Airtight Taharah Protection

Among the methods of maintaining a state of Tahara in a tammei environment is by way of protection of צמיד פתיל and שידה, תיבה ומגדל.

צמיד פתיל

צמיד פתיל  (Tzamid Passil or Sammid Pthil) is a mishna term used to define an airtight container or enclosure that prevents tumah from being transmitted.

Although generally, there is not צמיד פתיל protection from blocking tumah from exiting a sealed container {{pirush hamishna leharambam, kelim 8,6 based on bava kamma to tosefta kelim, 6 3-4}}, an example of Liquid contained in a sealed container remains pure even whilst in the same ohel as a מת – a corpse {{mishna kelim 9 2}}.

Cargo hold of a Boeing 747 – a corpse stored here is halachically categorized as in a אוהל סתום. However, some insist that the passenger cabin is it its own right as if a vessel of its own – protecting the kohen from the tumah below

שידה, תיבה ומגדל

On a similar note, mishna oholot 15:8, it discusses a person in a שדה תיבה ומגדל who enters a cemetery and states that the person remains tahor.  Assuming that he will even pass over טומאה רצוצה and nonetheless remain tahor, the same logic would apply to the kohen sitting in the passenger cabin of an airplane and a מת being present in the cargo hold, if that passenger cabin has the status of שידה תיבה or מגדל -the kohen should be okay.

A vehicle with all windows closed would have this same status as a שידה, תיבה ומגדל.

Additional sources

Another mishna (oholot, 7;10) proves the same; שתי מערות זו על גב זו וטומאה בתחתונה תחתונה וקרקע טמאה עליונה וקרקע טהורה – “Two caves, one on top of another with tumah in the lower cave, the lower and its floor are tammei while the upper and its floor are tahor”.  Again, this shows the kohen in the passenger cabin is in a pure place.

This same idea is brought by tosefta; אדם שנתנו בפכוות והקיפו צמיד פתיל ועשאו גולל לקבר טהור.{{tosefta oholot, 16;11}}

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015-2017All Rights Reserved