Mishnayos Oholos Perek 5 Mishnah 3
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אהלות פרק ה׳ משנה ג׳
If [the pot] was whole:Bet Hillel says: it protects all [from uncleanness].A vessel of earthenware can protect everything [in it from contracting impurity], according to Beth Hillel. Bet Shammai says: it protects only food, drink and earthenware vessels.But Beth Shammai says: “It protects only food and liquids and [other] vessels of earthenware.” Bet Hillel changed their opinion and taught as Bet Shammai.Beth Hillel said to them: “Why?” Beth Shammai said to them: “Because it is [itself] impure with respect to an ignoramus, and no impure vessel can screen [against impurity].” Beth Hillel said to them: “And did you not pronounce pure the food and liquids inside it?” Beth Shammai said to them: “When we pronounced pure the food and liquids inside it, we pronounced them pure for him [the ignoramus] only, but when you pronounced the vessel pure you pronounced it pure for yourself and for him.” Then Beth Hillel changed their mind and taught according to the opinion of Beth Shammai.
הָיְתָה שְׁלֵמָה, בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, מַצֶּלֶת עַל הַכֹּל. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, אֵינָהּ מַצֶּלֶת אֶלָּא עַל הָאֳכָלִים וְעַל הַמַּשְׁקִים וְעַל כְּלֵי חָרֶס. חָזְרוּ בֵית הִלֵּל לְהוֹרוֹת כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמָּאי:
Bartenura
מצלת על הכל. על כל מה שבעליה. שהיא חוצצת בפני הטומאה:
אינה מצלת אלא על האוכלים ועל המשקים ועל כלי חרס. בקדירה של עם הארץ מיירי. וטעמייהו דבית שמאי משום דכליו של עם הארץ טמאין הם אצל חבר, וכל כלי טמא אינו חוצץ בפני הטומאה. ולפי שעם הארץ מחזיק הכלים שלו בטהור, אמרינן ליה שהוא מציל על אוכלים ומשקין וכלי חרס שבעליה, דלנפשיה בלבד הוא דמטהרינן להו, שהרי החברים בדלים מהם וממגעם ובלאו הכי נמי כל מאכלם טמא. אבל שאר כלים שיש להם טהרה במקוה, אם תטהרם הרי הוא משאילם לחבר וישתמש בהם בטבילה לחודה בלא הזאה שלישי ושביעי:
מצלת על הכל – [if affords protection] on everything that is in the upper chamber, for it interposes in front of the defilement.
אינה מצלת אלא על האוכלים ועל המשקים ועל כלי חרס – he (i.e., the School of Shammai) is speaking about the pot of those who are illiterate. And the reason of the School of Shammai is that the vessels of the illiterate/עם הארץ are impure in regard to a person who a חבר/member of the order for the observance of Levitical laws in daily intercourse, and every impure vessel does not interpose in front of the defilement. And because the illiterate holds his vessels as pure, we state to him that he protects over food and drink and earthenware vessels that are in the upper chamber, that for himself alone that we declare them pure, for those who are members of the order for the observance of Levitical laws in daily intercourse are separate/keep aloof from them and from their contact, for without this, all of their food would be impure. But the other vessels that have purification in a ritual bath/Mikveh, if they will purify them, he (the person who is illiterate) can lend them to a חבר and he would use them with immersion [in a Mikveh] alone, without sprinkling [of ashes] on the third and seventh days.