1. Can nullified tumah still be metamei with משא?

On the previous Daf, Amoraim discussed if nullified tumah can be “reawakened” if it becomes the majority. A Mishnah teaches that if אפר כשר – valid ashes of the פרה אדומה were mixed with אפר מקלה –ashes of ordinary burning, we follow the majority of ashes regarding tumah. If the majority is אפר מקלה, the mixture is not metamei. The Gemara asks: ואי אמרת טומאה כמאן דאיתיה דמי – but if you say nullified tumah is considered present insofar as it can be “reawakened,” נהי דבמגע לא מטמא – then granted [the ash mixture] cannot be metamei through touching, because we can say he did not touch the tamei component, but לטמא במשא– let it be metamei through being carried, since the entire mixture was carried at once!? The Gemara replies that Rebbe Yose bar Rebbe Chanina indeed said that it is metamei with משא. A similar question is asked about Rav Chisda’s ruling that נבילה meat is בטל in a mixture of shechted meat, and is not metamei. Although it is not metamei with מגע, it should still be metamei with משא!? The same answer is given.

1. נבילה is metamei until it is no longer fit for “consumption” – two opinions

Amoraim debate when נבילה meat ceases to be metamei. Bar Padda says: טומאה חמורה – neveilah can transmit “stringent tumah,” i.e., by being carried, עד לגר – until it is no longer fit to be consumed by a human “resident,” but it can transmit טומאה קלה – lenient tumah, i.e., through touching, עד לכלב – until it is no longer fit to be consumed by a dog. Rebbe Yochanan: אחת זו ואחת זו עד לכלב – both [the tumah of מגע and משא] are until it is no longer fit for a dog. Bar Padda darshens: לא תאכלו כל נבלה לגר וגו' – you shall not eat any neveilah; to the resident, etc., teaching: הראויה לגר קרויה נבילה – that which is fit for a resident is called neveilah, but that which is not ראויה לגר is not called neveilah. Rebbe Yochanan holds that this passuk is למעוטי היכא דהסריחה מעיקרא – to exclude where it was decomposed from the beginning, and was never metamei. Bar Padda replies that no passuk is necessary to exclude neveilah meat which was always decomposed, because עפרא בעלמא הוא – it is like mere earth, and is obviously not metamei.

1. עמי הארץ are suspected of adding מחצה of water into their ציר

The previous Daf taught that if one purchased ציר – fish brine from an עם הארץ, it becomes tahor through השקה – contact with mikveh waters (even though its majority may be water, and thus susceptible to tumah). In a Mishnah, Rebbe Eliezer ben Yaakov said that if a minimal amount of water fell into such ציר – fish brine, it is ruled tamei. Rabbah bar Avuha explains: זאת אומרת נחשדו עמי הארץ לערב מחצה בציר – this says that עמי הארץ are suspected of mixing an equal amount of water into their fish juice. Once water is added and the water becomes the majority, the tumah is “reawakened.” The Gemara objects that even if the עם הארץ would add slightly less than half as much water, the additional water would make the total water content equal to the fish juice, and it would no longer be בטל!? The Gemara emends Rabbah bar Avuha’s statement: עמי הארץ add עד מחצה – nearly an equal amount of water, and equals the fish juice after more water is added. Alternatively, since the tumah of [food of] an עם הארץ is only דרבנן, and the tumah of liquids is also only דרבנן, the ציר would not be tamei if it were equal parts water and fish juice