Commentary for Parah 8:8

כָּל הַיַּמִּים כְּמִקְוֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית א), וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל כְּמִקְוֶה, לֹא נֶאֱמַר יַמִּים, אֶלָּא שֶׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ מִינֵי יַמִּים הַרְבֵּה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַיַּמִּים מְטַהֲרִין בְּזוֹחֲלִין, וּפְסוּלִין לַזָּבִים וְלַמְצֹרָעִים וּלְקַדֵּשׁ מֵהֶן מֵי חַטָּאת:

All the seas are like a <i>mikvah</i> [a collection of water in which one can immerse in order to remove certain ritual impurities], as it is Said (Genesis 1:10), "And the gatherings [literally: mikvahs] of water, he called seas," these are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: [Only] the great sea [i.e. the Mediterranean] is like a <i>mikvah</i>. It only says "seas" [in the plural] regarding something contains many types of seas [i.e. the ocean, into which flow many bodies of water]. Rabbi Yose says: All seas purify [as a mikvah] with [even only] a gradual flow [of water], yet they are invalid for a <i>zav</i> [an individual who is ritually impure due to having had a type of seminal emission, and who must immerse in naturally flowing waters as part of the purification process], a <i>metzorah</i> [one who is ritually impure due to having a type of skin disease, and who must have a bird sacrificed above flowing waters as part of his purification process], and to sanctify the waters of a <i>chatat</i> [the red heifer ritual, which also must come from flowing waters; Rabbi Yossi says that seas are not a valid source for these three rituals, which require use of naturally flowing waters].

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