Si en medio de la tefilá (shemoneh esreh) recordó que había experimentado una descarga seminal, no debería interrumpir [su oración por completo], pero debería acortar [cada bendición]. Si hubiera bajado para sumergirse—si puede venir, cubrirse y recitar el Shema antes del amanecer, debe hacerlo. [Para los vatikin (los excepcionalmente piadosos) se exigen consigo mismos para concluirlo al amanecer, está escrito (Salmos 72: 5): "Te temerán con el sol"]. Y si no, debería cubrirse con el agua y recítala. [Y solo en agua nublada, donde su desnudez no está expuesta, pero no en agua clara.] Pero no debe cubrirse con agua mala [es decir, asquerosa], o con agua empapada [agua en la que se sumerge el lino], hasta lo diluye [Hay algo que falta aquí. Debe entenderse así: "Y no debe recitarlo cerca de la orina hasta que lo haya diluido". La cantidad de agua para diluir una sola descarga urinaria es un revi'it.] ¿Y qué tan lejos debe uno retirarse de ella [de la orina sin diluir] y de las heces? Cuatro ells. [Y solo cuando está al lado de él o detrás de él, pero si está frente a él, debe retirarse hasta que esté fuera de la vista.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
לא יפסיק – [He should not interrupt] his prayer completely, but rather shorten each blessing recited.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Introduction
The first half of the mishnah continues to deal with various halakhot concerning a man who has had a seminal emission.
The second half teaches that one must distance oneself from foul-smelling things before one recites the Shema.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
עד דלא תנץ החמה – Since the ultra-pious ones are exacting upon themselves to complete (the Amidah) with sunrise, as it states (Psalms 72:5), “Let them fear You as long as the sun shines [while the moon lasts, generations on end].”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
If a man was standing saying the tefillah and he remembers that he is one who has had a seminal emission, he should not stop but he should abbreviate [the blessings]. A person is in the middle of reciting the Amidah when he realizes that at some previous time he had a seminal emission and that he had not yet immersed. According to Ezra’s decree he should not have recited the Amidah until he immersed. Nevertheless, he shouldn’t stop his Amidah, because he has already started. Rather he should recite a shorter version of each blessing, and just recite the introduction and the closing words.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
יתכסה במים – and especially in turbid waters, where he cannot view his virile membrum but not in clear waters.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
If he went down to immerse, if he is able to come up and cover himself and recite the Shema before the rising of the sun, he should go up and cover himself and recite, but if not he should cover himself with the water and recite. A person who has had an emission goes down to a mikveh to immerse in the morning. When he comes up he is pure and can recite the Shema. The question is should he wait until he is dressed to do so, or is the covering provided by the water sufficient. The mishnah rules that if he can cover himself up properly before the rising of the sun, then he should do so before he recites the Shema. The best, or perhaps even mandated, time to recite the Shema is at the rising of the sun (see 1:2 above, which also implied that the Shema should be recited before the rising of the sun). If he will not have enough time, then he can cover himself with the water and recite the Shema while still in the mikveh.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
במים רעים – badly smelling waters
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
He should not cover himself either with foul water or with steeping water until he pours fresh water into it. One shouldn’t recite the Shema near any foul smelling thing, and one certainly shouldn’t stand in foul-smelling water and recite the Shema. If one is standing in foul-smelling water or in steeping water (water used to soften flax) he must add in fresh water until the smell has dissipated.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
במי משרה – where they steep flax in them
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
How far should he remove himself from it and from excrement? Four cubits. It is forbidden to recite the Shema while standing within close distance of feces or other noxious objects. Note that this must have been quite difficult in a time when they didn’t have indoor plumbing or any easy means to clear waste. One must distance oneself four cubits (about 2 meters) from the feces or foul water before one recites the Shema.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
עד שיטיל לתוכן מים – Our Mishnah is elliptical [and is missing something] and this is what should be taught: that he should not recite [the Shema] near urine until he places water in it and the measure of the water that he should place in it [to negate] the urine from one urination would be [the equivalent of] one-fourth of a LOG (1 LOG = 6 eggs in volume).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
וכמה ירחיק מהם – [He should distance himself] from the urine so that he did not place in them water and from his defecation.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
ארבע אמות – And especially o his sides or in back of him but in front of him, he should distance [himself as far as he can see.
