Commentary for Parah 6:1
הַמְקַדֵּשׁ וְנָפַל הַקִּדּוּשׁ עַל יָדוֹ אוֹ עַל הַצַּד וְאַחַר כָּךְ נָפַל עַל הַשֹּׁקֶת, פָּסוּל. נָפַל מִן הַשְּׁפוֹפֶרֶת לַשֹּׁקֶת, פָּסוּל. נָטַל מִשְּׁפוֹפֶרֶת וְכִסָּה, אוֹ שֶׁהֵגִיף אֶת הַדֶּלֶת, הַקִּדּוּשׁ כָּשֵׁר, וְהַמַּיִם פְּסוּלִים. זְקָפָהּ בָּאָרֶץ, פָּסוּל. לְתוֹךְ יָדוֹ, כָּשֵׁר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר:
One who is sanctifying [water for the <i>chatat</i> ritual by adding the ashes of the heifer], if the sanctified[ashes] fell on his hand or on the [vessel's] side and afterwards fell onto the trough [and into the water], it is invalid. If it [the ashes] fell from the tube into the trough [on their own], it is invalid. If he took [ashes] from the tube and covered it [the tube] or closed the door [before putting the ashes in the water], the sanctified[ashes he is holding] are valid, and the water is invalid [since he has done other work during the process of sanctifying the water]. If he set it [the tube] upright into the ground [before mixing in the ashes], [the sanctification] is invalid [since he has done other work in between]; If [he set it upright] in his hand it is valid, because it is (im)possible [otherwise].
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
המקדש -the waters of lustration (i.e., sin-offering. A person who comes to place from the ashes of the heifer/cow into the water. This is the קידוש/mixing that is stated through our Tractate.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Introduction
Today's mishnah deals with various situations in which some of the ashes fall out of the hand of the person who is about to mix them in with the water.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
או על הצד – on the side of the vessel.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If one was about to mix the ashes with the water and the ashes fell upon his hand or upon the side of the trough and then fell into the trough, the mixture is invalid. In all of these cases the mixture is invalid because the ashes must be put by a person directly into the water. The fact that there is something intervening (his hand or the side of the trough) renders the mixture invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ואחר כך נפל לשוקת – on the water that is within the trough, those waters are invalid for sprinkling, as it is written (Numbers 19:17): "ולקחו [לטמא מעפר שרת החטאת] ונתן [עליו מים חיים]/”[Some of the ashes from the fire of purification] shall be taken [for the impure person, and fresh water] shall be added to them [in a vessel].” Until the ashes would be would bring within the water from the power (i.e., direct actions) of the person.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If they fell from the tube into the trough, the mixture is invalid. The ashes were put into a tube for storage (see 5:4). If they fall directly from the tube into the water, the mixture is invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
נטל מן השפופרת וכיסה – he took the ashes from the tube/reed and covered the tube/reed prior to his mixing it, that is prior to his putting the ashes in the water.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If he took the ashes from the tube and then covered it, or shut a door, the ashes remain valid but the water becomes invalid. Here he takes some ashes from the tube. He then covers up the tube or closes a door before he puts the ashes into the water. The ashes remain valid and can be put into some other water. But the fact that he did "work" while occupied with the red cow ritual renders the water invalid, as we learned in 4:4. He will now have to get new water to put the ashes in.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
או שהגיף את הדלת (or shut the door) – prior to his mixing [the ashes in the water].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If he put it up erect on the ground, the water becomes invalid. If in his hand, the water is valid, since it is impossible [otherwise] Similarly, if he stands the tube up on the ground, this counts as work and the water is invalid. However, if he simply stands the tube up in his hand so that the ashes don't fall out, the water is still valid because he has no choice but to do this, or something like this. This is considered "work necessary for the mixing" and such work does not render the water invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
הקידוש כשר – that is the ashes that are in his hands, because the work does not invalidate the ashes, as we have stated (see also the end of Chapter 4).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
והמים פסולים – that work was done with the water, and above [at the end] of the Chapter פרת חטאת/the cow of purification (chapter 4) we taught that the work [done by those involved in the ritual] renders the water unfit until they put the ashes into it/"והמלאכה פוסלת במים עד יטילו את האפר".
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
זקפה בארץ – after he took the ashes from the tube/reed, he placed the read in the ground prior to placing the ashes in the water.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
פסול – the filling/drawing, that is the water, because he performed the task with the water. But if he placed the tube/reed in his hand and covered his hand upon it in order that the ashes don’t scatter that are within it and afterwards placed the ashes on the water, the filling/drawing, that is, the water, is not considered labor/work.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
לפי שאי אפשר – to preserve the ashes that are within the reed/tube if he will not cover his hand on its mouth, for he is not able to restore the stop-gap/stopper on its mouth until he mixes [the ashes in the water]. Another explanation"זקפה בארץ"/he placed the ashes in the ground, the ashes are invalid, as it is written (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,” [but in the ground, it is not kept/preserved]. But if he placed the ashes into his hand, it is fit/appropriate, for it is possible to protect it, and it is well that we call it [in the Torah] "למשמרת" – and for that reason, we have the reading, "לפי שאפשר"/because it is possible [to do so without distractions].
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