שמאי אומר כל הנשים דיין שעתן – All the women who see [menstral] blood know their hour to defile what is pure that they came in contact with from the time of their seeing [blood] and onward. And we don’t say that before this also, that there was blood in the walls of her womb that had been established and that she was impure even before this, for all women defile in with their vagina, and even though blood had not exited outside. And the reason of Shammai is that he did not suspect that perhaps, before this there had been blood, for if you say this, the heart of a man smites him (i.e., he has no clear conscience) all the time of intercourse and he separates himself from his wife, and it is found that the daughters of Israel would refrain from engaging in [the Mitzvah] of “being fruitful and multiplying.”

מפקידה לפקידה – She checked today and found herself to be pure, and checked at the end of the week and found herself to be impure. We are suspicious of her physical contact from the first examination and onwards, lest with the removal of her hand, she saw that the walls of her womb established her presumptive condition [of cleanness], and we do not worry about refraining from “being fruitful and multiplying”, for specifically, for purity that we defile them from one examination to the next examination, and not to her husband, for Shammai says: if we make her defiled from her purity, the heart of man smites him (i.e., he has no clear conscience) and he would separate also from sexual intercourse.

לא כדברי זה ולא כדברי זה – not according to the words of Shammai who is more lenient and does not make a tence for his words, and not according to the words of Hillel, who went beyond his measures (i.e., extended the restrictions of the law too far – see Talmud Niddah 4b) who was too strict, for certainly, all these “many days” (according to Hillel) do not establish that the walls of the womb are [filled with] blood.

מעת לעת ממעטת על יד מפקידה לפקידה – two times were mentioned with regard to the woman to defile that which is pure retroactively, and he went after the liberal of both opinions. For if “from one (i.e., the present) examination” to the [last] examination is greater than from one term of twenty-four hours (of retrospective uncleanness) [reduces the term of the interval from one examination to the other], we go after one from twenty-four hour period to the previous one, and we don’t defile other than those pure things that she came in contact with from yesterday at that hour. But if the period “from one term of twenty-four hours is greater than from one examination to the one that preceded it, such as when she checked herself in the morning and found herself to be pure, and in the evening, found herself to be impure, we don’t defile anything other than those pure things that were from the examination in the morning and beyond. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

על יד – of another, like “Next to him” in the Book of Ezra (actually – it is Nehemiah 3:8, which is like (verse 16): “And after him.”

וסת – fixed (i.e., regular time of menstruation), for it was established for her the time of menstruation three times, and she checked at the time of her regular time of menstruation and found herself to be impure, she knows her time, and we don’t worry that perhaps before this it occurred, for certainly, her time of menstruation comes on time.

והמשמשת בעדים הרי זו כפקידה – Two things are taught and this is how it should be understood: She who uses evidences – a piece of cloth used by women for ascertaining their condition of cleanness or uncleanness that is to say, it is Mitzvah upon each and every woman to use two pieces of evidence which she checks with them, one before sexual intercourse and once after sexual intercourse.

הרי זו כפקידה – the evidence that is after sexual intercourse is considered like an examination.

ממעטת על יד מעת לעת ועל יד מפקידה לפקידה – for you might have thought lest she sees a drop of blood like a mustard seed and ends up takes a handful of semen and that it would not be considered an examination, our Mishnah comes to tell us, that until after sexual intercourse, it is considered like an examination, but the evidence used before sexual intercourse is not like an examination, and because she is restless, that is she is anxious to have sex, she does not bring it into the holes and fissures [of her vagina].

מקב לחלה – dough which has in it a Kab is liable for [separating] Hallah.

קב ומחצה חייבים בחלה – which are seven Logs and an egg and one-fifth of an egg, according to the Wilderness measure. And this is an Omer as a capitation tax, one-tenth of an Ephah which is liable for Hallah, as it is written (Numbers 15:20): “As the first yield of your baking, [you shall set aside a loaf as a gift….],” according to the dough of the wilderness. And they added one-sixth for the Jerusalem [measure], so that it was found that six Wilderness [Logs] become five Jerusalem [logs], and the Log that remains and the egg and the one-fifth egg go up to the Jerusalem Log, for the Wilderness log is [equal to] six eggs, which are given as five large eggs. It is found that the Log is missing one large egg. Give an egg and one-fifth of an egg in place of he large egg, for the one-fifth egg which is one-sixth from the outside additional on the egg, it is found that six large eggs which are a large Log, since six large Logs are one and-one-half Kabs.

משהגדילו המדות – This is the Sepphoris measure, which they added one-sixth on that of the Jerusalem [measure], so it is found that the six Logim are five, which are five-fourths of a Kab, as the Kab is equivalent to four Logs.

