All movable things convey uncleanness when they are of the thickness of an ox-goad. Rabbi Tarfon said: May I [see the] demise of my sons if this is [not] a demised halakhah which someone heard and misunderstood. For a farmer was passing by and over his shoulder was an ox-goad, and one end overshadowed a grave. He was declared unclean on account of vessels that were overshadowing a corpse. Rabbi Akiva said: I can fix [the halakhah] so that the words of the sages can exist [as they are]: All movable things convey uncleanness to come upon a person carrying them, when they are of the thickness of an ox-goad; Upon themselves when they are of whatever thickness; And upon other men or vessels [which they overshadow] when they are one handbreadth wide.
How so? A spindle stuck into the wall, with [a portion of corpse] of half an olive-size above it and [a portion of corpse] of half an olive-size below it. Even though one [portion] is not directly [above] the other, [the spindle] becomes unclean. Hence it is found that [a movable object] conveys uncleanness to come upon itself whatever its thickness. A pot seller passes by a grave with a yoke over his shoulder, one end of which overshadows a grave, vessels on the other side remain clean. If the yoke is one handbreadth wide, they become unclean. Mounds which are near to a city or to a road, whether they are new or old, are unclean. [As for those that are] far away, new ones are clean but old ones are unclean. What counts as near? Fifty cubits. And old? Sixty years old, the words of Rabbi Meir. R. Judah says: Near means there is none nearer than it, and old means that no one remembers [when it was made].
If one finds a corpse unexpectedly lying in its natural position, he may remove it along with the [blood-] saturated earth around it. If he finds two, he may remove them along with the [blood-] saturated earth around it. If he finds three, if there is a space of from four to eight cubits between the first and the last, that is, the space of a bier and its bearers, then it must be accounted a graveyard. He must search [the ground] for twenty cubits from that point. If he found [another corpse] at the end of those twenty cubits, he must search for a further twenty cubits from that place, since there are already grounds for belief [that this is a graveyard], in spite of the fact that if he had found this [lone grave] in the first case, he could have removed it with the [blood-] saturated earth around it.
One who searches, must search over a square cubit and then leave a cubit, [digging down] until he reaches rock or virgin soil. [A priest] carrying out earth from a place of uncleanness may eat his terumah mixed with hullin. But one who is clearing away a heap of stones, may not eat his terumah mixed with hullin.
If he was searching and came to a river bed, or a pool or a public road, he may end [his search]. A field in which men have been slain, he may gather the bones one by one, and all [the area] may be accounted clean. One who removes a grave from his field, he may gather the bones one by one, and all [the area] may be accounted clean. A pit into which they throw fetuses or people that had been slain, he may gather the bones one by one, and all [the area] may be accounted clean. Rabbi Shimon says: if it had been prepared as a grave in the first place, there is [blood-] saturated earth.
כָּל הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין מְבִיאִין אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה כָּעֳבִי הַמַּרְדֵּעַ. אָמַר רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן, אֲקַפַּח אֶת בָּנַי שֶׁזּוֹ הֲלָכָה מְקֻפַּחַת, שֶׁשָּׁמַע הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ, וְטָעָה, שֶׁהָאִכָּר עוֹבֵר וְהַמַּרְדֵּעַ עַל כְּתֵפוֹ, וְהֶאֱהִיל צִדּוֹ אֶחָד עַל הַקֶּבֶר, וְטִמְּאוּהוּ מִשּׁוּם כֵּלִים הַמַּאֲהִילִים עַל הַמֵּת. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אֲנִי אֲתַקֵּן שֶׁיְּהוּ דִבְרֵי חֲכָמִים קַיָּמִין, שֶׁיְּהוּ כָל הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין מְבִיאִין אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה עַל אָדָם הַנּוֹשְׂאָן בָּעֳבִי הַמַּרְדֵּעַ, וְעַל עַצְמָן בְּכָל שֶׁהֵן, וְעַל שְׁאָר אָדָם וְכֵלִים בְּפוֹתֵחַ טָפַח:
All movable things convey uncleanness when they are of the thickness of an ox-goad. Rabbi Tarfon said: May I [see the] demise of my sons if this is [not] a demised halakhah which someone heard and misunderstood. For a farmer was passing by and over his shoulder was an ox-goad, and one end overshadowed a grave. He was declared unclean on account of vessels that were overshadowing a corpse. Rabbi Akiva said: I can fix [the halakhah] so that the words of the sages can exist [as they are]: All movable things convey uncleanness to come upon a person carrying them, when they are of the thickness of an ox-goad; Upon themselves when they are of whatever thickness; And upon other men or vessels [which they overshadow] when they are one handbreadth wide.
