Impurity of Foods — Rambam

Impurity of Foods

Impurity of Foods — Rambam on Beth HaMidrash: the Hebrew text with its English translation, with Rashi and the major commentators. Free, online.

כָּל אֹכֶל הַמְיֻחָד לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם כְּגוֹן לֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר וַעֲנָבִים וְזֵיתִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה וְכָל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְיֻחָד לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם הֲרֵי זֶה טָהוֹר וְאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן חִשֵּׁב עָלָיו וְיִחֲדוֹ לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם. וְזֶה וְזֶה אֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה עַד שֶׁיִּבָּלֵל תְּחִלָּה בְּאֶחָד מִשִּׁבְעָה מַשְׁקִין וְזֶהוּ הַנִּקְרָא הֶכְשֵׁר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יא לח) "וְכִי יֻתַּן מַיִם עַל זֶרַע":All foods that are designated for human consumption, e.g., bread, meat, grapes, olives, and the like, are susceptible to ritual impurity. All foods that are not designated for human consumption are pure and are not susceptible to ritual impurity unless one had a specific intent and set them aside for human consumption. No foods are susceptible to ritual impurity unless it was first dampened with one of the seven liquids. This dampening is referred to as hechsher. These concepts are derived from Leviticus 11:38 which states: "When water will be placed on a seed...."

וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַשִּׁבְעָה מַשְׁקִין שֶׁמַּכְשִׁירִין אֶת הָאֳכָלִין לְטֻמְאָה. הַמַּיִם וְהַטַּל וְהַשֶּׁמֶן וְהַיַּיִן וְהֶחָלָב וְהַדָּם וְהַדְּבַשׁ. וְאֵינָן מַכְשִׁירִין עַד שֶׁיִּפְּלוּ עַל הָאֳכָלִין בִּרְצוֹן הַבְּעָלִים. וְלֹא יִהְיוּ סְרוּחִין שֶׁהַמַּשְׁקֶה הַסָּרוּחַ אֵינוֹ מַכְשִׁיר. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהֻכְשַׁר הָאֹכֶל אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיָּבַשׁ וַהֲרֵי הוּא נָגוּב הֲרֵי זֶה מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה:These are the seven liquids that make foods susceptible to impurity: water, dew, oil, wine, milk, blood, and honey.They do not make foods susceptible to impurity unless they fall upon them as desired by the owner. Nor may they be squalid, for squalid liquids do not make food fit to contract impurity.Once food has been made susceptible to ritual impurity, it retains that status after it is dry, with no liquid on it.

אֹכֶל שֶׁהָיָה בָּלוּל בְּמֵי פֵּרוֹת כְּגוֹן מֵי תּוּתִים וְרִמּוֹנִים אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא בָּלוּל וְנָגַע בּוֹ הַזָּב אוֹ בְּשַׂר הַמֵּת הֲרֵי הוּא טָהוֹר מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הֻכְשַׁר בְּאֶחָד מִשִּׁבְעָה הַמַּשְׁקִין:When food has been dampened with fruit juice, e.g., berry juice or pomegranate juice, even though it is wet and was touched by a zav or the flesh of a corpse, it is pure, because it was not made susceptible to impurity by one of the seven liquids.

אֵין שָׁם מַשְׁקֶה שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה אֶלָּא שִׁבְעַת הַמַּשְׁקִין שֶׁמָּנִינוּ בִּלְבַד אֲבָל שְׁאָר מֵי פֵּרוֹת כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאֵין מַכְשִׁירִין כָּךְ אֵין מְקַבְּלִין טֻמְאָה כְּלָל:Only the seven liquids that we mentioned are considered liquids that are susceptible to ritual impurity. Other fruit juices, by contrast, neither make foods susceptible to ritual impurity, nor do they contract ritual impurity themselves at all.

זֵיתִים וַעֲנָבִים שֶׁלֹּא הֵבִיאוּ שְׁלִישׁ מַשְׁקִין הַיּוֹצְאִין מֵהֶן אֵינָן מַכְשִׁירִין וְלֹא מְקַבְּלִין טֻמְאָה אֶלָּא הֲרֵי הֵן כִּשְׁאָר מֵי פֵּרוֹת שֶׁהֵן טְהוֹרִין לְעוֹלָם:When grapes and olives have not reached a third of their maturity, the liquids they produce do not make foods susceptible to ritual impurity, nor are these liquids themselves susceptible to ritual impurity. Instead, they are like other fruit juices and they are pure forever.

Mishneh Torah, Defilement of Foods.1