Keilim, Chapter 14, Mishnah 4. Our mishnah takes us out to the field, to a wagon harnessed to a team of oxen, and asks a very practical question: which of its many pieces are considered utensils in their own right, able to receive tumah? Most of the parts listed here belong to the harness, the apparatus that binds the animals to the wagon so that they can pull it.
The mishnah begins, "Hatemei'in sheba'agalah", these are the parts of the wagon that can become tamei. The point being made is precise: these items are not counted as tamei only while they are attached and functioning as part of the wagon. Each one has enough independent standing as a metal utensil to become tamei on its own.
The list follows, piece by piece.
- "Ha'ol shel matechet", the metal yoke: the heavy beam that rests upon the necks of the oxen, binding the animals both to each other and to the wagon behind them.
- "Vehakatrav", the crossbar: a bar passing below the oxen's necks which secures them to the yoke resting above. A wooden peg descends from the edge of the yoke, and that peg is what connects the upper metal bar to the lower one.
- "Vehakenafayim hamekabelot et haretzuot", the "wings" that receive the straps: rounded pieces at either tip of the crossbar, serving as the anchor points for the animal's straps. Apart from the crossbar, straps also run from the ox up to the yoke, giving the whole rig an extra measure of stability.
- "Vehabarzel shetachat tzav'rei behemah", the iron positioned under the animal's neck, whose purpose is to protect the ox from the strap that runs beneath it.
- "Vehasomech", a ring fixed at the yoke's center which serves for pulling. It is fastened to the forward end of the wagon, and by means of it the ox draws the wagon along.
- "Vehamachger", the harness bound around the necks of the oxen.
- "Vehatamchuyot", the plates inserted where the yoke meets the head of the animal.
- "Veha'inbal", the clapper suspended within the animal's bell.
- "Vehatzinorah", the hook that keeps the cargo carried on the wagon from shifting.
The mishnah closes with one more item: "Umasmer hamechaber et kulan", the nail that fastens all of these various pieces together. It too has the capacity to become tamei.
What emerges from this mishnah is a picture of how carefully the Sages examined the ordinary equipment of daily life. A wagon and its harness look like one large object, yet each of these metal components has its own function and therefore its own status as a utensil that can receive tumah, right down to the nail that binds them all.