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In Shabbat 14a we find a discussion about the Rabbinic enactment that a book (sefer) renders one's hands unclean (which is itself discussed in the Mishnah Yadayim 3:5). Long ago I found a source (which I wrote down) that on 14a Rashi glosses "sefer" as referring to "all kitvei ha-kodesh -- Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim". But I just checked that daf and I don't see anything like that in the Rashi, which means I must have gotten that gloss from somewhere else (or it is there and I am just not seeing it for some reason).

Can anybody help me track down the source for that gloss?

To be clear, I am aware that there are extensive discussions elsewhere about the status of individual books (Esther, Kohelet, Shir ha-Shirim) and whether or not they are m'tamei et hayadayim. I am not looking for that.

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    Well if you just want a source that Rashi explains that sfarim refers to all kisvei kodesh see Rashi to Megillah 8b (IIRC). Yup...Rashi to the Mishnah.
    – mevaqesh
    Commented Feb 20, 2015 at 2:18
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    Specifically, I think you are looking for Rashi on M'gilla 7a: אינה מטמאה את הידים. כשאר ספרים דאמר ביציאות השבת (דף יד.) שגזרו עליהן לטמא את הידים.
    – Fred
    Commented Feb 20, 2015 at 2:25
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    @Fred I don't disagree that is the implied meaning, I am just looking for a place where he states it explicitly.
    – mweiss
    Commented Feb 20, 2015 at 2:44
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    @mweiss Well, as mevaqesh pointed out, Rashi defines ספרים that way explicitly on 8b, but it is in a different context.
    – Fred
    Commented Feb 20, 2015 at 2:48
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    @IsaacKotlicky Maybe, but see the mishna (Yadayim 4:5, codified by the Rambam in Hil. Avos HaTum'a 9:7), which seems to say that it has to be written in k'sav Ashuris in order to defile hands: "תרגום שכתבו עברית ועברית שכתבו תרגום וכתב עברי, אינו מטמא את הידיים. לעולם אינו מטמא עד שיכתבנו אשורית על העור ובדיו". Though perhaps you could argue that this limitation applies only to defiling hands for תרומה, whereas maybe even יוונית could defile hands for קודש.
    – Fred
    Commented Feb 20, 2015 at 16:07

1 Answer 1

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It's a רש"י in שבת on Daf :י"ג that says:

והספר. כל כתבי הקודש תורה נביאים וכתובים פוסלין תרומה במגען

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  • That is exactly what I was looking for. Apparently I was off by one page (I thought it was on 14a). Many thanks!
    – mweiss
    Commented Feb 25, 2015 at 19:26

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