If the heifer did not want to leave, they could not lead it with a black [cow], lest [the public] say, "they slaughtered the black one." Nor [could they lead it] with a red one, lest they say, "they slaughtered two." Rabbi Yose says: Not for this reason, but rather because the verse says (Numbers 19:3), "And he shall take her out," [her] alone. And the elders of Israel would precede it by foot to the mount of anointing, and a house for ritual immersion was there. And they would make the priest who would burn the cow ritually impure because of the Saducees, so they would not say, "it was done by one for whom the sun had set." [There are various forms of ritual impurity for which to become totally pure, one must immerse in water and then wait until the next sunset. The Saducees believed that the priest who burnt the red cow needed to be totally pure such that he'd only be allowed to do it if he waited for sunset. The sages held that he is able to burn the cow, even after only immersing in water, thus they made him impure and had him immerse so that everyone could see that they were not following the opinion of the Saducees.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ולא אדומה – they would not remove another red cow/heifer with her on the ramp/causeway.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If the cow refused to go out, they may not take out with it a black one lest people say, "They slaughtered a black cow" nor another red [cow] lest people say, "They slaughtered two." Rabbi Yose says: it was not for this reason but because it is said "And he shall bring her out" by herself. Normally, if a cow refuses to go somewhere, its owners would find a more obedient cow to go with it. However, in the case of the red cow, this is not allowed lest the people seeing the second cow, be it black or red, think that they either slaughtered two red cows or that they are going to slaughter a black cow. Rabbi Yose says that the reason for this prohibition is that the Torah implies that they should bring out the red cow alone.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
שלא יאמרו שתים שחטו – for the All-Merciful said (Numbers 19:3): “[You shall give] it (i.e., one cow) [to Eleazar the priest. It shall be taken outside the camp [and slaughtered in his presence],” but not her and her fellow [cow].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
The elders of Israel used to go first by foot to the Mount of Olives, where there was a place of immersion. The elders would go to the Mount of Olives by foot. They would not ride on animals to show how enthusiastic they were to see the performance of this mitzvah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ובית טבילה היה שם – and that same house for immersion also was hollow on top of arches because of the grave in the depth (i.e., a covered-up uncleanness discovered). But even the place of its pile of wood on the altar of the Temple and its pit that are taught further on (see Mishnayot 9 and 10 of this chapter), all of them were on top of arches.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
The priest that was to burn the cow was ( made unclean on account of the Sadducees so that they should not be able to say, "It can be done only by those on whom the sun has set." This section introduces a big debate between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Concerning a person who has had contact with a sheretz (a creepy crawly thing) Leviticus 22:7 states, "And the sun will set and he will be pure." This seems to imply that a person is not pure until he has immersed in the mikveh and then the sun has subsequently set. However, the Pharisees/rabbis believed that once a priest immersed in the mikveh he is pure enough to perform the red cow ceremony. To demonstrate that this is true, they would intentionally defile the priest (with a one-day form of impurity) and then have him immerse. He would now be in the category of "tvul yom" a person who has immersed but has not yet had the sun set for him. This was a demonstrative act against the Sadducees who abhorred such a practice. One interpretation of this debate that makes sense to me is that the Pharisees wanted to diminish the power of the sun in matters of ritual purity due to the fact that other Jews of the time used a solar calendar. By making purity depend upon the setting of the sun, it was as if they gave purifying power to the sun itself. In response, the Pharisees limited this notion, and created the category of the tvul yom.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ומטמאים היו את הכהן – in that they would place their hands upon him, as it is taught in the Mishnah further on (see Mishnah 8 of this chapter), through this he would become defiled, for the clothes of those who consume Holy Things are unclean through treading/leaning against to the heifer of a sin-offering. But Maimonides explained that they would defile him with a creeping thing or with other defiling things that defile with ritual impurity until the evening.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
במעורבי שמש היתה נעשית – that they (i.e., the Sadducees) would expound (Numbers 19:9): “A man who is pure shall gather up [the ashes of the cow and deposit them outside the camp in a pure place, to be kept for water of lustration for the Israelite community],” there isn’t someone pure other than someone whose sun has set, and similarly it states (Leviticus 22:7): “As soon as the sun sets, he shall be pure, [and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations , for they are his food].” But the Sages received the teaching that [the word] “pure” that is stated in the portion of the sin-offering (I.e., Numbers 19:9, see above) it is stated is pure for tithes, which is a טבול יום/one who immersed himself that day.
