Mishnah Starting With "Zayin"

Starting when are olives able to be rendered impure by being primed for impurity by a liquid? Once they sweat moisture in the vat into which the olives are placed for them to soften for pressing, but not by moisture in the basket into which they are placed after being picked, according to Beit Shammai. Rabbi Shimon says: the measure for sweat is three days i.e. the moisture the olives sweat while in the vat does not prime them for impurity until they have been there for three days. Beit Hillel says: when they soften such that three connect to one another only then does the moisture that emerges from them prime them for impurity. Rabban Gamliel says: once their work has been finished i.e. once no more olives are being added to the vat, and they are ready to be brought to the olive press; and the Sages say in accordance with him.

If one finished harvesting his olives but intends to buy, or finished buying but intends to borrow more olives, if it happened that he became a mourner, or had a feast to attend, or something unavoidable befell him preventing him from getting more olives or pressing them, even if zavim and zavot certain individuals with discharges that render them a Source of impurity walk upon them i.e. upon the olives he already had they remain pure as they have not become primed for impurity. If impure liquids fell on them, only the area they touched is impure, and the sap that emerges from them is pure.

Once their work is finished they are thereby primed for impurity. If impure liquids fell on them, they are impure, and the sap that emerges from them, Rabbi Eliezer declares pure, and the Sages declare impure. Rabbi Shimon says: They do not differ regarding the sap that emerges from the olives, that it is pure. And regarding what do they differ? Regarding that sap which comes out of the vat after the oil has been removed, which Rabbi Eliezer declares pure, and the Sages declare impure.

One who finishes harvesting his olives, but leaves one remaining basket and does not put it in the vat, he should place it in the vat before the eyes of a priest i.e. so the priest can observe it as it is primed for impurity, and ensure that it does not become impure, according to Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: he should bring the key to his olive press to a priest immediately but the priest does not have to be observing the whole time. Rabbi Shimon says: he should bring him they key from hour to hour i.e. bringing the key within twenty-four hours is sufficient.

One who leaves olives in the press for them to soften to be easier to press, they are thereby primed for impurity, by the liquid that emerges from them. If one left olives in a press for them to soften to be salted, Beit Shammai says: they are primed for impurity; and Beit Hillel says: they are not primed. One who crushes olives with impure hands has rendered them impure.

One who leaves one's olives on the roof for them to dry out into pieces for eating, even if they are piled as high as a cubit tall, they are not primed for impurity, even if they become moistened. If one put them in the house for them to wither and he intends to bring them up to the roof, or if one put them on the roof for them to wither or to split them, these are thereby primed for impurity, if they become moistened. If one put them in the house until he protects his roof i.e. improves his roof to create a sufficiently protected area in which to keep his olives or until he moves them to another place, they are not primed for impurity.

If one intends to take one pressing or two pressings from them from olives in the vat, Beit Shammai says: he may cut out the olives for pressing in impurity i.e. with impure hands or utensils, as the olives are not primed to become impure, but he must cover them up the remaining olives in purity. And Beit Hillel says: he can even cover them in impurity. Rabbi Yose says: one may dig out all the olives from the vat with metal axes and walk them to the olive press in impurity.

If a vermin was found among the milling stones for grinding the olives before they are pressed, only the area it touched is rendered impure. If a liquid was flowing through all the olives, everything is impure. If it the vermin was found on top of the leaves of the olives, they should ask the press workers to say, "We did not touch the vermin." If it was touching the main pile of olives, even by a hair, it is impure.

If it the vermin was found upon those clusters of olives that were separated from the main pile, and placed upon it, if it is touching a cluster the equivalent of an egg in volume, it is impure. If those clusters that were separated were placed upon others that were separated and not upon the main pile, even though it the vermin is touching the equivalent of an egg in volume, only the area it is touching is impure. If it was found between the wall and the olives it the pile is pure. If it was found on the roof, the contents of the vat is pure. If it was found in the vat, the contents of the roof is impure. If it was found burnt on top of the olives, and similarly a impure piece of cloth that was worn out, if it was found on top of the olives, it is pure, because all impurities are determined in accordance with their status at the moment they are found.