## Moed Katan Daf 5b

###### Moed Katan 5b:1
[Moed Katan 5b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:1)

קָרֵי עֲלֵיהּ: ״וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ אַרְאֶנּוּ בְּיֵשַׁע אֱלֹהִים״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rabbi Yannai **read** this verse **about him: “And to him who orders his way, I will show the salvation of God”** (Psalms 50:23), for he considered his conduct and determined when it was inappropriate to challenge his master.


###### Moed Katan 5b:2
[Moed Katan 5b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:2)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אֵין מְצַיְּנִין לֹא עַל כַּזַּיִת מִן הַמֵּת, וְלֹא עַל עֶצֶם כִּשְׂעוֹרָה, וְלֹא עַל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל. אֲבָל מְצַיְּנִין עַל הַשִּׁדְרָה, וְעַל הַגּוּלְגּוֹלֶת, עַל רוֹב בִּנְיַן, וְעַל רוֹב מִנְיַן הַמֵּת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ With regard to the *halakhot* of marking graves, **the Sages taught** the following *baraita*: The courts **do not mark** the area **of an olive-bulk of a corpse; nor of a bone** that is the size of a **barleygrain-bulk; nor of** any **item that** imparts impurity only through physical contact but **does not impart ritual impurity by means of a tent** to an individual or object that it overshadows, or that is overshadowed by it, or that is found together with it under the same structure. **But they do mark** the area of **the spine** of a corpse, **the skull,** or the bones that comprise **the majority of the** skeletal **structure or the majority of the number** of bones in the body.


###### Moed Katan 5b:3
[Moed Katan 5b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:3)

וְאֵין מְצַיְּנִין עַל הַוַּודָּאוֹת, אֲבָל מְצַיְּנִין עַל הַסְּפֵיקוֹת. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַסְּפֵיקוֹת: סְכָכוֹת וּפְרָעוֹת וּבֵית הַפְּרָס. וְאֵין מַעֲמִידִין צִיּוּן בִּמְקוֹם טוּמְאָה, שֶׁלֹּא לְהַפְסִיד אֶת הַטְּהָרוֹת. וְאֵין מַרְחִיקִין צִיּוּן מִמְּקוֹם טוּמְאָה, שֶׁלֹּא לְהַפְסִיד אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And** furthermore, **they do not mark** the area **of certain** ritual impurity, i.e., a place that is known to all as ritually impure, **but they do mark** a place **of uncertain** ritual impurity. **And these are the** places of **uncertain** ritual impurity: **Overhanging boughs, protrusions, and a *beit haperas*. And they do not erect the marker** directly **over the site of the ritual impurity, so as not to cause a loss of ritually pure** food items, as one who is carrying such food might inadvertently walk up to the site of ritual impurity and only then notice the marker, after the food has already contracted impurity. **Similarly, they do not distance the marker from the** actual **site of ritual impurity, so as not to cause a loss of Eretz Yisrael,** i.e., so as not to increase the area into which individuals refrain from entering.


###### Moed Katan 5b:4
[Moed Katan 5b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:4)

וּכְזַיִת מִן הַמֵּת אֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל? וְהָא תְּנַן: אֵלּוּ שֶׁמְּטַמְּאִין בְּאֹהֶל — כְּזַיִת מִן הַמֵּת!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara begins to analyze this *baraita* by asking: **Is it** really **so that an olive-bulk of a corpse does not impart ritual impurity by means of a tent? But didn’t we learn** in a mishna (*Oholot* 2:1): **These are** the items **that impart ritual impurity by means of a tent,** and among other items this list includes **an olive-bulk of a corpse?**


###### Moed Katan 5b:5
[Moed Katan 5b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:5)

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: הָכָא בִּכְזַיִת מְצוּמְצָם עָסְקִינַן, דְּסוֹף סוֹף מִיחְסָר חָסַר. מוּטָב יִשָּׂרְפוּ עָלָיו תְּרוּמָה וְקׇדָשִׁים לְפִי שָׁעָה, וְאַל יִשָּׂרְפוּ עָלָיו לְעוֹלָם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Pappa said: Here, we are dealing with** a case **where** the piece of flesh **is exactly an olive-bulk, which,** as it decays, **will ultimately diminish** in size to less than an olive-bulk. Accordingly, **it is preferable that *teruma* and consecrated items be burned because of it for the time being,** in a case where one inadvertently encounters this impurity because it was not marked and consequently one must burn any *teruma* or consecrated items that became ritually impure, **and not be burned because of it forever** afterward. After some time the piece of flesh will be less than an olive-bulk, yet if the area is marked, people will continue to burn *teruma* or consecrated items because of it, as, due to the marking, they will assume that ritual impurity was imparted by means of a tent.


###### Moed Katan 5b:6
[Moed Katan 5b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:6)

וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַסְּפֵיקוֹת: סְכָכוֹת וּפְרָעוֹת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara continues to explicate the *baraita*: **And these are the** places of **uncertain** ritual impurity: **Overhanging boughs, and protrusions,** and a *beit haperas*.


