R. Tzaddok sagte aus — dass sie koscher sind —über Zochalin, das durch das Blatt einer Nuss gestrahlt wurde [dh die äußere Schale einer Nuss, die grüne Schale. Wenn er es, wenn es feucht war, wie eine Röhre machte, durch die die Zochalim laufen und aus ihr herausspritzen würden, sind die ausgestoßenen Gewässer halachisch zochalim und sie sind koscher für das Wasser der Reinigung (die rote Färse) und das Eintauchen von zavim. Und wir sagen nicht, dass sie nicht halachisch zochalin sind, da sie durch diese Hülle eingetreten sind, die als Gefäß dient, durch das sie ausgestoßen werden— denn diese Muschel wird nicht als Gefäß betrachtet.] Dies geschah einmal in Ahalya, und es kam vor dem Lishkath Hagazith (dem Sitz des Großen Sanhedrin in Jerusalem), und sie regierten es koscher.
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
עלי אגוז – the outer shell of a nut, which is the green shell when it is moist. If he made it like a spout/tube so that the running water enters through it and causes gushing forth by interposing an object (i.e., dam it in and causing an overflow), it has the law of running waters for the waters that are dammed in and causing an overflow from it, and they are valid for the waters of purification and for the immersion of individuals with a flux, etc. And we don’t say that since they entered into this shell, which has a receptacle and from there, are dammed in causing an overflow from it, they would not have the law of running waters, since that shell is not considered a utensil.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Introduction
This mishnah contains additional testimony of Rabbi Zadok concerning the validity of water for use in a mikveh. In the introduction to the previous mishnah we mentioned that flowing water such as a stream need not contain 40 seahs in any one place in order to be valid to be used as a mikveh. However, if the flowing water is directed by vessels, then it must contain 40 seahs in one place to be used as a mikveh.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
לפני לשכת הגזית – the Great Sanhedrin that would sit in the Chamber of the Hewn Stones.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Rabbi Zadok testified concerning flowing water which was made to run in a stream through nut-leaves, that it was valid. In the scenario under discussion a person has used nut-leaves to direct a stream of water. The question is, are these nut-leaves to be considered like a vessel? If they are then the stream would require 40 seahs in one place in order to be used as a mikveh. Rabbi Zadok testifies that these nut-leaves are not to be considered like vessels, even though the person who set them up may have used them in a similar fashion. Therefore the stream is valid as a mikveh even without 40 seahs in one place.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
There was such a case at Ahaliyya, and when the case came before [the Sages in] the Chamber of Hewn Stone they declared it valid. This section brings additional support for Rabbi Zadok’s testimony. A case such as this actually happened in a place called Ahaliyya, and the Sages who sat in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, which was located in the Temple in Jerusalem (Sanhedrin 11:2) ruled that the water was valid without 40 seahs. Note the similar structure between this mishnah and the previous mishnah.
