Commentary for Parah 3:10
נִבְקְעָה, וְעָמַד חוּץ מִגִּתָּהּ. נָטַל עֵץ אֶרֶז וְאֵזוֹב וּשְׁנִי תוֹלַעַת. אָמַר לָהֶן, עֵץ אֶרֶז זֶה, עֵץ אֶרֶז זֶה. אֵזוֹב זֶה, אֵזוֹב זֶה. שְׁנִי תוֹלַעַת זֶה, שְׁנִי תוֹלַעַת זֶה. שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר. וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ, הֵין וְהֵין, שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר:
It would split, [the heifer, due to the flames,] and he [the priest] would stand outside the pit [region designated for the burning], and he would take cedar wood, hyssop and worm silk. He would say to them [to the elders there], "Is this cedar wood? Is this cedar wood? Is this hyssop? Is this hyssop? Is this worm [silk]? Is this worm [silk]?" Three times for each one. And they would say to him, "Yes, and yes," three times for each one.
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
נבקעת – the cow/heifer [burst open] on account of the fire. But if it didn’t burst open, he doesn’t [take the cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool], as it is written (Numbers 19:6): “into the fire consuming the cow,” but not prior to the fire is attached to most of it, but not after it becomes ash. And the same law applies if he tore it with a knife after the fire became attached to most of it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
It burst and he stood outside its pit and he took the cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool. Once the cow burst due to the heat of the fire, the priest would take the cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool into his hand so that he could throw them into the fire (see Numbers 19:6).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ועמד – the Kohen.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
He said to them, "Is this cedarwood? Is this cedarwood?" "Is this hyssop? Is this hyssop?" "Is this scarlet wool? Is this scarlet wool?" Three times he repeated each question and they answered him "Yes, yes" three times to each question. The thrice-repeated formula is meant to give great publicity to the ceremony, as is done with the Omer (barley offering) according to Menahot 10:3. In my opinion this is part of the polemic against the Sadducees (see mishnah 7). The Pharisees/rabbis have to prove that they take this ceremony with utmost gravity in order to balance out their leniency that the red cow ritual can be performed by a priest who is a "tvul yom" someone who has been to the mikveh but has not waited till sundown to become pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
חוץ מגיתה – a hole that was in the ground like a vat/marked off space for the burning of the cow/heifer, and when he would cast the cedar woo, hyssop and scarlet wool, he needs to stand outside that particular hole.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
עץ ערז – a bundle that there is in it cedar wood and hyssop tied up with scarlet wool.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
עץ ערז זה - because there are man species that are similar to cedar and are not kosher/fit, therefore, one must announce that this what the Torah commanded about. And similarly with the hyssop. And similarly with the scarlet wool. And hyssop is what they call in Arabic ZATAR. And scarlet wool is wool that is dyed with color that is called in Aramac KARMAZ and in the foreign language KARMAZI.
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