[If the cabinet] is standing in the doorway, open to the outside, [and there is] tumah inside [the cabinet], the house remains tahor. [If there is] tumah in the house, what-ever is inside [the cabinet] becomes tamei, because it is the way of the tumah to exit, but it is not the way [of the tumah] to enter. If its wheel extends [no more than] three fingerbreadths beyond [the basket], [and the wheel contains] tumah that is beneath the ceiling beams [of a house], the house remains tahor. When does this ruling apply? When (1) there is a space of one [cubic] handbreadth [in the wheel], (2) [the wheel] is not removable, and (3) the cabinet is large.

An oven whose opening is vented outdoors is located inside a house and pallbearers pass over [the opening] — Beis Shammai say: Everything becomes tamei. Beis Hillel say: The oven becomes tamei, but the house remains tahor. R’ Akiva says: Even the oven remains tahor.

There is an opening between the lower story and the upper story of a house that has been covered by a pot. [The pot has] a crack large enough for liquid to seep in. Beis Shammai say: Everything [in the house] becomes tamei. Beis Hillel say: The pot becomes tamei, but the upper story remains tahor. R’ Akiva says: Even the pot re-mains tahor.

[If the pot] is whole, Beis Hillel say: It protects everything [from becoming tamei]. However, Beis Shammai say: It protects only food, liquids, and earthenware. Beis Hillel subsequently ruled like Beis Shammai.

[If] there is a bottle [in the upper story] full of tahor liquid, the bottle becomes tamei for seven days, [even though] the liquid remains tahor. However, if one pours [the liquid] into a different vessel, it becomes tamei. [If] a woman is kneading [dough] in a bowl, the woman and the bowl become tamei for seven days, but the dough remains tahor. However, if [the dough] is trans-ferred to a different vessel, it becomes tamei. Beis Hillel subsequently ruled like Beis Shammai.

[If] the utensils are made of dung, stone, or [unbaked] clay, everything remains ta-hor. [If] the utensil is [considered] tahor for use with sanctified [food] or the parah adumah procedure, everything remains tahor, because everyone is trustworthy re-garding the parah adumah procedure. [The reason for the above rulings is] because utensils that are always tahor, and also tahor earthenware utensils, curtail [tumah when combined] with the walls of a structure.

How so? [If] an olive-pressing basket was placed on top of a pit or a cistern that is inside a house, [the contents of the pit or cistern] remain tahor. [However,] if an olive-pressing basket was placed on top of either a well that is level [to the floor of the house] or a broken basket, [the contents of the well or the basket] become tamei. [On the other hand,] if a flat board or a kneading board without sides [was placed on top of either a well that is level to the floor of the house or atop a broken basket, the contents] remain tahor. This is because utensils combine with the walls of a structure to curtail [tumah] only when there are walls. How high must the wall be [to block tumah]? One handbreadth. [However, if] half of a handbreadth is from [a wall] and the other half of a handbreadth is from [the olive-pressing basket], it is not considered to be a wall. [It is only a wall] when one of them is a handbreadth by itself.

Just as they curtail [tumah] when they are inside, so do they curtail [tumah] when they are outside. How so? An olive-pressing basket is placed on pegs outside [a house. If] there is tumah underneath the olive-pressing basket, utensils inside it re-main tahor. If [the olive-pressing basket is placed on pegs next to] the wall of a courtyard or the wall of a garden, it does not curtail [tumah]. A beam is placed between two walls, and a pot is suspended from [the beam]. [If] there is tumah beneath [the beam], utensils inside the pot are ruled tahor by R’ Akiva, but they are ruled tamei by the Sages.

Man and utensils become roofs to convey tumah, but not to maintain something as tahor. How so? Four [people] are holding a slab of stone. [If there] is tumah below [the slab], the utensils on top of it become tamei. [If] there is tumah above it, the utensils underneath it become tamei. R’ Eliezer declares [them] tahor. [The slab] is placed on four utensils, even utensils made of dung, stone, or unbaked clay. [If] there is tumah underneath it, utensils on top of it become tamei. [If] there is tumah above it, the utensils underneath it become tamei. [The slab] is placed on four stones or on a living creature. [If] there is tumah underneath [the slab], the utensils on top of it remain tahor. [If] there is tumah above it, the utensils underneath it remain tahor.

Corpse bearers that will be passing under a portico, and one of them shut the door and closed it with the key — if the door can remain closed by itself, [the house] re-mains tahor, but if not, [the house] becomes tamei. A similar case would be where a barrel of dried figs or a box of straw was placed in a window. If the dried figs or straw can remain in place by themselves, [the contents] remain tahor, but if not, everything becomes tamei. A house was partitioned with jugs that were plastered with clay. If the clay can remain [in place] by itself, [the other side of the house] remains tahor, but if not, it becomes tamei.

A wall constructed to be part of a house is ruled half and half. How so? An exterior wall contains tumah: [if the tumah is] in the inner half [of the wall], the house be-comes tamei, and someone standing above [the wall] remains tahor. [If the tumah is] in the outer half, the house remains tahor, and someone standing above [the wall] becomes tamei. [If the tumah is] in the middle, the house becomes tamei. [Regarding the per-son] standing above [the wall] — R’ Meir declares him tamei, but the Sages declare him tahor. R’ Yehudah says: The entire wall is [ruled as] part of the house.

An internal wall contains tumah. The house that is closer to the tumah becomes tamei, and the one closer to the tahor remains tahor. [If the tumah is] in the middle, both become tamei. [If there is] tumah inside one of [the houses], and there are utensils inside the wall, those [utensils] in the half closer to the tumah become tamei, and [the ones] in the half closer to the tahor remain tahor. [The utensils that are] in the middle become tamei. There is tumah in the ceiling that is between the [lower story of a] house and its upper story. [If the tumah is] inside the lower half [of the ceiling, the lower story of] the house becomes tamei, but the upper story remains tahor. [If the tumah is] in-side the upper half [of the ceiling], the upper story becomes tamei, but the lower story remains tahor. [If the tumah is] in the middle, both become tamei. [If there is] tumah in one of [the stories] and there are utensils in the ceiling, [the utensils that are in] the half nearer the tumah become tamei, and [the ones that are in] the half nearer the tahor remain tahor. [The utensils that are] in the middle become tamei. R’ Yehudah says: The entire ceiling is [ruled as] part of the upper story.