This is the final mishnah of Maseches Chagigah, and the mishnah that closes the entire Seder Moed. Thank you for joining us for the study of Seder Moed, and I hope you will join us as we open Seder Nashim with Maseches Yevamos.
In the previous mishnah we learned how the kohanim would purify the Azarah, the courtyard of the Beis HaMikdash, after the festival ended. The reason: amei ha'aretz, who are normally presumed to be tamei, were considered tahor during the festival, but once the festival was over they were once again retroactively considered tamei, and consequently all the vessels they had touched in the Mikdash during the festival were considered tamei.
How the purification was carried out:
The mishnah teaches that they would immerse all the vessels of the Mikdash. And during the festival itself they would warn the amei ha'aretz in advance, saying to them: "Hizaharu shelo tig'u b'shulchan" - be careful, do not touch the Table - the Table on which the lechem hapanim rested - "shelo t'tamuhu" - so that you do not render it tamei.
The reason for this distinction: all the other vessels of the Mikdash could be immersed in a mikvah and purified, whereas the lechem hapanim had to rest on the Table continuously. Had they touched the Table and rendered it tamei by their contact, there would have been no way to immerse it in a mikvah and at the same time leave the lechem hapanim upon it without interruption. They were therefore warned not to touch it at all.
Replacement vessels in the Mikdash:
The mishnah continues and teaches that for every vessel in the Mikdash there were replacement vessels - a second and a third. If the first became tamei, they would bring the second in its place. And with regard to one of the vessels there is a dispute as to whether it had a replacement or not.
The altars that do not become tamei:
All the vessels of the Mikdash required immersion after the festival, except for the golden altar, upon which the incense was burned inside the Heichal, and the copper altar - that name is literal only in the Mishkan, since the altar of the Beis HaMikdash was made of stone. The reason they do not become tamei: they are considered as ground, and something attached to the ground does not become tamei.
However, while the outer altar was indeed attached to the ground, the golden altar was not attached. But a hekesh in the verse links the two altars, and by virtue of this link the laws of the outer altar apply to the inner altar as well, and therefore both are tahor. This is the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer.
"Mipnei shehen metzupin" - the opinion of the Chachamim:
The Chachamim use a brief expression: "Mipnei shehen metzupin" - because they are coated. The golden altar was made of acacia wood, and this wood was covered with a layer of gold. This expression has been explained in two ways:
The Chachamim disagree with Rabbi Eliezer: Rabbi Eliezer held that the golden altar does not become tamei, whereas the Chachamim hold that it does become tamei because of its coating. In itself it should have been tahor, since a wooden vessel made to remain in place - a large wooden vessel that is not meant to be moved, such as an altar - does not become tamei. But since it is coated with metal, and metal becomes tamei in any case, it does become tamei. This explanation applies to the copper altar of the Mishkan as well, for even though its coating was copper and not gold, it is still a layer of metal.
The Chachamim agree with Rabbi Eliezer: In their view too the altar remains tahor, only that the reason is not that it is attached to the ground, but rather that it is a wooden vessel made to remain in place - a large vessel intended to stay permanently where it is, which does not become tamei. And if there is room to be concerned that it should become tamei on account of the layer of metal covering it, to this the Chachamim respond: "Mipnei shehen metzupin" - the role of that metal is nothing more than a covering, and it does not carry enough significance to transform a vessel that was tahor in its own right into a vessel that becomes tamei.
Thank you again for joining us for Maseches Chagigah and for Seder Moed, and please join us for Maseches Yevamos as we open Seder Nashim.