כֵּיצַד. כּוּשׁ שֶׁהוּא תָחוּב בַּכֹּתֶל, כַּחֲצִי זַיִת מִתַּחְתָּיו וְכַחֲצִי זַיִת מֵעַל גַּבָּיו, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָן מְכֻוָּנִין, טָמֵא. נִמְצָא מֵבִיא אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה לְעַצְמוֹ בְּכָל שֶׁהוּא. הַקַּדָּר שֶׁהוּא עוֹבֵר וְהַסַּל עַל כְּתֵפוֹ וְהֶאֱהִיל צִדּוֹ אַחַת עַל הַקֶּבֶר, הַכֵּלִים שֶׁבַּצַּד הַשֵּׁנִי טְהוֹרִין. אִם יֵשׁ בַּסַּל פּוֹתֵחַ טֶפַח, טְמֵאִים. הַתְּלוּלִיּוֹת הַקְּרוֹבוֹת בֵּין לָעִיר בֵּין לַדֶּרֶךְ, אֶחָד חֲדָשׁוֹת וְאֶחָד יְשָׁנוֹת, טְמֵאוֹת. הָרְחוֹקוֹת, חֲדָשׁוֹת טְהוֹרוֹת וִישָׁנוֹת טְמֵאוֹת. אֵיזוֹ הִיא קְרוֹבָה, חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה. וִישָׁנָה, שִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, קְרוֹבָה, שֶׁאֵין קְרוֹבָה מִמֶּנָּה. וִישָׁנָה, שֶׁאֵין אָדָם זוֹכְרָהּ:
How so? A spindle stuck into the wall, with [a portion of corpse] of half an olive-size above it and [a portion of corpse] of half an olive-size below it. Even though one [portion] is not directly [above] the other, [the spindle] becomes unclean. Hence it is found that [a movable object] conveys uncleanness to come upon itself whatever its thickness. A pot seller passes by a grave with a yoke over his shoulder, one end of which overshadows a grave, vessels on the other side remain clean. If the yoke is one handbreadth wide, they become unclean. Mounds which are near to a city or to a road, whether they are new or old, are unclean. [As for those that are] far away, new ones are clean but old ones are unclean. What counts as near? Fifty cubits. And old? Sixty years old, the words of Rabbi Meir. R. Judah says: Near means there is none nearer than it, and old means that no one remembers [when it was made].
הַמּוֹצֵא מֵת בַּתְּחִלָּה מֻשְׁכָּב כְּדַרְכּוֹ, נוֹטְלוֹ וְאֶת תְּבוּסָתוֹ. מָצָא שְׁנַיִם, נוֹטְלָן וְאֶת תְּבוּסָתָן. מָצָא שְׁלשָׁה, אִם יֵשׁ בֵּין זֶה לָזֶה מֵאַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת וְעַד שְׁמֹנֶה כִּמְלֹא מִטָּה וְקוֹבְרֶיהָ, הֲרֵי זוֹ שְׁכוּנַת קְבָרוֹת. בּוֹדֵק מִמֶּנּוּ וּלְהַלָּן עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה. מָצָא אֶחָד בְּסוֹף עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, בּוֹדֵק מִמֶּנּוּ וּלְהַלָּן עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, שֶׁרַגְלַיִם לַדָּבָר. שֶׁאִלּוּ מִתְּחִלָּה מְצָאוֹ, נוֹטְלוֹ וְאֶת תְּבוּסָתוֹ:
If one finds a corpse unexpectedly lying in its natural position, he may remove it along with the [blood-] saturated earth around it. If he finds two, he may remove them along with the [blood-] saturated earth around it. If he finds three, if there is a space of from four to eight cubits between the first and the last, that is, the space of a bier and its bearers, then it must be accounted a graveyard. He must search [the ground] for twenty cubits from that point. If he found [another corpse] at the end of those twenty cubits, he must search for a further twenty cubits from that place, since there are already grounds for belief [that this is a graveyard], in spite of the fact that if he had found this [lone grave] in the first case, he could have removed it with the [blood-] saturated earth around it.
הַבּוֹדֵק, בּוֹדֵק אַמָּה עַל אַמָּה וּמַנִּיחַ אַמָּה, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְסֶלַע אוֹ לִבְתוּלָה. הַמוֹצִיא אֶת הֶעָפָר מִמְּקוֹם טֻמְאָה, אוֹכֵל בְּדִמְעוֹ. הַמְפַקֵּחַ בַּגַּל, אֵינוֹ אוֹכֵל בְּדִמְעוֹ:
One who searches, must search over a square cubit and then leave a cubit, [digging down] until he reaches rock or virgin soil. [A priest] carrying out earth from a place of uncleanness may eat his terumah mixed with hullin. But one who is clearing away a heap of stones, may not eat his terumah mixed with hullin.
הָיָה בוֹדֵק, הִגִּיעַ לְנַחַל אוֹ לִשְׁלוּלִית, אוֹ לְדֶרֶךְ הָרַבִּים, מַפְסִיק. שָׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ בָהּ הֲרוּגִים, מְלַקֵּט עֶצֶם עֶצֶם וְהַכֹּל טָהוֹר. הַמְפַנֶּה קִבְרוֹ מִתּוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ, מְלַקֵּט עֶצֶם עֶצֶם וְהַכֹּל טָהוֹר. בּוֹר שֶׁמַּטִּילִים לְתוֹכוֹ נְפָלִים אוֹ הֲרוּגִים, מְלַקֵּט עֶצֶם עֶצֶם וְהַכֹּל טָהוֹר. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, אִם הִתְקִינוֹ לְקֶבֶר מִתְּחִלָּה, יֶשׁ לוֹ תְבוּסָה:
If he was searching and came to a river bed, or a pool or a public road, he may end [his search]. A field in which men have been slain, he may gather the bones one by one, and all [the area] may be accounted clean. One who removes a grave from his field, he may gather the bones one by one, and all [the area] may be accounted clean. A pit into which they throw fetuses or people that had been slain, he may gather the bones one by one, and all [the area] may be accounted clean. Rabbi Shimon says: if it had been prepared as a grave in the first place, there is [blood-] saturated earth.