Tohoros 10:1-2

Tohoros 10:1

Let’s say that a person locked his olive workers in the press and there were utensils in there that were unclean with midras impurity. In such a case, Rabbi Meir rules the olive press unclean but Rabbi Yehuda rules it clean. Rabbi Shimon says that if the workers consider the utensils to be clean, the olive press is unclean (because they won’t hesitate to handle them and touch things); if they consider the utensils to be unclean, then the olive press remains clean (because the workers will refrain from touching the utensils). Rabbi Yosi observed that the utensils are unclean because unlearned people aren’t proficient in the laws of moving impurity (i.e., they can be rendered unclean and convey impurity even without touching).

Tohoros 10:2

Let’s say that the olive workers in an olive press came and went and there was a ritually-unclean liquid in the olive press. If there’s enough room between the liquid and the olives for the workers to dry their feet on the ground, then they remain clean. If something impure was found near olive workers or grape harvesters, they are believed if they claim not to have touched it; the same is true of small children among them. The workers can exit through the door of the olive press and face the back of the fence (i.e., for use as a restroom) and remain ritually clean. The workers may go as far as they remain visible and still be ritually clean.