am ha’aretz is believed to say, “These fruits never were machshir to be mekabel tumah,” but is not believed to say, “The fruits were machshir to be mekabel tumah but they did not become tamei.” The Gemara challenges Abaye’s answer.
