Mishnayos Keilim Perek 1 Mishnah 3

בועל נדה – It is written concerning them (Leviticus 15:24): “[And if a man lies with her,] her menstrual impurity is communicated to him/ותהי נדתה עליו; [he shall be impure seven days, and any bedding on which he lies shall become impure],” we learned that he, like a menstruating woman, defiles surfaces designated for lying and sitting, and it is written after this (Leviticus 15:24): “and any bedding on which he lies shall become impure/כל משכב אשר-ישכב עליו יטמא,” but it is not necessary to state this, but rather it comes to explain, “her menstrual impurity is communicated to him,” of the first clause [of the Mishnah], and this is what he said: this [phrase], “her menstrual impurity is communicated to him,” that I stated to you, I did not say other than in regard to the matter that he would be a primary source of ritual impurity like a menstruating woman, that just as she defiles a person and an earthenware vessel, even he defiles a person and an earthenware vessel, but [also] to make a surface designated for lying and sitting [impure], that “and any bedding on which he lies shall become impure,” but that he does not defile a person and vessels like the bedding of a menstruant woman who defiles a person and vessels/utensils, but he has the first degree of defilement that he defiles food and liquids alone.

משכב תחתון כעליון (the lower surface upon which one lies is like the upper one)– that is to say, the lower surface upon which the man who has intercourse with a menstruating woman is like the upper one of a person with gonorrhea, that just as the upper surface of a person with gonorrhea, and that is vessels that are above the person with gonorrhea, such as ten couches one on top of the other and all of them are on top of the person with gonorrhea, whether the person with gonorrhea was in contact with them or not are ritually impure and they defile food and liquids but not humans nor vessels, so also the lower surface of a person who has intercourse with a menstruating woman, that is, the couches that are under him defile food and liquids but not humans and utensils/vessels. Whereas the lower surface below a person with gonorrhea or a woman with a flux or a menstruating woman or a woman after childbirth, even ten couches one on top of the other, and one of these defiled [couches] are above, all of them that are below/the lower surface are impure and defile humans and utensils/vessels.

למעלה מהן זובו של זב כו' – because these that are important and move defile I ay amount through contact and lifting, but a person having sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman does not defile until he raises [her] entirely, because of this it is taught [in the Mishnah], “above them/למעלה מהן,” meaning to say that these are considered are above/more important than someone who has intercourse with a menstruating woman because they defile with any amount, what is not the case with someone who has sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman.

שהם מטמאים במגע ובמשא – that their contact is equivalent to their lifting, that whether through contact or through lifting, they defile humans to defile clothing and vessels other than a person and vessels.

מרכב (riding) – the piece of wood fastened to a saddle, which is grasped on mounting of the saddle is called מרכב/riding – that the saddle itself that a person rides upon is impure because of sitting, and its piece of wood fastened to the saddle, which is grasped on mounting of the saddle is impure because of מרכב/riding.

שהוא מטמא תחת אבן מסמא (that it defiles underneath a stone used for closing a pit – that the corpse was put on a closing – immovable-stone – under which there is a cavity- see Tractate Niddah 69b) – a large and heavy stone, as it is written (Daniel 6:18): “A rock was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; [the king sealed it with his signet and with the signet of the nobles, so that nothing might be altered concerning Daniel].” But if there was a large stone on top of the piece of wood fastened to a saddle, which is grasped on mounting of the riding and a person with gonorrhea grabs hold of it, even though the weight of the person with gonorrhea is not recognized on the riding seat, the piece of wood fastened to the saddle that is under the stone is defiled because of the riding seat.

למעלה מן המרכב משכב – for the stone used for closing a pit that the corpse was put on a closing (immovable) stone defiles lying as it does riding. And more stringent than this is that its coming in contact/touching is equivalent to carrying it to defile a person which defiles his clothing. His coming in contact/touching is explicitly written (Leviticus 15:5): “Anyone who touches his bedding shall wash his clothes, [bathe in water, and remain impure until evening].” And his carrying, that after Scripture mentioned the law of touching by lying and the law of touching by riding it states (Leviticus 15:9-10): “[Any means for riding that one with a discharge has mounted shall be impure; whoever touches anything that was under him shall be impure until evening;] and whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes, [bathe in water, and remain impure until evening],” so we see that regarding lying, whether through contact/touching – whether through carrying, requires the washing of clothing, but concerning riding, Scripture divides between coming in contact with/touching and carrying as it is written (Leviticus 15:9): “Any means for riding that one with a discharge has mounted shall be impure,” whereas that he should wash his clothes, is not written.

ואין משכב עושה משכב – as it is written (Leviticus 15:4): “Any bedding on which the one with a discharge lies shall be impure,” the man with a discharge/gonorrhea makes the bedding [impure] but the bedding does not make the bedding [impure]. Therefore, if the bedding of person with gonorrhea touched/came in contact with vessels/utensils, they are not other than first degree of ritual defilement. It is found that the man with gonorrhea is [on a] higher [level of impurity] than that of bedding.