Sota 30: On the Transfer of Tumah, Taking Challah, the Eruv, and The Song of the Sea

We continue with the very challenging discussion we have learned over the past two days.  The rabbis debate about different levels of tumah, ritual impurity, and the transfer of impurity particularly regarding sanctified objects.  Again, this conversation continues to confound me as I struggle to understand each level of ritual impurity, the possible transfer of ritual impurity across levels, and the different rabbinical opinions about which transfers suggest which possible changes in ritual purity.

The rabbis move on to a discussion about taking challah.  If less than an egg-bulk of challah is taken from a ritually pure loaf of challah and then placed between that pure loaf and a ritually impure loaf, is there a transfer of ritual impurity?  Can we take twice from one challah to represent both challot?

Next, the rabbis consider the eruv.  They discuss how far rabbis are permitted to travel from their homes on Shabbat.  This seemingly bizarre juxtapositioning has to do with Rabbi Akiva's rulings over the course of one day rather than the actual subject matter.

Finally, the rabbis discuss The Song of the Sea.  Who sang?  When did they decide to sing?  What did they sing?  How was their song sung - like a leader of Hallel where the first line is sung alone then the entire song is sung? Like a minor child leading Hallel where everyone repeated each line to make it legally correct?  Did everyone sing, from the oldest to the youngest nursing babies?  And our rabbis end today's daf by asking about whether or not fetuses were singing in their mothers' wombs.  When they saw the light of the Divine Presence, they turned toward it and said, "This is my G-d and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2)*

*Based on Psalms 8:3, "Out of the mouths of babies and sucklings You have founded strength".