If one sprinkled, but there is a doubt as to whether [he sprinkled] from the string or from the rod [used to lengthen the short hyssop], or from the stalk [of the hyssop itself], his sprinkling is invalid. If one sprinkled onto two vessels, but there is a doubt as to whether he sprinkled on both of them [from the hyssop], or [that the water on one of them splashed] from its fellow [vessel] and onto it, his sprinkling is invalid. A needle which was placed on earthenware, if one sprinkled onto it, but there is a doubt as to whether he sprinkled on the needle, or [that the water splashed] from the earthenware onto it, his sprinkling is invalid [i.e. the needle remains impure]. A flask with a narrow mouth [containing <i>chatat</i> water], one dips [the hyssop in] and raises it out as usual. Rabbi Yehuda says: [only] the first sprinkling [can be done regularly; but for later sprinklings, there is a concern that hyssop will stick in the mouth of the flask and only absorb from the walls, and there might not be a proper dipping]. <i>Chatat</i> waters which became diminished [i.e. started running out], one dips even the tips of the stalks, and sprinkles, as long as it is not absorbing [water from the sides or bottom of the vessel, since there must be dipping]. If one intended to sprinkle forward and he sprinkled backwards, [or] backwards and he sprinkled forwards, his sprinkling is invalid; forward and he sprinkled to the sides in front of him, his sprinkling is valid. A person maybe be sprinkled, whether with his awareness, or without it. We sprinkle on a person and on vessels, even a hundred [in one sprinkling, so long as some water reaches them, with the sprinkler's intention].
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ספק מן הכוש ספק מן החוט כו' – for we require definitive sprinkling from the hyssop, because they say: “let the impurity stand on the basis of its presumptive condition.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If a person sprinkled and it is doubtful whether the water came from the thread or the spindle-reed or the buds, the sprinkling is invalid. If the sprinkling was done from the hyssop buds, it is valid; but if it came from the thread or spindle, it is invalid (see yesterday's mishnah). Since there is a doubt whether it was performed correctly, the sprinkling is invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
מחברו מיצה עליו (from its neighbor it dripped/emptied upon it) – perhaps the waters of purification dripped/emptied of one vessel and went on to the other.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If he sprinkled upon two vessels and it is doubtful whether he sprinkled on both or whether some water from the one dripped on to the other, it is invalid. Both vessels look wet, but it is unclear whether he sprinkled on both or whether he sprinkled directly onto one and from there it dripped onto the other. Again, since there is a doubt, the sprinkling is invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
הזאתו פסולה – for if from its neighbor it dripped/emptied upon it, this is not sprinkling from the hyssop.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If a needle was on a piece of earthenware and one sprinkled upon it, and it is doubtful whether he sprinkled on the needle or whether some water dripped on it from the earthenware, his sprinkling is invalid. Similar to the situation in section two, here we again have a doubt whether he sprinkled directly onto the needle which would purify it, or onto the earthenware and from there onto the needle, which would not purify the needle. Since we don't know what happened, the needle is still impure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
טובל ומעלה כדרכו – but we don’t say that from out of that its mouth was pressed to go out perhaps the waters would return into the vessel and would not remain in the hyssop according to the measure.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
A flask with a narrow mouth, one may dip in and draw out in the usual way. Rabbi Judah says: this may be done only for the first sprinkling. This section refers to a flask with a narrow opening. When the hyssop is pulled out, we might have thought that some of its liquids would be squeezed out and fall back into the water. This would cause the water to be a mixture of hyssop juice and hatat waters, which would make it invalid. The first opinion in the mishnah is not concerned with this possibility and therefore lets one use this flask in a normal manner. Rabbi Judah disagrees and says that such a flask can be used only one time. The second dipping might contain some hyssop resin and therefore is invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ר' יהודה אומר הזייה ראשונה – we are not concerned/suspect regarding the first sprinkling, but the second sprinkling, because it (i.e., the water) was pressed to come out and also he sprinkled from them, they were all the more lessened and we are concerned with the second sprinkling lest there did not remain in the hyssop according to the measure. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Hatat waters which were diminished, one may dip only the tips of the buds and sprinkle, provided the hyssop does not absorb [any of the moisture on the sides of the flask]. If there is not a lot of water left in the flask, it is still allowed to dip the hyssop back in to absorb whatever water is left. However, he shouldn't scrape the sides of the flask with the hyssop to pick up any extra moisture.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
לא יספג ([that the hyssop] does not absorb [moisture on the side of the flask as it is pulled out]) – that he will not wipe off/cleanse from the sides of the vessel or from its rim, as it is written (Numbers 19:18):”[A person who is pure shall take hyssop] dip it in the water,” but not absorb.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If one intended to sprinkle in front of him and he sprinkled behind him, or behind him and he sprinkled in front of him, his sprinkling is invalid. If he intended to sprinkle in front of him and he sprinkled to the sides in front of him, his sprinkling is valid. For the sprinkling to be valid, he must sprinkle in the direction in which he intended. If he intended to sprinkle in front of him, and it landed to the sides but still in front of him, the sprinkling is still valid, because this still counts as "in front."
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
הזאתו פסולה – for we require the intention of sprinkling and indeed his intention was not performed.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
It is permitted to sprinkle upon a person with his knowledge or without his knowledge. One does not require the person's consent to sprinkle on him and purify him.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ואפילו הן מאה – that we don’t require sprinkling on its own for each and every person or for each and every vessel.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
It is permitted to sprinkle upon a person and vessels even though there are a hundred of them. It is possible to sprinkle on multiple vessels and people at the same time, as long as water reaches each of them directly.
