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Mishnayos Taharos Perek 5 Mishnah 9

טהרות פרק ה׳ משנה ט׳

9

If one witness says, "You have become unclean," but he says, "I have not become unclean," he is regarded as clean. If two witnesses say, "You have become unclean," and he says, "I have not become unclean," Rabbi Meir says: he is unclean. But the sages say: he may be believed on his own evidence. If one witness says, "You have become unclean," and two witnesses say, "He has not become unclean," whether in a private domain or in a public domain, he is regarded as clean. If two witnesses say, "He has become unclean’, and one witness says, ‘"He has not become unclean," whether in a private domain or in a public domain, he is regarded as unclean. If one witness says, "He has become unclean," and another says, "He has not become unclean," or if one woman says, "He has become unclean’, and another woman says, "He has not become unclean," he is regarded as unclean if in the private domain, but if in a public domain he is regarded as clean.

עֵד אוֹמֵר נִטְמָא, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר לֹא נִטְמֵאתִי, טָהוֹר. שְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים נִטְמֵאתָ, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר לֹא נִטְמֵאתִי, רַבִּי מֵאִיר מְטַמֵּא. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, הוּא נֶאֱמָן עַל יְדֵי עַצְמוֹ. עֵד אוֹמֵר נִטְמָא, וּשְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים לֹא נִטְמָא, בֵּין בִּרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד בֵּין בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, טָהוֹר. שְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים נִטְמָא, וְעֵד אוֹמֵר לֹא נִטְמָא, בֵּין בִּרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד בֵּין בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, טָמֵא. עֵד אוֹמֵר נִטְמָא וְעֵד אוֹמֵר לֹא נִטְמָא, אִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת נִטְמָא וְאִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת לֹא נִטְמָא, בִּרְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד, טָמֵא. בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, טָהוֹר:

ט׳
Bartenura

ר' מאיר מטמא – that if two [witnesses] brought him to a grave death [as punishment], they would not bring him to [bring] the lenient sacrifice (see also the reasoning of Rabbi Meir in Tractate Kritot, Chapter 3, Mishnah 1).

וחכמים אומרים אדם נאמן על פי עצמו – that we provide the answer through his word. What is “I was not defiled” that he stated? I didn’t stand in my defilement but rather I ritually immerse, and since this is the case, a person is believed concerning himself.

ברה"י טמא ברה"ר טהור – that he is considered like the rest of merely doubtful matters of defilement.

ר׳ מאיר מטמא. שאם הביאוהו שנים לידי מיתה חמורה, לא יביאוהו לידי קרבן הקל:

וחכמים אומרים אדם נאמן על פי עצמו. דמתרצינן דיבוריה מאי לא נטמאתי דקאמר, לא עמדתי בטומאתי אלא טבלתי, והואיל וכן, אדם נאמן על ידי עצמו:

ברה״י טמא ברה״ר טהור. דחשיב כשאר ספק טומאה דעלמא: