Si un récipient en terre cuite [impure] à bords dentelés se trouve dans un mikvé [avec ses bords au-dessus de la surface de l'eau] et que l'on y plonge des récipients, ils sont purifiés de leur impureté [qu'ils avaient avant d'être immergés], mais ils deviennent impur en raison [des bords saillants de] du récipient en terre cuite [qui sont impurs et, comme les récipients immergés émergent de l'eau mais sont toujours à l'intérieur de l'espace de la faïence, rendent l'eau sur eux impure, ce qui rend ces récipients impurs ]. Si [cependant] une quantité quelconque d'eau flottait au-dessus [des bords dentelés], ils sont purs. Un ressort qui coule [à travers et] hors d'un four [impur], celui qui descend et s'y plonge, il est pur, mais ses mains sont impures [puisque nos mains, mais pas notre corps, sont rendues impures par des liquides impurs, comme le liquide sur son corps une fois qu'il émerge dans l'espace du four impur]. S'ils [les eaux de la source] s'élevaient au-dessus [du four] de la hauteur de ses mains, même ses mains sont pures.
English Explanation of Mishnah Mikvaot
Introduction
Today's mishnah brings up some interesting cases in which a person can become pure and be made impure at virtually the same time.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Mikvaot
If there was a broken [earthenware] vessel in the mikveh and utensils were immersed in it, they become clean from their [former] uncleanness but are again rendered unclean because of the earthenware vessel. But if water flowed above it in any quantity, they are clean. An impure broken earthenware vessel is floating on top of a mikveh or the sea. Water is entering it from its sides. If one immerses vessels in this broken vessel they are clean. This means that the water in the vessel does not count as "drawn water" because the vessel is broken. However, there is a problem (isn't there always?). An earthenware vessel cannot become pure by virtue of immersing it in a mikveh. [Earthenware vessels must be broken to become pure]. Therefore, this broken vessel is still impure. When one pulls out the vessel he is immersing, the water that comes up with it will immediately become impure by being in the airspace of the impure earthenware vessel. That water will then defile the vessel being immersed, as liquids always do. However, if the earthenware vessel is fully immersed in the water of the mikveh, then the water above it is pure because it is part of the mikveh. Thus if he immerses the vessel on top of the earthenware vessel, when he takes it out, it will be pure.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Mikvaot
If [water of] a spring flowed forth from an oven and a man went down and immersed himself in it, he is clean but his hands become unclean. But if [the water was as] high above the oven as the height of his hands, his hands also are clean. An impure earthenware oven is set or even attached to the ground, as was the custom with ovens. Suddenly, a spring bursts forth from the ground through the oven (thereby ruining the pot roast, but that's another issue.) One can immerse in the spring inside the oven. However, his hands which will be inside the oven's airspace when he comes out, will be defiled. But if the water flows over the oven by at least the height of his hands, then when he comes out, his hands will be immersed in this water. If this is the case, they will remain pure.
