Leviticus 11:33

33 If one of them falls into a clay pot, whatever is in it will become unclean, and you are to break the pot.

Leviticus 11:33 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 11:33

And every earthen vessel, whereinto [any] of them falleth,
&c.] Any of the above eight reptiles, should they by chance fall into the midst an earthen vessel:

whatsoever [is] in it shall be unclean;
if it only by falling touched the outside of it, it was not unclean; but if it fell into it, then whatever was contained in it was unclean; for, as Jarchi says, an earthen vessel does not pollute or receive pollution, but from the air of it ^F21, from its inside:

and ye shall break it;
other vessels might be put into water and rinsed, and so be cleansed, but earthen vessels, being of no great value, were to be broken in pieces: an emblem this, as Ainsworth suggests, of the dissolution of our bodies, which are as earthen vessels, and of the destruction of sin thereby, and of the entire removal of it by death.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Vid. Misn. Celaim, c. 2. sect. 1. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Leviticus 11:33 In-Context

31 They are unclean crawling creatures; whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening.

32 Anything on which one of them falls when dead will become unclean -wooden utensil, article of clothing, leather, sacking -any utensil used for work; it must be put in water, and it will be unclean until evening; then it will be clean.

33 If one of them falls into a clay pot, whatever is in it will become unclean, and you are to break the pot.

34 Any food permitted to be eaten that water from such a vessel gets on will become unclean, and any permitted liquid in such a vessel will become unclean.

35 Everything on which any carcass-part of theirs falls will become unclean, whether oven or stove; it is to be broken in pieces -they are unclean and will be unclean for you;