חמשה ועוד חייבים – for as Rabbi Yosi holds, the Wilderness measure were larger eggs than ours by one-twentieth of an egg for each egg. And the Halakha is according to the Sages, that a Jerusalem Kab and one-half which equals six Jerusalem Logs which are the Wilderness seven Logs and an egg and one-fifth of an egg, which is the measure [required] for Hallah. And they are forty-three eggs and one-fifth of an egg. And Maimonides cut and examined and checked and found that the weight of five hundred and twenty of most of the commentators from the flour of wheat is the measure of flour that is obligated for Hallah. And the weight of most of the commentators was known in Egypt today and throughout the Land of Israel, which is the weight of nearly sixty-one grains of barley.

הין – twelve Logs

פוסלין את המקוה – if they (i.e., drawn water) fell into it prior to its measure being completed. But after it was completed, even if he cast into it all the drawn water that is in the world, they would not make it (i.e., the Mikveh) invalid.

שחייב אדם לומר בשלון רבו – that is to say, the word "הין" /”hin” is not the language of the Mishnah, but rather is the language of the Torah, but that is what he heard from his teachers Shemaiah and Avtalion. And Maimonides received from his father, of blessed memory, that since Shemaiah and Avtalion were righteous converts, they were not able to pronounce from their mouths the word “Hin,” and they would say, “Een” instead of “Hin,” like people until today who are incapable of articulating the letters [Aleph, Khet, Hei and Ayin), and Hillel would also say, “Een”, like this teachers, the righteous converts Shemaiah and Avtalion would say.

גרדיים – weavers

משער האשפות – The Tanna mentioned the name of their craft and the name of their neighborhoods, to inform you that nothing should prevent a person individually from the House of Study, for there is no lesser craft than that of the weaver, for we can cannot appoint from it neither a King nor a High Priest, and there is n o lesser gate in Jerusalem than the Dung Gate, and they cast the deciding vote through their testimony for all the Sages of Israel.

שלא יהא אדם עומד על דבריו – that he should not stubborn to stand enduring by his viewpoint.

אבות העולם – Hillel and Shammai

ויסמוך עליו – that is to say, that he acted according to the individual opinion and set aside the opinion of the majority.

אין בית דין – Another which would arrive after him is able to nullify the words of the earlier Jewish court who acted according to the words of the individual (i.e., minority view), until it is greater than him in wisdom and in number. In wisdom – that is, that the head of the Academy of the latter Jewish court would be greater in wisdom than the head of the Academy of the former [Jewish court]. In number – that the number of the students in the latter Academy would be greater than the number of students in the former Academy.

למה מזכירין דברי היחיד בין המרובין – in order to nullify them. An individual [opinion] that was not followed by a single Jewish court like his words and they are rejected and nullified, why do we mention them at all? And we respond that if a person would say: Such is my received [tradition] and he would be astonished when he sees that no one is acting according to his received tradition, they would say to him: according to the words of that individual you heard and those words were rejected.

רובע עצמות – one-quarter of a Kab of bones of the dead defile in a tent, and less [than one-quarter] do not defile other than through contact or by carrying [them] but not in a tent, but the School of Shammai holds that one-quarter kab defile and even if they are from many dead individuals.

ובית הלל אומרים רובע עצמות מן הגויה – that is to say, from one body of one dead individual and not from may dead individuals. And even of one dead person, they do not defile until there will be one-quarter kab of the greater portion of a corpse, that is, the greater size of the body or the greater number of bones of a person which would be one-hundred and twenty-five bones, as the number of the bones of a person is two-hundred and forty-eight.

אפילו מעצם אחד – if one bone of the dead person files one-quarter kab, it defiles in a tent, and the Halakha is according to the School of Hillel.

כרשיני תרומה – In Arabic we call it KARS’NA. And they are food for camels but humans do not eat from them other than from need/emergency in the years of famine, and we separate Terumah/priest’s due from them, since they are eaten by humans on occasion from need/emergency, but it is not holy like the rest of the priest’s due/sacred gifts.

שורין – [soak] them in water.

ושפין – on [it is necessary to say – the flesh/skin]

בטהרה – with the washing of the hands, like the law regarding the rest of foods of Priest’s due/Terumah. For mere hands are second-level of uncleanness and they defile the Terumah.

ומאכילין – to cattle

בטומאה – and one does not suspect if he defiles them with his hands at the time of his feeding them to cattle, but all the while that he is not feeding them to cattle, it is prohibited to defile them with his hands.

