## Chagigah Daf 26b

###### Chagigah 26b:1
[Chagigah 26b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:1)

שֶׁלֹּא תִּגְּעוּ בַּשֻּׁלְחָן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**that you not touch the table** of the shewbread. If you defile it by touching it, it would need to be removed for immersion, and this would lead to the temporary suspension of the mitzva of the shewbread, which had to be on the table at all times.


###### Chagigah 26b:2
[Chagigah 26b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:2)

כׇּל הַכֵּלִים שֶׁהָיוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ יֵשׁ לָהֶם שְׁנִיִּים וּשְׁלִישִׁים, שֶׁאִם נִטְמְאוּ הָרִאשׁוֹנִים — יָבִיאוּ שְׁנִיִּים תַּחְתֵּיהֶן. כׇּל הַכֵּלִים שֶׁהָיוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ טְעוּנִין טְבִילָה, חוּץ מִמִּזְבַּח הַזָּהָב וּמִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן כַּקַּרְקַע, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן מְצוּפִּין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna continues: **All the vessels that were in the Temple had second and third** substitute vessels, **so that if the first ones became impure they could bring the second ones in their place. All the vessels that were in the Temple required immersion** after the Festival, **apart from the golden altar and the bronze altar, because they are** considered **like the ground** and therefore, like land itself, not susceptible to impurity. This is **the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. And the Rabbis say:** It is **because they are coated.**


###### Chagigah 26b:3
[Chagigah 26b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:3)

**גְּמָ׳** תָּנָא: הִזָּהֲרוּ שֶׁמָּא תִּגְּעוּ בַּשּׁוּלְחָן וּבַמְּנוֹרָה. וְתַנָּא דִּידַן, מַאי טַעְמָא לָא תָּנֵי מְנוֹרָה? שֻׁלְחָן כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ ״תָּמִיד״, מְנוֹרָה לָא כְּתִיב בַּהּ ״תָּמִיד״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** A *tanna* **taught** in a *baraita* that they would say to the *am ha’aretz* priests: **Be careful lest you touch the table,** as explained above, **or the candelabrum,** as the Gemara will explain. The Gemara asks: **And** regarding **the *tanna* of our** mishna, **what is the reason he did not teach** that they were instructed not to touch the **candelabrum** as well? The Gemara answers: **With regard to the table it is written:** “Shewbread before Me **always”** (Exodus 25:30), indicating that the table holding the shewbread must always be in its place, whereas **with regard to the candelabrum it is not written “always,”** and therefore it can be removed for immersing.


###### Chagigah 26b:4
[Chagigah 26b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:4)

וְאִידָּךְ: כֵּיוָן דִּכְתִיב: ״וְאֶת הַמְּנוֹרָה נֹכַח הַשֻּׁלְחָן״, כְּמַאן דִּכְתִיב בַּהּ ״תָּמִיד״ דָּמֵי. וְאִידָּךְ: הָהוּא לִקְבּוֹעַ לָהּ מָקוֹם הוּא דַּאֲתָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And** regarding **the other** *tanna*, in the *baraita*, why does he include the candelabrum? The Gemara answers: **Since it is written: “And** you shall set the table without the veil **and the candelabrum opposite the table”** (Exodus 26:35), indicating that the candelabrum must always be placed opposite the table; **it is as though it is written “always” with regard to** the candelabrum as well. **And the other** *tanna*, in the mishna, who does not object to removing the candelabrum for immersion, would reply: **That** verse **comes** only **to establish a place for** the candelabrum, to describe where it must be positioned, but it does not mean to say that it must be opposite the table at all times.


