Eduyos 1:14-2:1

Eduyos 1:14

Beis Hillel say that an earthenware vessel protects everything in it from ritual impurity, while Beis Shammai say that it only protects food, drink and other earthenware vessels. Beis Hillel asked why it shouldn’t protect other types of vessels and Beis Shammai replied that it is because an earthenware vessel has a presumption of ritual uncleanliness when in the possession of an unlearned person (i.e., one who is not proficient in the laws of ritual cleanliness) and a ritually-unclean vessel doesn’t create a barrier against uncleanliness. Beis Hillel then asked why Beis Shammai considers the food and drink inside such a vessel to be ritually clean, to which Beis Shammai replied that when they say it’s clean, they only mean for its (unlearned) owner, but when Beis Hillel say the vessel is clean, they’re ruling it clean for everyone (including knowledgeable people). Beis Hillel thereupon retracted and ruled as Beis Shammai.

Eduyos 2:1

Rabbi Chanina the deputy kohein gadol testified about four things: The kohanim never hesitated to burn meat that had been rendered unclean by a secondary form of uncleanness together with meat that had been rendered unclean by primary uncleanness even though doing so increases its uncleanness. Rabbi Akiva added that the kohanim never hesitated to light terumah oil that a tevul yom (one who must wait until nightfall to be clean – a light degree of impurity) had rendered unfit in a lamp that had been rendered unclean by person with corpse impurity even though doing so increases its uncleanness.