The next machloket (dispute) we'll have between Rabbi Dosa and the Chachamim (Sages) will talk about a slingshot. A slingshot is a device, like the one we know from David and Goliath, that was used to shoot stones. It would have a few different components. It would have the beit kibbul, which is usually the cloth or leather holder that the stone would go into. Coming out of that, there would be two different strings or cords. One cord would have a little circle at the end, and the other would have a handle at the end. The person would put one finger in the circle and hold the handle with his other fingers. He would swing the stone all the way to the spot he wanted it to go to and let go of the handle at the moment he wanted to release it. The stone would fly out and go very fast.
Here we’ll talk about whether that slingshot can become tameh (ritually impure). The Mishnah says that a slingshot whose holder is made of woven cloth could become tameh according to all opinions. There’s no machloket about that. We’ll elaborate more on that in a moment. But when the holder is made of leather, that’s where you have a machloket. Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas metaher. Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas says that the slingshot is considered to be tahor (pure). It’s never capable of becoming tameh, because the small piece of leather that’s there is not considered to be a utensil, and the holder where the stone would go is not considered to be a utensil. Therefore, it cannot become tameh if it’s made of leather. If it’s woven, everybody would agree that it could become tameh, because something woven could become tameh even if it’s not considered to be a utensil. As long as it has a certain purpose, it could become tameh. So here, even though the slingshot is not considered to be a keli (utensil), it could become tameh if it was woven, because it has some sort of purpose.
V'chachamim metamin. The Chachamim say that the slingshot can become tameh because, according to them, the holder is considered to be a utensil. It holds the stone, and therefore it is considered to be a keli. Even though the Chachamim said that the leather holder can become tameh, they would agree that when the slingshot is partially broken, it cannot become tameh. Nifsak beit etzba shelah tehorah. If the finger holder person would hold on to part of it before he released the slingshot, if that broke, that split, then it's tahor. The slingshot cannot become tameh because it’s useless without that finger holder. Beit hapekia shelah temeah. But if the handle broke, the slingshot can still be used, and therefore it still has the status of a utensil and can become tameh, because it’s usable even without that handle.