Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day

We have already explained that the word of unlearned persons is accepted with regard to the purification process of the red heifer. Because of the severity involved, the matter is never treated lightly. Similarly, their word is accepted with regard to the wine and oil intended for the accompanying offerings of a sacrifice. If they say that they are pure, they are assumed to be pure. Because this is a very severe matter, they are mindful of it.

Similarly, their word is accepted with regard to the purity of terumah during the time when winepresses and olive vats are active, for all people purify themselves and their utensils to prepare their wine in a state of purity. When the time when winepresses and olive vats are active passes, their word is no longer accepted.

When an unlearned person brings a priest a barrel of wine or oil that is terumah, he should not accept it from him, because it is assumed to be impure. If the unlearned person left it in his own possession until the next time of the winepresses and olive vats and brought it to the priest, he should accept it even though he knows it is from the previous year. For no impurity was decreed on unlearned people during the time when winepresses and olive vats are active.

When an unlearned person locks his olive press or wine vat when the people completed pressing and brought the key to a priest, even though several days pass since the pressing season was completed, there is room for leniency. The priest may come, open the press or vat in the unlearned person's presence, have him immerse himself, press the olives or grapes and take terumah in a state of ritual purity.

If he did not do this, he should only take olives and grapes that were not made fit to contract impurity from an unlearned person, for they will not contract impurity.

If an unlearned person brought a priest a barrel of terumah wine or oil during the remainder of the year and told him: "I have separated consecrated wine or oil from it," even if only a revi'it, since his word is accepted with regard to the purity of the consecrated wine or oil, his word is accepted with regard to the entire amount.

Even during the time when winepresses and olive vats are active and the word of unlearned people is accepted with regard to terumah, their word is not accepted with regard to the empty containers to say that they are pure and may be used for terumah. Similarly, their word is never accepted with regard to empty containers to say that they are pure and may be used for consecrated liquids.

When there was a container of wine or oil and we saw an unlearned person waiting and protecting it so that he could take accompanying offerings from it, his word is accepted with regard to the purity of the container for even 70 days before the time when winepresses and olive vats are active. Before these 70 days, by contrast, their word is not accepted.

Where does the above apply? In the other portions of the land of Israel. In Jerusalem, by contrast, the word of unlearned people that empty earthenware containers are pure for consecrated articles is always accepted. This applies with regard to small utensils or large ones, whether they are full or empty. Implied is that the word of an unlearned person that a container is pure is accepted even though the liquids in the container are impure. Even if the garment of the unlearned person which is considered as impure due to midras enters the container, the container is assumed to be pure with regard to sacrificial foods. Why was such leniency shown? Because kilns for earthenware containers are not made in Jerusalem.

From Modi'it and closer, the word of unlearned people is accepted with regard to earthenware containers. Outside that area, their word is not accepted. Modi'it itself is sometimes considered as within that area and sometimes as outside.

What is implied? If a chavair was entering that town and an unlearned person carrying an earthenware container was departing, his word - that the container is pure with regard to sacrificial food - is accepted in Modi'it. If they were both either entering or departing, the word of the unlearned person is not accepted unless he is closer to Jerusalem than Modi'it.

The following rules apply when a potter brings pots and places them down closer to Jerusalem than Modi'it. Potential customers come and he tells them that it is pure. If a chavair purchases a pot and brings it in, it is considered as pure with regard to sacrificial food, but not with regard to terumah, as we explained. If he purchased a pot and took it outside of Modi'it, it is impure, both for sacrificial foods and for terumah. This applies even though these are the same pots and the same potter. His word is accepted only within a radius beginning from Modi'it.

When one takes earthenware containers from a kiln no matter where it is located, they are considered pure, both with regard to sacrificial foods and with regard to terumah. We do not suspect that perhaps an unlearned person touched them. Even if they were taken from the first row and even if the kiln was open and half of its contents were already taken, containers taken by a chavair are considered as pure. For a decree was not established concerning utensils in a kiln.

During the pilgrimage festivals, the impurity decreed upon the unlearned is suspended and they are considered as pure. For the entire Jewish people are considered as chavairim during the pilgrimage festivals. All of their utensils, their food, and their liquids are considered as pure during the festivals, for everyone purifies themselves and ascends to Jerusalem on the festivals. Therefore their word is accepted - whether with regard to sacrificial foods or with regard to terumah - throughout the festivals. After the festival passes, they are considered as impure again.

When a person opened his barrel of wine or of oil or began selling his dough during the festival, once the festival passes, the remainder of the contents of the barrel and the remainder of the dough are assumed to be impure, for they were touched by an unlearned person. Although he touched them only during the time that he is considered as a chavair, they are only considered as pure during the days of the festival.

After the festival, on the night following the festival, the priests would immerse all the utensils that were in the Temple in a mikveh, because the unlearned people had touched them during the festival. Therefore they would tell the people: "Do not touch the Golden Table," when they would show it to the festive pilgrims so that, after the festival, it would not be considered as impure because they touched it and thus would require immersion and waiting until nightfall before it would regain purity. This is undesirable, because with regard to the showbread, Exodus 25:30 states: "It should be before Me continuously."

All of the sacred utensils require immersion and waiting until nightfall with the exception of the Golden Altar and the Copper Altar. They do not contract impurity, because their metal plating is considered as subsidiary to their inner material.

When an unlearned person says: "I have not contracted the impurity associated with a human corpse," or "This k'li has not contracted the impurity associated with a human corpse," his word is accepted. He or the k'li is immersed only because of the impurity associated with unlearned people and must wait until nightfall. There is, however, no need for the ashes of the red heifer to be sprinkled on him or it.

When does the above apply? When he is asked and he says that it is pure. When, however, a person takes a k'li from the domain of an unlearned person without clarification, it is suspected that it contracted the impurity associated with a human corpse and the ashes of the red heifer are sprinkled on it on the third and seventh days, as is the law regarding keilim that are found in any place outside of Jerusalem. As will be explained with regard to situations where impurity is questionable, a decree was not established with regard to the impurity of keilim found in Jerusalem.