###### Moed Katan 5b:7
[Moed Katan 5b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:7)

סְכָכוֹת — אִילָן הַמֵּיסֵךְ עַל הָאָרֶץ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains: **Overhanging boughs** is referring to **a tree that hangs over the ground** next to a cemetery, and under one of its branches there might be a corpse. If there is a corpse there, the branch overhanging it creates a tent and therefore imparts ritual impurity to anyone who passes underneath it.


###### Moed Katan 5b:8
[Moed Katan 5b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:8)

פְּרָעוֹת — אֲבָנִים פְּרוּעוֹת הַיּוֹצְאוֹת מִן הַגָּדֵר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Protrusions** is referring to **protruding stones that jut out from a wall** and are not flush with it, under which there might be a corpse. Once again, if the stones protrude over a corpse, they create a tent and impart ritual impurity to anyone who passes underneath.


###### Moed Katan 5b:9
[Moed Katan 5b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:9)

בֵּית הַפְּרָס, כְּדִתְנַן: הַחוֹרֵשׁ אֶת הַקֶּבֶר הֲרֵי הוּא עוֹשֶׂה בֵּית הַפְּרָס, וְכַמָּה הוּא עוֹשֶׂה — מְלֹא מַעֲנֶה מֵאָה אַמָּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The definition of a ***beit haperas*** is **as we learned** elsewhere in a mishna (*Oholot* 17:1): **One who plows** a field containing **a grave,** thereby raising concern that bones may have become strewn throughout the field, **renders** the field **a *beit haperas*. And how much** of the field **does he render** a *beit haperas*? **The full** length of **a furrow,** which is **a hundred cubits.**


###### Moed Katan 5b:10
[Moed Katan 5b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:10)

וּבֵית הַפְּרָס מִי מְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל? וְהָאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: מְנַפֵּחַ אָדָם בֵּית הַפְּרָס וְהוֹלֵךְ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Does a *beit haperas*** really **impart ritual impurity by means of a tent? But didn’t Rav Yehuda say** that **Shmuel said:** If **a person** is carrying ritually pure items or wishes to remain ritually pure so that he may consume consecrated items, yet he must cross a *beit haperas*, he **may blow upon** the earth in **the *beit haperas*** before each step to clear away any small bones that may have become strewn across the field **and** proceed to **walk** across the area, thereby remaining ritually pure. This indicates that there is no concern about contracting ritual impurity by means of a tent in a *beit haperas*; otherwise, it would be prohibited to cross in this way, as it is possible that in the course of blowing one may already have contracted ritual impurity by leaning over the bones or by passing over bones that are buried beneath the surface.


###### Moed Katan 5b:11
[Moed Katan 5b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:11)

וְרַב יְהוּדָה בַּר אַמֵּי מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּעוּלָּא אָמַר: בֵּית הַפְּרָס שֶׁנִּידַּשׁ — טָהוֹר!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Similarly, **Rav Yehuda bar Ami said in the name of Ulla: A *beit haperas* that was trampled,** i.e., a well-trodden *beit haperas*, **is ritually pure,** as passersby have certainly cleared away any bones with their feet. If a *beit haperas* were to impart ritual impurity by means of a tent, there should be a concern that the bones may have been trampled upon and buried in the ground. Both these sources prove that a *beit haperas* does not impart impurity by means of tent, posing a contradiction to the mishna.


###### Moed Katan 5b:12
[Moed Katan 5b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:12)

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא, לָא קַשְׁיָא: כָּאן בְּשָׂדֶה שֶׁאָבַד בָּהּ קֶבֶר, כָּאן בְּשָׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּחְרַשׁ בָּהּ קֶבֶר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Pappa said:** It is **not difficult,** as a distinction can be made between different types of *beit haperas*: **Here,** where the *baraita* states that a *beit haperas* must be marked because it imparts tent impurity, it is referring to **a field in which a grave was lost,** i.e., a field that was known with certainty to contain a grave, though its precise location can no longer be recalled. **There,** where it ruled that a *beit haperas* does not convey tent impurity, it is a case of **a field where a grave was plowed** and it is not at all clear whether there are bones strewn across the field. In that case ritual impurity is not imparted by means of a tent, and so it need not be marked.


###### Moed Katan 5b:13
[Moed Katan 5b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:13)

וְשָׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּחְרַשׁ בָּהּ קֶבֶר, בֵּית הַפְּרָס קָרֵי לֵיהּ? אִין, וְהָתְנַן: שְׁלֹשָׁה בֵּית הַפְּרָס הֵן: שָׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱבַד בָּהּ קֶבֶר, וְשָׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּחְרַשׁ בָּהּ קֶבֶר, וּשְׂדֵה בוֹכִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But is a field where a grave was plowed called a *beit haperas*,** such that one must be concerned about its ritual impurity? The Gemara answers: **Yes, and so we learned** in a mishna (*Oholot* 18:2–4): **There are three** types of ***beit haperas*** through which those who eat *teruma* and consecrated items are prohibited to walk: **A field in which a grave was lost** and its precise location is no longer known, **a field in which a grave was plowed** and bones may have been scattered about, **and a weepers’ field.**


###### Moed Katan 5b:14
[Moed Katan 5b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:14)

מַאי ״שְׂדֵה בוֹכִין״? רַב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר אַבָּא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּעוּלָּא אָמַר: שָׂדֶה שֶׁמַּפְטִירִין בָּהּ מֵתִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **What is** meant by **a weepers’ field? Rav Yehoshua bar Abba said in the name of Ulla: A field where** those escorting the deceased **would take leave of the deceased,** handing the corpse over to those who would perform the actual interment.


