One who plows a grave [into a field], behold he makes it a bet haperas. To what extent does he make it [a bet haperas]? For the length of a furrow of a hundred cubits, a space in which four se'ahs [can grow]. Rabbi Yose says: an area of five [se'ahs]. But when on an upward or downward slope: he puts a quarter [of a kav] of vetch seed on the knee of the plough, and the space where [the last] three vetches grow next to each other is a bet peras. Rabbi Yose says: [a bet haperas is only made by a plough going] downwards but not upwards.
If a person was plowing and struck against a rock or a fence, or if he shook the plowshare, he only makes a bet peras up until that spot. Rabbi Elazar says: one bet peras can form another bet peras. Rabbi Joshua says: sometimes it can, but at other times it cannot. How so? If he plowed for half a furrow's length and then returned and plowed a [further] half, or similarly [if he plowed] to the side, he makes a bet peras. If he plowed a full furrow's length and then returned and plowed from that point beyond, he does not make this a bet peras.
If a person plows from a pit full of bones, or from a heap of bones, Or from a field in which a grave had been lost, Or in which a grave was subsequently found, Or if he plows a field which was not his own, Or if a non-Jew plowed, he does not make a bet peras. For the rule of bet peras does not apply [even] to Samaritans.
[In the case where] there was a bet peras above a pure field, if rain washed down soil from the bet peras to the pure field, even where this was reddish and the [other soil] turned it white, or where this was white and the other turned it red, this does not make it a bet peras.
[With regard to] a field in which a grave had been lost, and upon which a house had been built with an upper story above it: If the entrance of the upper room was directly above the entrance of the house, the upper story remains clean; But if not the upper story becomes unclean. [With regard to] soil from a bet peras, or soil from a foreign country that came in with vegetables, the pieces of the soil combine together [to transmit impurity if they form a portion] the size of a packing-bag seal, the words of Rabbi Eliezer; But the sages say: there must be one portion of the size of a packing-bag seal. Rabbi Judah says: It happened once that letters came from overseas for the sons of the high priests and they had on them about a se'ah or two se'ahs of seals [of dirt], but the sages were not concerned on account of uncleanness.
הַחוֹרֵשׁ אֶת הַקֶּבֶר, הֲרֵי זֶה עוֹשֶׂה בֵית הַפְּרָס. עַד כַּמָּה הוּא עוֹשֶׂה. מְלֹא מַעֲנָה מֵאָה אַמָּה, בֵּית אַרְבַּעַת סְאִים. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, בֵּית חָמֵשׁ, בְּמוֹרָד. וּבְמַעֲלֶה, נוֹתֵן רֹבַע כַּרְשִׁינִים עַל בֹּרֶךְ הַמַּחֲרֵשָׁה, עַד מְקוֹם שֶׁיִּצְמְחוּ שְׁלשָׁה כַרְשִׁינִין זוֹ בְצַד זוֹ, עַד שָׁם הוּא עוֹשֶׂה בֵית הַפְּרָס. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, בְּמוֹרָד וְלֹא בְמַעֲלֶה:
One who plows a grave [into a field], behold he makes it a bet haperas. To what extent does he make it [a bet haperas]? For the length of a furrow of a hundred cubits, a space in which four se'ahs [can grow]. Rabbi Yose says: an area of five [se'ahs]. But when on an upward or downward slope: he puts a quarter [of a kav] of vetch seed on the knee of the plough, and the space where [the last] three vetches grow next to each other is a bet peras. Rabbi Yose says: [a bet haperas is only made by a plough going] downwards but not upwards.