שורין בטהרה – soaking them in water makes them susceptible to receive defilement, and if he soaks them while in a state of defilement, it is found that he has made them susceptible and their defilement comes as one. This alone is what the School of Hillel prohibits, because of a recognition in order that they would know that they are priest’s due/Terumah.

יאכלו צריד – the language of dryness, like the dry-portion of meal-offerings, which is the place of the meal-offering where oil did not arrive there. Even here, they should be eaten dry, so that liquid would not come upon them at the time of eating, in order that they would not be recognized as susceptible to receive defilement.

כל מעשיהם בטומאה – and even the soaking. But the Halakha is according to the School of Hillel.

הפורט סלע ממעות מעשר שני – whomever has Second Tithe copper coins and comes to exchange them for a silver Sela must come up to Jerusalem because of the burden of the path.

בית שמאין אומרים בכל הסלע מעות – if one comes to exchange them, he can exchange all of them and give coins for the entire Sela.

ובית הלל אומרים – he cannot exchange other than half of them, for when he comes to Jerusalem, he will need pennies/small coins immediately to purchase the needs of the meal, and if everyone would run to the money-changer to exchange, the small coins/pennies would increase in value and it would be found that the Second Tithe [value] would be lost. Therefore, he should bring small coins/pennies with them to spend partially, and when they run out, he can exchange the silver that is in his hand little by little. A Shekel is one-half of a Sela.

אין מחללין כסף ופירות על כסף – Whomever has one-half a Denar of silver of [Second] Tithe, and produce of [Second] Tithe that are worth one-half a Denar, he should not combine them together to change for a Denar.

וחכמים מתירים – In such a manner through combining produce, since he only has one-half a Denar of silver, but to exchange a silver Denar and produce that is worth a Denar for one-half a Sela whih two Denarim, the Sages admit that we do not exchange. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

הפורט סלע של מעשר שני בירושלין – that he would exchange a Sela that is in his hand and take small coins to spend them for the needs of the meal of the [Second] Tithe.

בית שמאי אומרים – if he comes to exchanges all the Selas that are in his hand for small coins, he should make the exchange.

ובית הלל אומרים – he should only exchange half of them, lest he stay in the city until he spends all of them, and he should deposit them in the city until another Festival as the small coins/pennies decay/become disfigured, and if he would return and exchange them for Selas, it would be found that the money-changer would gain twice over and the Second Tithe would be lost.

הדנים לפני חכמים – Shimon ben Azzai and Shimon ben Zoma and Chanan the Egyptian/HaMitzri.

בשלשה דינרים כסף ובדינר מעות – The Sela is [worth] four Denars, and when one comes to exchange the Sela, he should not take other than one Denar of small coins, and three Denars should be silver.

וברביעית כסף ברביעית מעות – With the fourth Denar of Silver, he should not take other than one-quarter of it copper and three parts silver, so that it is found that he would purchase one M’ah from sixteen for a Sela alone.

ארבעה אספרי כסף – The Denar [is worth] five Sestertius, and it is a coin in the land of Greece that until today we call it ASPERO, it is found that a Sela is twenty ASPERO, and when he exchanges for a Denar, it should be exchanged for four silver ASPERO and one copper coin. It is found that he purchases one copper coin from twenty for every Sela alone.

יניחנה בחנות ויאכל כנגדה – He should not exchange the small coins/pennies, lest he perhaps forget and make them non-sacred. But he should leave the Sela with the money-changer and eat [food] against it until it runs out. But the Halakha is according to the words of the School of Hillel alone.

חפויו – Our Rabbis have explained this from the language of (Shabbat 81a) “the pivots” which are the teeth protruding from the keys that are customarily made in the Land of Ishmael, even here that one ordinarily makes in the bride’s litter/chair like teeth protruding in order that they can support them. And Maimonides explained it engravings and drawings that they make from wood or stones and attach them on to the bridal seat.

בית שמאי מטמאין – for they are still fit for sitting.

ובית הלל מטהרין – but they are not fitting for a bride, and they are like broken.

מלבן הכסא טמא – that is to say, even the frame by itself, without the seat and without the seat boards is ritually impure; all the more so, the seat without the its boards is ritually impure. The frame, in the form of a square brick they make on the seat and people sit on it.

כסא שקבעו בעריבה – he brought the seat from another place and affixed it in a trough through his sitting in it. But a trough is not ritually (i.e., Levitically) impure arising from someone with gonorrhea’s immediate contact by treading/leaning against it, and it is fit for kneading but not for sitting upon.

בית שמאי מטמאין – because the seat does not become void in the trough.

