About this episode
Rabbi Yehuda questioned the law in our Mishna as quoted by Sumchus "on a corpse and on an olive bulk from a dead corpse" - if an olive bulk is enough to make the nazir shave, obviously a whole corpse. Since Rabbi Yehuda was angry at this, Rabbi Yosi tries to explain the Mishna. However, his answer is rejected, but the Gemara quotes Rabbi Yochanan and Rava who each bring different ways to understand this phrase - either it was from a miscarried fetus whose limbs were not yet joined or it was bones from a very small corpse that did not contain the minimum size (1/4 kav) to pass on impurity, but they formed the majority of the limbs in the body or the majority of the structure of the body. Netzel is defined as liquid from a corpse that congealed. Why does it need to congeal? Is the law of netzel (liquid from a dead body carries impurity) also applicable to impurity of dead animals? If one holds that high-level impurity of a neveila (dead animal) is only for food that is fit to be eaten by humans, then netzel is clearly not impure in animals, but if one holds it must be fit to be eaten by a dog, then it may apply to animals as well. They try to answer the question from a braita about liquid cooked by the sun which does not carry impurity, but they conclude that it is so rotten that it is not even fit to be eaten by a dog and therefore can't be used to answer the question. Rami bar Hama asks a question on a Mishna in Machshirin 5:9 regarding thick liquids that when poured, both parts are considered as one and one part can make the other impure in this way. Rami bar Hama asks whether the rabbis disagree with Beit Shamai, do they hold that one part makes the other impure only if the substance flows backwards when the pouring stops or is it when the substance is so thick and sticky that it is viewed as one unit? The Tosefta in Ohalot 4:3 and our Mishna are quoted to answer the question, however, both attempts are rejected. How much is the requisite amount " melo tarvad " (a ladleful) mentioned in the Mishna? Two opinions are brought. A difficulty is raised against one of the opinions from a braita but it is resolved in two possible ways.