Commentary for Tahorot 8:9
מַקֵּל שֶׁהִיא מְלֵאָה מַשְׁקִין טְמֵאִין, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִשִּׁיקָהּ לַמִּקְוֶה, טְהוֹרָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, עַד שֶׁיַּטְבִּיל אֶת כֻּלָּהּ. הַנִּצּוֹק וְהַקְּטַפְרֵס וּמַשְׁקֶה טוֹפֵחַ, אֵינָן חִבּוּר לֹא לַטֻּמְאָה וְלֹא לַטָּהֳרָה. וְהָאֶשְׁבֹּרֶן, חִבּוּר לַטֻּמְאָה וְלַטָּהֳרָה:
A stick which is full of impure liquid, once it touches a <i>mikvah</i> it becomes pure, according to Rabbi Yehoshua. And the Sages say: [it is not rendered pure] until one immerses its entirety. A shower [of liquids being poured], or [liquids flowing down] an incline, or a dripping liquid [enough to make something else wet, but not enough to, in turn, wet something else], these do not constitute a connection for impurity or for purity [i.e. if part of them is rendered pure or impure it does not affect the purity status of the rest]. But a pit [of stagnant water] does constitute a connection for impurity and for purity.
Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
כיון שהשיקה למקוה – since the end of one of the sticks was attached in the Mikveh, even though he didn’t immerse all of it, he purified all the impure liquids that are on the other head, for the incline/sloping is an attachment.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
If a stick is completely covered with unclean liquid, as soon as it has touched the [water in the] mikveh, it becomes clean, the words of Rabbi Joshua. But the sages say: only when the whole of it is immersed. According to Rabbi Joshua as soon as any part of the stick covered with impure liquids is put in the mikveh, it is pure. The water of the mikveh "flows" through the impure liquids on the stick and purifies them, even before it actually touches them. The sages rule more strictly. The entire stick must be immersed for it to be pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
עד שיטביל את כולה – for the Rabbis hold that an incline/sloping is not an attachment/connection.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Tahorot
A flow from one vessel to the other or a slope of dripping moisture does not serve as a connective either for uncleanness or for cleanness. A pool of water serves as a connective in respect both of uncleanness and cleanness. "Flow" refers to liquid that is being poured from an upper vessel to a lower vessel. The slope is the sides of the vessel, as we learned in yesterday's mishnah. In both of these cases we do not consider the lower liquid to be attached to the upper liquid. As an aside, the purity of "flow" was a big debate among ancient Jews. In one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, called Miktzat Maase Torah, the author complains that "you" (this refers to the other Jews with whom he doesn't agree) say that a "flow" is pure. The fact that in our Mishnah the rabbis do indeed say that the "flow" is pure, has been a major proof for scholars who wish to say that the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls opposed the Pharisees (with whom the rabbis certainly did identify). While the sloping or flowing liquid does not serve as a connective, a standing pool of water does. If one side is impure, the entire body is pure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
הניצוק (an uninterrupted flow of a liquid – poured from vessel to vessel) – the continuous flow/jet of a water pipe/spout that comes from above to below with erection like a pillar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
קטפרס – water from above to below through the sloping of a high hill.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ומשקה טופח – it doesn’t have moistness to moisten other objects, for it doesn’t have in it so much liquid for if he struck his hand in them, liquid would come up that would be able to moisten something else.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אינו חיבור לא לטומאה - for if the liquids are detached and an impure thing came in contact with the bottom part, the top part is ritually pure. And similarly for flowing liquid, and even in a smooth place, if there are liquids from here and liquids from there and liquid flowing in the middle, if an impure person touched with flowing liquids, the liquids from here and from there are ritually pure, even though they are attached/connected to it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
ולא לטהרה – as for example, a hole that doesn’t have forty Seah and an uninterrupted flow of a liquid or flowing liquid that is attached to this hole/indentation or to a Kosher ritual bath/Mikveh, it is not a connection, for a person who immerses in this hole/indentation, his immersion did not count for him.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
אשבורן – a deep place where water is gathered.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Tahorot
חיבור לטומאה ולטהרה – for if part of them were defiled, all of them were defiled, and similarly, if part of them were attached to a Mikveh/ritual bath and they were purified, all of them were purified.
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