הָיָה חוֹרֵשׁ וְהִטִּיחַ בְּסֶלַע אוֹ בְגָדֵר אוֹ שֶׁנִּעֵר הַמַּחֲרֵשָׁה, עַד שָׁם הוּא עוֹשֶׂה בֵית הַפְּרָס. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר, בֵּית פְּרָס עוֹשֶׂה בֵית פְּרָס. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, פְּעָמִים עוֹשֶׂה, פְּעָמִים אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה. כֵּיצַד. חָרַשׁ חֲצִי מַעֲנָה, וְחָזַר וְחָרַשׁ חֶצְיָהּ, וְכֵן הַצְּדָדִין, הֲרֵי זֶה עוֹשֶׂה בֵית פְּרָס. חָרַשׁ מְלֹא מַעֲנָה, חָזַר וְחָרַשׁ מִמֶּנָּה וְלַחוּץ, אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה בֵית פְּרָס:
If a person was plowing and struck against a rock or a fence, or if he shook the plowshare, he only makes a bet peras up until that spot. Rabbi Elazar says: one bet peras can form another bet peras. Rabbi Joshua says: sometimes it can, but at other times it cannot. How so? If he plowed for half a furrow's length and then returned and plowed a [further] half, or similarly [if he plowed] to the side, he makes a bet peras. If he plowed a full furrow's length and then returned and plowed from that point beyond, he does not make this a bet peras.
הַחוֹרֵשׁ מְלָטַמְיָא, מִצְּבִירַת הָעֲצָמוֹת, מִשָּׂדֶה שֶׁאָבַד הַקֶּבֶר בְּתוֹכָהּ, אוֹ שֶׁנִּמְצָא בָהּ קֶבֶר, הַחוֹרֵשׁ אֶת שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ, וְכֵן נָכְרִי שֶׁחָרַשׁ, אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָהּ בֵּית פְּרָס, שֶׁאֵין בֵּית פְּרָס לַכּוּתִיִּים:
If a person plows from a pit full of bones, or from a heap of bones, Or from a field in which a grave had been lost, Or in which a grave was subsequently found, Or if he plows a field which was not his own, Or if a non-Jew plowed, he does not make a bet peras. For the rule of bet peras does not apply [even] to Samaritans.
שְׂדֵה בֵית הַפְּרָס עַל גַּבֵּי טְהוֹרָה, שָׁטְפוּ גְשָׁמִים מִבֵּית פְּרָס לַטְּהוֹרָה, אֲפִלּוּ אֲדֻמָּה וְהִלְבִּינוּהָ אוֹ לְבָנָה וְהֶאְדִּימוּהָ, אֵין עוֹשִׂין אוֹתָהּ בֵּית הַפְּרָס:
[In the case where] there was a bet peras above a pure field, if rain washed down soil from the bet peras to the pure field, even where this was reddish and the [other soil] turned it white, or where this was white and the other turned it red, this does not make it a bet peras.
שָׂדֶה שֶׁאָבַד קֶבֶר בְּתוֹכָהּ, וּבָנָה בָהּ בַּיִת וַעֲלִיָּה עַל גַּבָּיו, אִם הָיְתָה פִתְחָהּ שֶׁל עֲלִיָּה מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד פִּתְחוֹ שֶׁל בַּיִת, עֲלִיָּה טְהוֹרָה. וְאִם לָאו, עֲלִיָּה טְמֵאָה. עֲפַר בֵּית הַפְּרָס וַעֲפַר חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ שֶׁבָּא בְיָרָק, מִצְטָרְפִין כְּחוֹתַם הַמַּרְצוּפִים, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְמָקוֹם אֶחָד כְּחוֹתַם הַמַּרְצוּפִין. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁהָיוּ אִגְּרוֹת בָּאוֹת מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם לִבְנֵי כֹהֲנִים גְּדוֹלִים, וְהָיוּ בָהֶם כִּסְאָה וּכְסָאתַיִם חוֹתָמוֹת, וְלֹא חָשׁוּ לָהֶם חֲכָמִים מִשּׁוּם טֻמְאָה:
[With regard to] a field in which a grave had been lost, and upon which a house had been built with an upper story above it: If the entrance of the upper room was directly above the entrance of the house, the upper story remains clean; But if not the upper story becomes unclean. [With regard to] soil from a bet peras, or soil from a foreign country that came in with vegetables, the pieces of the soil combine together [to transmit impurity if they form a portion] the size of a packing-bag seal, the words of Rabbi Eliezer; But the sages say: there must be one portion of the size of a packing-bag seal. Rabbi Judah says: It happened once that letters came from overseas for the sons of the high priests and they had on them about a se'ah or two se'ahs of seals [of dirt], but the sages were not concerned on account of uncleanness.