[Si une maison a] deux piscines, une qui est pure et une qui est impure, [et le mur qui] respire l'humidité est proche de l'impur [l'humidité] est impure; [si le mur qui dégage de l'humidité] est proche du pur [son humidité] est pur. S'il est moitié-moitié [ils sont équidistants de l'humidité], il est impur. [Si] on a mélangé du fer impur avec du fer pur [pour fabriquer un ustensile]: Si la majorité [de celui-ci] est en [métal] impur, il est impur; et si la majorité provient de [métal] pur, il est pur; [si] il est moitié-moitié, il est impur. [S'il y a] des pots de chambre dont les Juifs et les Gentils se servent: Si la plus grande partie [de l'urine] est impure [c'est-à-dire des païens], elle est impure; si la majeure partie [de l'urine] est pure, elle est pure; [s'il est moitié-moitié] il est impur. [Si] de l'eau de pluie tombait dans les eaux usées: Si la majeure partie [du mélange] provient des [eaux usées] impures, elles sont impures; et si la plus grande partie provient de la pure [eau de pluie], elle est pure; [si] il est moitié-moitié, il est impur. Quand [ces lois sont-elles applicables]? Quand les eaux usées sont arrivées en premier [et la pluie y est tombée]; mais si l'eau de pluie est venue en premier [le mélange] est impur même si [la pluie] était une trace dans laquelle les eaux usées [tombaient].
Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
ברזל טמא – that came from shards of impure vessels.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
Two pools, the one clean and the other unclean: The sweat near the unclean pool is unclean, And the sweat near the clean pool is clean, And what is at equal distance [from both pools] is unclean. Things that sweat and are closer to the unclean pool are considered unclean, for we assume that the sweat came from the unclean pool. The same is true in the opposite case. If something was right in the middle of the two, the ruling is stringent due to the doubt, and the sweat must be considered unclean.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
שבללו (that one smelted) – that one planed/scraped and combined with pure iron that comes from the wrought metal/polished block (see also Tractate Kelim, Chapter 11, Mishnah 1),
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
Unclean iron was smelted with clean iron: If the greater part [came] from the unclean iron, it is unclean; If the greater part [came] from the clean iron, it is clean; But if there was half of each, it is unclean. The mishnah now goes on to consider other cases which have the same literary structure as section one. This structure will continue through the end of the chapter, and will cover topics that diverge from the main topic at hand the ability of liquids to cause susceptibility to impurity. The first topic at hand concerns pure and impure iron that have been smelted together. The status follows the majority and if they are of equal amount, the rule is stringent.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
אם רוב מן הטמא טמא – the Sages decreed on metal vessels that were defiled and broken and were melted and made of them vessels that would return to their former defilement until he would sprinkle [water] upon them on the third and seventh [days] and immerse them and their sunset would come.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
Pots owned by Israelites and non-Jews used for passing water: If the greater part is from the unclean [urine], it is unclean; If the greater part is from the clean [urine], it is clean; But if there was half of each, it is unclean. Jewish urine is considered clean but gentile urine is considered impure due to rabbinic law (see Niddah 4:3). In this case, if the mixture is equal, then the rule is lenient because the impurity of gentile urine is only derabanan (bet you never thought you'd be reading about that!).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
גסאריות (pots) – like a kind of pots that were made to urinate in them. And in the Arabic language we call them BISRIASH.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
Waste-water, in which rain had fallen: If the greater part consisted of the unclean water, it is unclean; If the greater part consisted of clean water, it is clean; But if there was half of each, it is unclean. Waste-water is assumed to be impure. Again, the rule follows the majority and if they are of equal amount the rule is stringent.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
שישראל ונכרי מטילים לתוכן – urinate into them. And the urine of a heathen is ritually impure, for they (i.e., the Sages) decreed that they would be like those with a flux/gonorrhea for all their matters.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
When [is this the case]? When the waste-water came first; but if the rain water came before [the waste-water], it is unclean whatever the quantity [of the rain water]. The above is true if the waste-water was there first. In such a case, the rainwater went into the vessel against his wishes and therefore this water is not susceptible to impurity. If there is a majority of rainwater the whole vessel will be pure. However, if the rainwater went in first, then he was probably collecting it, and it went in to his desire. In such a case, the rainwater is susceptible to impurity. When any amount of waste-water falls in, it will defile it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
מי שפיכות (water that is poured out, dirty water) – water that they washed with and they pour them - outside, and they are under the presumption of being ritually impure.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
אימתי- are dirty waters/waters that are poured out voided in a majority [of rain water].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
בזמן שקדמו – that they (i.e., the dirty waters, water that is poured out) [came first] and afterwards the rainwater increased [as a majority] and purified them.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
אבל אם קדמו מי גשמים – even if a bit of rain water fell upon them, they are impure.