###### Moed Katan 5b:15
[Moed Katan 5b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:15)

וְטַעְמָא מַאי, אָמַר אֲבִימִי: מִשּׁוּם יֵאוּשׁ בְּעָלִים נָגְעוּ בָּהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And what is the reason** that one must be concerned about ritual impurity in a weepers’ field? **Avimi said:** It is **due to the** possible **despair by the owners** of recovering bones that the Sages **touched** upon **it.** There is a concern that in transporting the deceased from far away, a loose limb may have fallen from the corpse into the field, and unseen by those transporting the deceased, it was abandoned there. Since over time many corpses passed through this weepers’ field, it is assumed that ritual impurity might be found in many places throughout the field.


###### Moed Katan 5b:16
[Moed Katan 5b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:16)

וּשְׂדֵה שֶׁנֶּחְרַשׁ בָּהּ קֶבֶר לָא בָּעֵי צִיּוּן? וְהָא תַּנְיָא: מָצָא שָׂדֶה מְצוּיֶּנֶת וְאֵין יָדוּעַ מָה טִיבָהּ, יֵשׁ בָּהּ אִילָנוֹת — בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁנֶּחְרַשׁ בָּהּ קֶבֶר. אֵין בָּהּ אִילָנוֹת — בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁאָבַד בָּהּ קֶבֶר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And does a field in which a grave was plowed not require marking? But isn’t it taught** in a *baraita*: **If one encountered a field that was marked** due to ritual impurity, **and it is no** longer **known what the nature of the** ritual impurity **was, if there are trees in** the field, **it is known that a grave was plowed in it,** as it is permitted for one to plant trees in such a field. **If there are no trees in** the field, **it is known that a grave was lost in it,** as it is prohibited for one to plant trees in such a field. If a field is suitable for planting trees and yet there are none, clearly it is because a grave was lost in it.


###### Moed Katan 5b:17
[Moed Katan 5b:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:17)

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: עַד שֶׁיְּהֵא שָׁם זָקֵן אוֹ תַּלְמִיד, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין הַכֹּל בְּקִיאִין בַּדָּבָר!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yehuda says:** We do not rely on these signs **unless there is an Elder or** a rabbinic **scholar** who can testify about the subject, **as not all are experts in this matter,** and perhaps the field was not plowed at all. In any case, this *baraita* teaches that a field in which a grave was plowed is also marked.


###### Moed Katan 5b:18
[Moed Katan 5b:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:18)

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: כִּי תַּנְיָא הָהִיא, בְּשָׂדֶה שֶׁאָבַד בָּהּ קֶבֶר דְּצַיְּינוּהָ. יֵשׁ בָּהּ אִילָנוֹת — בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁנֶּחְרַשׁ בָּהּ קֶבֶר, אֵין בָּהּ אִילָנוֹת — בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁאָבַד בָּהּ קֶבֶר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **Rav Pappa said: When that** *baraita* concerning a marked field **is taught,** it is taught with regard to **a field where a grave was** certainly **lost** and **they** immediately **marked it.** However, **if there are trees in** the field, **it is known that a grave was** later **plowed in it,** i.e., it was forgotten that a grave had been lost in the field and so it was inappropriately plowed and prepared for planting. But **if there are no trees in** the field, **we know that a grave was lost in it** and it was not later plowed.


###### Moed Katan 5b:19
[Moed Katan 5b:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:19)

וְלֵיחוּשׁ דִּלְמָא אִילָנוֹת מִגַּוַּאי וְקֶבֶר מִבָּרַאי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara raises a question about this ruling: **But let us be concerned that perhaps the trees were** located **inside** the field **and the grave was** located **outside** of it, and the actual site of the grave was never plowed but simply lost? How then can one rely on the presence of trees to indicate that the grave had been plowed in the field?


###### Moed Katan 5b:20
[Moed Katan 5b:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Moed%20Katan/r/5b:20)

כִּדְאָמַר עוּלָּא: בְּעוֹמְדִין עַל הַגְּבוּלִין, הָכָא נָמֵי: בְּעוֹמְדִין עַל הַגְּבוּלִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: It is **as Ulla said** elsewhere. This is a case **where** the trees **are standing along the** field’s **boundaries,** next to a public domain, as the grave is certainly not outside the trees in the public domain, since people do not bury a corpse in the public thoroughfare. Rather, the grave must be between the trees, and was therefore plowed. **Here too**, then, this is a case **where** the trees **are standing along the borders.**