ובית הלל מטהרין – from impurity arising from someone with gonorrhea’s immediate contact by treading/leaning upon it, but the sea becomes void regarding the trough. But the seat is made in the body of the trough itself, and the School of Shammai admits to the School of Hillel that it is ritually pure.

שמאי אומר – even the sea that is made in the trough itself is impure by gonorrhea’s immediate contact by treading/leaning upon it.

אלא בבאה מן הקציר – like the event that took place that some people went to harvest wheat and a snake bit one of them and he died, and she came and announced in the Jewish court, and they sent out and found that it was according to her words. But they did not permit it (i.e., for her to re-marry), other than it was an example that the matter be something that is close by, but [if she is coming] from abroad, she is not believed.

אלא בהווה – it was an event that took place such as it was, and the same law applies to the rest of the places.

שאין האחים נכנסין – to the inheritance of her husband, for the All-Merciful said (Deuteronomy 19:15): “A case can be valid only on the testimony of two witnesses or more,” and concerning her marriage they (i.e. the Rabbis) were lenient because of her disability to remarry (see Yevamot 88a – as regards testimony to her husband’s death to prevent the eventuality of “widowhood in life.”).

מפני כתובתה – from the formulation that they established to write in the document of the marriage contract/Ketubah.

כשתנשאי לאחר – for behold she is married and afterwards can take [the monies] of her Ketubah.

מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין – such as slave of two partners and one of them freed him; alternatively, his master received from him half of the monies [of his worth] and freed half of him with those funds.

תקנתם את רבו – who is not lacking anything

לישא שפחה אינו יכול – because of the side of freedom that is in him.

בת חורין אינו יכול – because of the side of servitude that is in him.

כופין את רבו ועושהו בן חורין – and the same law applies if he was the slave of one-hundred partners and one of them freed him, we force all of them to free him.

כלי חרס מציל על הכל – an earthenware utensil that is surrounded by something closely covered with a lid protects everything that is inside it when it is the tent of a dead person, and will not defile anything that is inside it, as it is written (Numbers 19:15): “And every open vessel, with no lid fastened down, shall be unclean,” but if it has a lid fastened down, it is pure and what is inside it, it does not matter whether it is utensils, or food-stuffs or drink. And the Biblical verse is speaking about an earthenware vessel, as it is written, “And every open vessel,” concerning that which defiles through its opening, and does not defile through its back.

אינו מציל אלא על אוכלין ומשקין ועל כלי חרס – but on other kinds of utensils, it does not protect as will be explained further on.

מפני מה וכו' מפני שהוא טמא על גב עם הארץ – for everything that is found with the ignoramuses whether utensils, food-stuffs and liquids/drink, all are considered impure, because they are not expert in the laws of the impurity and purity and consider that which is impure to be pure.

ואין כלי טמא חוצץ – it does not offer protection against the defilement other than only a pure utensil, but an impure utensil cannot protect on what is inside of it, and these utensils belonging to the ignoramuses are considered to be ritually impure and do not offer protection.

לעצמו טיהרנו – to the ignoramus himself we have declared it pure, and we should not suspect that perhaps a Haver/ a member of the order for the observance of Levitical laws in daily intercourse, would come to use them, for they are separated from contact with them and without this, also, all of their food would be ritually impure; therefore, food and drink and earthenware utensils which have no purity in the Mikveh, for when they were in the midst of a vessel with a lid fastened down belong to the ignoramuses, we say to them that they are ritually pure [for them], and they can use them they are the ones who consider their utensils to be considered pure, and we don’t suspect lest a Haver will borrow one from them and use them, for they are, for him, in a status of impurity and they can never have ritual purity ever. But a vessel that only requires only rinsing in order to be restored to Levitical cleanness where there is a suspicion that a Haver will borrow it from them and immerse them [in the Mikveh] and use them without sprinkling on the third and seventh day, for he will not know that they were defiled in the tent of a dead person, and would think that a mere immersion [in the Mikveh] would be sufficient to rescue it from the ritual impurity that it sustained while with the ignoramus, and that is why it is taught in our Mishnah: “You have declared it ritually clean/pure both for the ignoramus and for you,” and a Haver would come to use it. Therefore, they made the law equivalent for all and said that a vessel that requires only rinsing in order to be restored to Levitical cleanness is saved with a lid fastened down, which does not belong either to a Haver nor to an ignoramus. And if they came to make a decree that an earthenware utensil of an ignoramus shall never be saved with a lid fastened down because it is considered ritually impure and no impure vessel can protect/save it, none of the ignoramuses would accept it from them, because they would hold that they are expert and guard their utensils in ritual purity and they can protect their utensils.