מגדל העומד באויר (a tower/cupboard standing isolated) – a wooden turret that has walls but the walls themselves have a cavity in their thickness, such as perforated holes that are open to the inside and the outside but they lack an opening of a handbreadth, and it is customary to hide there needles and hooks/curved pins and small vessels.

שהוא עומד באויר—underneath the airspace of the sky, such as that it stands in the courtyard.

טומאה בתוכו – in the cavity of the turret itself.

כלים שבעוביו – in the thickness of the cavity of the walls.

מחצה למחצה – from its half of the thickness of the cupboard/turret and towards the inside is like the inside, from its half [of the thickness] towards the outside is like the outside. Whether the defilement is in the turret/cupboard and the vessels are in its thickness, or whether the defilement is in its thickness and the vessels are in the turret/cupboard. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yossi.

טומאה בתוכו – within the turret/cupboard.

הבית טמא – even though that its doors are sealed. As it (i.e., the Mishnah) explains the reason that the manner of the defilement/uncleanness is to depart from there to the house.

טומאה בבית מה שבתוך המגדל – this is with its doors sealed. For if they are opened, it is no worse than a window that is between the two houses. For the reason that what is within the turret/cupboard is ritually pure, is that there is no path for the defilement that is in the house to enter into the turret/cupboard.

אם יש שם פותח טפח – between the rims of the turret/cupboard and the ground or between the wall of the turret/cupboard to the wall or between the roof the turret to the ceiling of the house.

טמאים – on account of the defilement that is in the house. But if there isn’t there [an opening] of a handbreadth, the turret/cupboard is like a לבוד/joined (i.e., that two solid surfaces are considered to be joined if there is a gap less than three handbreadths between them). And the defilement of the house does not enter there.

טומאה שם הבית טמא – if there was defilement between the rims of the turret/cupboard to the ground of the house. Or [there was defilement] between the roof of the turret to the roof of the house or between the walls of the turret to the walls of the house, even though there isn’t between them an opening of a handbreadth. הבית טמא – for the turret/cupboard does not protect regarding the defilement that is below it within the house so that it doesn’t defile all that is in the house.

תיבת המגדל -it is customary to make small chests within the wooden turret/cupboard, in order to hide in them vessels and food and liquids.

בה פותח טפח – there is in its cavity an opening of a handbreadth, but there is no defilement hidden.

ואין ביציאתה – in the hole of its opening, there isn’t a handbreadth.

טומאה בתוכה הבית טמא – and even though that its opening is small. As it explains the reason, because it is the manner of the defilement to go out, by force, its end is to exit through the path of this opening, therefore, it defiles immediately in the path of its exiting.

שבתוכה טהור מה– since there isn’t in its removal an opening of a handbreadth, it doesn’t bring in the defilement.

ואין דרך טומאה ליכנס – that its conclusion is not to bring into it a corpse.

ור' יוסי מטר – for perhaps its end is not exit through the path of this opening which has the measurement of defilement/uncleanness, for it is able to be remove it by halves or to burn it in its place. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yossi.

היה – the turret/cupboard was standing within the house, but the opening of the drawer was towards the outside.

טומאה בתוכה בבית טהור – for what is there is a reason to defile it? For there is no defilement that has an opening of a handbreadth and it is not hidden within. And because the departure of defilement also does not defile, because its departure/exuding is not inside within the house.

טומאה בבית מה שבתוכו טהור- for it is not the manner of defilement to enter/seep in there.

מוכני (wheel-work, machine for lifting weights) – a wheel that is made for the turret/cupboard to bring it from place to place.

משוכה לאחוריו (if its base protruded -backwards)- distanced from the back of the turret/cupboard to the side of the house. For the turret stands on the opening and the wheel-work/base protrudes backwards towards of the house inside, but the defilement there within the wheel-work is opposite the beams of the house. Even though the house overshadows upon it.

הבית טהור – for the wheel-work/base is considered like a turret/cupboard, for the turret stands at the entrance and opens outward. And the three fingers that it (i.e., the Mishnah) took, if it was protruding more than three fingerbreadths, it would not be like a turret/cupboard, for it is not the manner to distance the wheel-work/base from the turret so much.

בזמן שיש שם פותח טפח – for the cavity of the wheel-work/base that the defilement is contained in is open a handbreadth, in order that there not be pressed ritual impurity that it breaks through and rises.

ואינה יוצאת – for the wheel-work/base is not detached completely from the turret/cupboard.

והמגדל בא במדה (and the cupboard comes in requisite size) – that it holds forty Se’ah in moist with are two Kors in dry. And when it is in requisite size it is not susceptible to receive defilement and it interposes before the defilement. But less than this measure, it is like the rest of the vessels that are susceptible to receive defilement and it does not interpose before the defilement. And every turret/cupboard that is taught in this chapter [of Mishnah], is a cupboard that comes in requisite size.