###### Chagigah 26b:5
[Chagigah 26b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:5)

וְתִיפּוֹק לִי דִּכְלִי עֵץ הֶעָשׂוּי לְנַחַת הוּא, וְכׇל כְּלִי עֵץ הֶעָשׂוּי לְנַחַת לָא מְטַמֵּא. מַאי טַעְמָא — דּוּמְיָא דְשַׂק בָּעֵינַן: מָה שַׂק מִיטַּלְטֵל מָלֵא וְרֵיקָם — אַף כֹּל מִיטַּלְטֵל מָלֵא וְרֵיקָם!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara poses a question concerning the requirement to keep *amei ha’aretz* away from the table: **And let us derive it,** i.e., let it be established, that it is not necessary to take care against contact with the table, as it is incapable of contracting ritual impurity. This is **because it is a wooden vessel designated to rest** in a fixed place, **and** the *halakha* is that **any** large, **wooden vessel designated to rest** in a fixed place **cannot become impure. What is the reason** for this *halakha*? Since wooden vessels and sacks are juxtaposed in the verse describing their impurity (Leviticus 11:32), **we require** a wooden vessel **to be similar to a sack** in order to be capable of contracting impurity, in the following manner: **Just as a sack is carried** when it is both **full and empty, so too any** wooden vessel that is **carried full and empty** can contract impurity, as opposed to vessels, such as the table, that are designated to rest in a fixed place. The table should therefore not be susceptible to impurity at all.


###### Chagigah 26b:6
[Chagigah 26b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:6)

הַאי נָמֵי מִיטַּלְטֵל מָלֵא וְרֵיקָם הוּא, כִּדְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ. דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן הַטָּהוֹר״, מִכְּלָל שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: The table **too is** in fact **carried full and empty, in accordance with** the words **of Reish Lakish. For Reish Lakish said: What is** the meaning of that **which is written:** “And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, **upon the pure table”** (Leviticus 24:6)? The words “pure table” teach **by inference that it is** capable of becoming **impure,** and therefore the Torah warns us to make sure it is pure when the twelve loaves of bread are placed there.


###### Chagigah 26b:7
[Chagigah 26b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:7)

וְאַמַּאי? כְּלִי עֵץ הֶעָשׂוּי לְנַחַת הוּא, וְאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל טוּמְאָה! אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמַּגְבִּיהִין אוֹתוֹ וּמַרְאִין בּוֹ לְעוֹלֵי רְגָלִים לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, וְאוֹמְרִים לָהֶם: רְאוּ חִיבַּתְכֶם לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, סִילּוּקוֹ כְּסִידּוּרוֹ. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: נֵס גָּדוֹל נַעֲשָׂה בְּלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, כְּסִידּוּרוֹ כָּךְ סִילּוּקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לָשׂוּם לֶחֶם חוֹם בְּיוֹם הִלָּקְחוֹ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And why** indeed is the table susceptible to ritual impurity, being that **it is a wooden vessel designated to rest** in a fixed place **and** should therefore **not** be **susceptible to impurity? Rather,** this verse **teaches that they** would **lift** the table with the shewbread on it **to display the shewbread to the pilgrims** standing in the Temple courtyard, as it was prohibited for Israelites to enter the Sanctuary, where the table stood, **and they** would **say to them: Behold your affection before God,** Who performs a perpetual miracle with the bread, for when **it is removed** from the table on Shabbat it is just as fresh **as** when **it was arranged** on the previous Shabbat. **As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A great miracle was performed with the shewbread: As its** condition during its **arrangement, so was its** condition during its **removal, as it is stated: “To place hot bread on the day when it was taken away”** (I Samuel 21:7), indicating that it was as hot on the day of its removal as it was on the day when it was placed.


###### Chagigah 26b:8
[Chagigah 26b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:8)

וְתִיפּוֹק לִי מִשּׁוּם צִיפּוּי. דְּהָתְנַן: הַשֻּׁלְחָן וְהַדּוּלְפְּקֵי שֶׁנִּפְחֲתוּ, אוֹ שֶׁחִיפָּן בְּשַׁיִישׁ, וְשִׁיֵּיר בָּהֶם מְקוֹם הַנָּחַת כּוֹסוֹת — טָמֵא. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: מָקוֹם הַנָּחַת הַחֲתִיכוֹת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks another question: **Let us derive** this fact, i.e., that the table can contract ritual impurity, not because it is portable but **due to** its golden **coating. For didn’t we learn** in a mishna (*Kelim* 22:1): Concerning **a table and a *dulpaki* that** some of its surface **became broken off, or that one coated with marble,** i.e., stone not being susceptible to impurity: If **he left on them a place** on the surface that remained unbroken or uncoated, big enough **for placing cups, it** remains **susceptible to impurity** as a wooden vessel. **Rabbi Yehuda says:** It must have an unbroken and uncoated **place** big enough **for placing pieces** of meat and bread as well in order to maintain susceptibility to impurity as a wooden vessel. It is clear from this mishna that if a table is completely coated with stone it is not susceptible to impurity, showing that the status of a vessel follows its external coating, not its main material. The Temple table, which was coated with gold, should have the status of a metal vessel.


