## Shabbat Daf 16a

###### Shabbat 16a:1
[Shabbat 16a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shabbat/r/16a:1)

לָא לִיטַּמּוּ מִגַּבָּן. אַלְּמָה תְּנַן: כְּלֵי חֶרֶס וּכְלֵי נֶתֶר טוּמְאָתָן שָׁוָה: מִיטַּמְּאִין וּמְטַמְּאִין מֵאֲוִירֵיהֶן, וּמִיטַּמְּאִין מֵאֲחוֹרֵיהֶן וְאֵין מִיטַּמְּאִין מִגַּבֵּיהֶן, וּשְׁבִירָתָן מְטַהַרְתָּן. כְּלֵי נֶתֶר וּכְלֵי חֶרֶס הוּא דְּטוּמְאָתָן שָׁוָה אֲבָל מִידֵּי אַחֲרִינָא — לָא! אָמְרִי, כֵּיוָן דְּכִי נִשְׁתַּבְּרוּ יֵשׁ לָהֶם תַּקָּנָה, שַׁוִּינְהוּ כִּכְלֵי מַתָּכוֹת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**they should not become impure from their outer** side. **Why,** then, **did we learn** this in a mishna? With regard to **earthenware vessels and vessels made from natron** [***neter***], the *halakhot* of **their impurity are equal** in that **they become impure** if a primary source of impurity enters their airspace, **and,** once impure, **they render** food that enters their airspace **impure from their air** space. **And they become impure from behind,** i.e., if a primary source of impurity enters into the bottom of the vessel, where there is an empty space and a receptacle, the vessel becomes impure. However, earthenware vessels **do not become impure from their outer** side, i.e., if a primary source of impurity came into contact with the outer side of the vessel, the inside of the vessel does not become impure. **And the breaking** of earthenware vessels **renders them pure.** By inference, specifically **natron vessels and earthenware vessels are those whose** *halakhot* of **impurity are equal,** as is their status. **However,** with regard to **other matters** that is **not** the case. Why, then, were glass vessels not listed together with those vessels? The Gemara answers: **Since if** the glass vessels **broke they have** the capacity to be **repaired,** as the glass can be liquefied and recast into a new vessel, the Sages **equated them to metal vessels** that can also be liquefied and recast.


###### Shabbat 16a:2
[Shabbat 16a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shabbat/r/16a:2)

אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה, יַחְזְרוּ לְטוּמְאָתָן יְשָׁנָה כִּכְלֵי מַתָּכוֹת? דִּתְנַן: כְּלֵי מַתָּכוֹת, פְּשׁוּטֵיהֶן וּמְקַבְּלֵיהֶן טְמֵאִין. נִשְׁבְּרוּ — טָהָרוּ. חָזַר וְעָשָׂה מֵהֶן כֵּלִים — חָזְרוּ לְטוּמְאָתָן יְשָׁנָה. וְאִילּוּ גַּבֵּי כְּלֵי זְכוּכִית תְּנַן: כְּלֵי עֵץ וּכְלֵי עוֹר וּכְלֵי עֶצֶם וּכְלֵי זְכוּכִית, פְּשׁוּטֵיהֶן טְהוֹרִין וּמְקַבְּלֵיהֶן טְמֵאִין. נִשְׁבְּרוּ — טָהָרוּ. חָזַר וְעָשָׂה מֵהֶן כֵּלִים — מְקַבְּלִין טוּמְאָה מִכָּאן וּלְהַבָּא. מִכָּאן וּלְהַבָּא אִין, לְמַפְרֵעַ — לָא!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But if so,** if glass vessels were truly equated with metal vessels, then broken glass vessels that were liquefied and recast **should reassume their previous impurity, like metal vessels. As we learned** in a mishna: **Metal vessels,** both **their flat** vessels, which have no airspace, **and their receptacles,** which have airspace, **are** all **impure** if they came into contact with a primary source of ritual impurity. If **they broke, they** thereby **became purified.** However, if **one remade** the broken vessels into new **vessels, they reassume their previous impurity. While, with regard to glass vessels, we learned** in a mishna: **Wooden vessels and leather vessels and bone vessels and glass vessels, their flat** vessels **are pure** when they come into contact with impurity, **and** only **their receptacles are impure.** If **they broke, they** thereby **became purified.** However, if **he remade** the broken vessels into new **vessels, they** can **become impure from that point,** when they were recast, **forward.** By inference: **From that point forward, yes,** they become impure; **retroactively, no,** they do not reassume their previous impurity. Apparently, there is no *halakha* of previous impurity as far as glass vessels are concerned.


###### Shabbat 16a:3
[Shabbat 16a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shabbat/r/16a:3)

טוּמְאַת כְּלֵי זְכוּכִית דְּרַבָּנַן, וְטוּמְאָה יְשָׁנָה דְּרַבָּנַן. בְּטוּמְאָה דְאוֹרָיְיתָא — אַחִיתוּ בַּהּ רַבָּנַן טוּמְאָה, בְּטוּמְאָה דְּרַבָּנַן — לָא אַחִיתוּ לַהּ רַבָּנַן טוּמְאָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **The** entire **impurity of glass vessels is** by **rabbinic decree, and previous impurity,** which takes effect on recast metal vessels, **is by rabbinic decree. With regard to impurity by Torah law, the** Sages **imposed** a decree of previous **impurity. With regard to impurity by rabbinic law, the** Sages **did not impose** a decree of previous **impurity.** The Sages did not impose the decree of previous impurity, which is by rabbinic decree, on glass vessels whose fundamental impurity is itself only by rabbinic decree.


###### Shabbat 16a:4
[Shabbat 16a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shabbat/r/16a:4)

פְּשׁוּטֵיהֶן מִיהָא לִיטַּמּוּ, דְּהָא פְּשׁוּטֵי כְּלֵי מַתָּכוֹת דְּאוֹרָיְיתָא נִינְהוּ? עָבְדִי בְּהוּ רַבָּנַן הֶכֵּירָא כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לִשְׂרוֹף עֲלַיְיהוּ תְּרוּמָה וְקׇדָשִׁים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks further: **Their flat** vessels **should in any case become impure.** Since the impurity of **flat metal vessels is by Torah law,** isn’t it appropriate, therefore, to decree this impurity on flat glass vessels by rabbinic decree? The Gemara answers: **The Sages made a distinction with regard to** glass vessels, **in order to prevent burning *teruma* and consecrated items for** coming into contact with **them.** Through this distinction between glass vessels and metal vessels, everyone will understand that the impurity of glass vessels is not by Torah law. They will not come to burn *teruma* and consecrated items that came into contact with impure glass vessels; rather, their legal status will remain in abeyance.