[In a case where] ten shawls [were placed] one on top of another, [and a zav] slept upon the top one, they are all tamei.  [In a case where] a zav was on [one] pan of a scale, and a couch or seat [was on the] opposite side, [if] the zav weighed down his side, they are tahor. [But if] they weighed down their side, they are tamei. R’ Shimon says: In [a case of] a single [couch or seat], it is tamei, but in [a case of] many, they are tahor, because no one [couch or seat] supports a majority of his [body].

[If] a zav is on [one] pan of a scale, and food and beverages are on the second pan of the scale, they are tamei. But with re-gard to a corpse, everything is tahor, except for a person.  This is a stringency [that applies] to a zav over a corpse, and [this is] a strin-gency [that applies] to a corpse over a zav: A zav creates a couch and seat beneath him [with the ability] to contaminate a man to contaminate [his] clothing, and on top of him [the zav creates] a madaf [with the ability] to contami-nate food and beverages, [whereas] a corpse does not [have the power to] contaminate [in] these [ways]. [This is] a strin-gency [that applies] to a corpse: that a corpse contaminates in an ohel and contaminates [others with] a tumah [that lasts for] seven [days, whereas] a zav does not [have the power to] contaminate [in] these [ways].

[If a zav] was sitting upon a bed, and [there were] four shawls under the four legs of the bed, they are tamei, because [the bed] cannot stand on three [legs]. R’ Shimon rules them tahor.  [If a zav] was riding upon an animal, and [there were] four shawls under the animal’s four legs, they are tahor, because [the animal] can stand on three [legs]. If there was a single shawl under [its] two forelegs, [or] under [its] two hind legs, [or] under [one of its] forelegs and [one of its] hind legs, it is tamei. R’ Yose says: A horse conveys tumah through its hind legs, while a donkey [conveys tumah] through its forelegs. For the [primary] support of a horse is on its hind legs, whereas the [primary] support of a donkey is on its forelegs.  [If a zav] sat upon the beam of an olive press, utensils that are in the pressing basket are tamei. [But if he sat] upon the launderer’s press, the utensils that are underneath it are tahor. R’ Nehemiah rules them tamei.

One who touches a zav or whom the zav touches, [or] one who moves a zav or whom the zav moves, contaminates food and beverages and immersible utensils through contact, but not through carrying.  R’ Yehoshua stated a general rule: Any [person] who contaminates [his] clothing during the time of his contact [with a source of contamination] contaminates food and beverages to [the degree that they will] become beginning level, and [contaminates another person’s] hands to [the de-gree that they will] become sheni, but does not contaminate people or earthenware utensils. After his separation from the source that rendered him tamei, he contaminates beverages to [the degree that they will] become beginning level, and food and [another person’s] hands to [the degree that they will] become sheni, but does not contaminate clothing.

[Furthermore,] they stated another general rule: Anything that is carried on top of a zav is tamei; [whereas] anything that the zav is carried upon is tahor, except for [something] that is suitable for [use as a] couch or seat, and [except for] a person.  How so? [In a case where] the finger of a zav is under a row of bricks, [and] the tahor [person] is on top of [the row of bricks, that person] contaminates two and invalidates one. [When] he separates, he contaminates one and invalidates one. [If] the tamei [zav] is on top of [the row of bricks] and the tahor [person] is underneath it, [that person] contaminates two and invalidates one. [When] he separates, he contaminates one and invalidates one.  [In a case where] food, bev-erages, a couch, a seat, or ordinary utensils are on top of [the row of bricks], they contaminate two and disqualify one. [When] they separate, they contaminate one and disqualify one.  But [in a case where] a couch or a seat are un-derneath [the row of bricks], they contaminate two and disqualify one. [When] they separate, they [further] contaminate two and disqualify one.  [If] food, beverages, or ordinary vessels are underneath [the row of bricks], they [remain] ta-hor.

Because they said: Anything that carries or is carried upon a [contaminated] couch is tahor, except for a person.  Anyone who carries or is carried upon an animal carcass is tahor, except for one who moves it. R’ Eliezer says: [Providing that] he carries [it].  Anything that carries or is carried upon a [human] corpse is tahor, except if it forms a roof [over the corpse], and [except for] a person who moves [the corpse].

[If] part of the tamei person was [resting] on the tahor person, [or if] part of the tahor person was [resting] on the tamei person, [or if] the connected outgrowths of the tamei person were [resting] on the tahor person, [or if] the connected out-growths of the tahor person were [resting] on the tamei person, [in all of these cases, the tahor person is rendered] tamei.  R’ Shimon says: [If] part of the tamei person was on the tahor person, [the tahor person becomes] tamei. [But, if] part of the tahor person was on the tamei person, [he remains] tahor.

[If] a tamei person was [resting] on part of a [tahor] couch, or if a tahor person was [resting] on part of a [contaminated] couch, [the tahor couch or person is rendered] tamei. [However,] if [only] part of a tamei person is [resting] on a [tahor] couch, or if [only] part of a tahor person is [resting] on a [contaminated] couch, [the tahor couch or person remains] tahor. Thus, we find that tumah enters [a couch] and exudes from it through a small part of it.  Furthermore, a loaf of te-rumah [bread] that is placed on a [contaminated] couch, with a [piece of] paper between [the loaf and the couch] —- whether it is [resting] on top [of the couch,] or [situated] underneath [the couch] —- [remains] tahor. Similarly, in a [situation involving] an afflicted stone, [the loaf would remain] tahor. [But] R’ Shimon rules [the loaf] tamei in that [case].