###### Chagigah 26b:9
[Chagigah 26b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:9)

וְכִי תֵּימָא: שָׁאנֵי עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים דַּחֲשִׁיבִי וְלָא בָּטְלִי, הָנִיחָא לְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, דְּאָמַר: לֹא שָׁנוּ אֶלָּא בִּכְלֵי אֶכְּסְלָגֵים הַבָּאִין מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם, אֲבָל בִּכְלֵי מְסִמֵים — לָא בָּטְלִי, שַׁפִּיר. אֶלָּא לְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, דְּאָמַר: אֲפִילּוּ בִּכְלֵי מְסִמֵים נָמֵי בָּטְלִי, מַאי אִיכָּא לְמֵימַר?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara proposes a possible answer: **And if you would say** that **acacia wood,** from which the Temple table was made, **is different, as** it is an **important,** valuable kind of wood **and is** therefore **not nullified** by a coating, **this works out well according to Reish Lakish, who said: They taught** that a wooden vessel is nullified by its coating **only with regard to vessels** made of cheap ***akhselag*** wood **which comes from overseas, but** vessels made of expensive ***masmi*** wood **are not nullified** by a coating. According to this opinion it is **fine,** for we can say that the acacia wood of the table is also not nullified by its golden coating. **But according to Rabbi Yoḥanan, who said: Even** expensive ***masmi* vessels are also nullified** by a coating, **what is there to say?**


###### Chagigah 26b:10
[Chagigah 26b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:10)

וְכִי תֵּימָא: כָּאן בְּצִיפּוּי עוֹמֵד, כָּאן בְּצִיפּוּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד — הָא בְּעָא מִינֵּיהּ רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ מֵרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: בְּצִיפּוּי עוֹמֵד, אוֹ בְּצִיפּוּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד? בְּחוֹפֶה אֶת לְבִזְבְּזָיו, אוֹ בְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹפֶה אֶת לְבִזְבְּזָיו?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara proposes another possible answer: **And if you would say** that the mishna is not applicable because **here** in the mishna the wood is nullified by its coating because it is speaking **of a fixed coating,** whereas **there** in the case of the Temple table the golden **coating** is **not fixed** onto the wood, this is impossible. For **didn’t Reish Lakish inquire of Rabbi Yoḥanan:** Does this law that vessels follow their coating deal only **with a fixed coating or** even **with a coating that is not fixed?** And he asked him further: Does it deal only **with** a coating **that covers the** table’s **rim** as well as the table itself, **or** even **with one that does not cover its rim?**


###### Chagigah 26b:11
[Chagigah 26b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chagigah/r/26b:11)

וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: לָא שְׁנָא בְּצִיפּוּי עוֹמֵד וְלָא שְׁנָא בְּצִיפּוּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד, לָא שְׁנָא בְּחוֹפֶה אֶת לְבִזְבְּזָיו וְלָא שְׁנָא בְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹפֶה אֶת לְבִזְבְּזָיו. אֶלָּא: שָׁאנֵי שֻׁלְחָן —

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
And Rabbi Yoḥanan **said to him** in response: **It is not different** if **it is a fixed coating and it is not different** if **it is a coating that is not fixed;** and **it is not different** if the coating **covers** the table’s **rim and it is not different** if **it does not cover its rim.** Therefore, since the coating always determines the status of the vessel, the Temple table, with its gold coating, should be susceptible to impurity. **Rather,** we must say a different explanation as to why the coating does not make the table susceptible to impurity: The **table is different**