Keilim 14:8-15:1

Keilim 14:8

A key bent like a knee that is broken at the joint is insusceptible to impurity; Rabbi Yehuda says that it remains susceptible because one can still use it to open the door from the inside. An L-shaped key that’s broken on the L is insusceptible to impurity; if it retained teeth and gaps, it remains susceptible. If the teeth are missing, it remains susceptible because of the gaps and if the gaps are stopped up, it remains susceptible because of the teeth. If the teeth are missing and the gaps are stopped up, or if the teeth and the gaps were all merged together, it is insusceptible. If three holes in the bottom of a mustard-strainer got merged together, it is insusceptible to impurity. A metal grain hopper is susceptible to impurity.

Keilim 15:1

Utensils of wood, leather, bone or glass are insusceptible to ritual impurity when they’re flat and are susceptible to ritual impurity when they have receptacles. If they break, they are purified and if they’re remade back into utensils, they become susceptible to impurity again going forward. If a chest, a box, a cupboard, a beehive of straw or of reeds, or the water tank of an Alexandrian ship have bases and can hold at least 40 seah of liquid, which is two kor in dry measure (approximately 130 gallons), they are insusceptible to impurity (because they’re not movable). All other utensils are susceptible to impurity regardless of whether they can hold this volume or not; this is the opinion of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says that the barrel of a wagon, the food boxes of kings, the troughs of tanners, the water tanks of smaller ships and a trunk are susceptible to impurity even if they can hold 40 seah because they’re only designed to be moved with their contents. As far as other utensils, those that can hold this volume are insusceptible to ritual impurity and those that cannot are susceptible. The only difference between the opinion of Rabbi Meir and that of Rabbi Yehuda is the baking trough of a homeowner.