Commentaire sur Parah 3:8
סָמְכוּ יְדֵיהֶם עָלָיו וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ, אִישִׁי כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, טְבֹל אֶחָת. יָרַד וְטָבַל וְעָלָה וְנִסְתַּפֵּג. וְעֵצִים הָיוּ מְסֻדָּרִים שָׁם, עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וָאֳרָנִים וּבְרוֹשִׁים וַעֲצֵי תְאֵנָה חֲלָקָה. וְעוֹשִׂין אוֹתָהּ כְּמִין מִגְדָּל, וּמְפַתְּחִין בָּהּ חַלּוֹנוֹת, וַחֲזִיתָהּ מַעֲרָבָה:
Ils [les anciens] appuyaient leurs mains sur lui [le prêtre] et disaient: «Notre homme, grand prêtre, plonge une fois». Il descendrait et plongerait et se leverait et sécherait. Et le bois y était aménagé: bois d'erez, oran, brosh [divers types de bois de cèdre] et bois de figuiers lisses. Et ils en feraient une sorte de tour, et ils ouvriraient des fenêtres [des trous] dedans, et il ferait face à l'ouest.
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
אישי כהן גדול- because that sometimes it is done through the High Priest, but any Kohen is fit/appropriate for it, whether with the Kohen Gadol whether with a Deputy High Priest or whether with a common Kohen.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Introduction
Our mishnah continues the description of the ritual of the burning of the cow.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ונסתפק (dried himself off) – and wiped himself off.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
They laid their hands upon him and said, "My Lord the high priest, perform immersion once." The elders lay their hands on the high priest, telling him to go immerse to prepare for the burning of the red cow. Two notes are in order. 1) This is again similar to the Yom Kippur ritual (see 1:3). 2) This ceremony need not be performed by the high priest. It seems that by according it to him, the ceremony received greater prominence.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
עצים – to make from them a pile of wood on the altar in the Temple for burning. They were set up/laid out there.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
He went down and immersed himself and came up and dried himself. He needed to immerse because they had intentionally defiled him.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
וארנים (pines, cedar) – it is the language of “Or plants firs, and the rain makes them grow” that is stated in Isaiah (44:14), and it is a species of cedar, and also cypress. And all of these trees are considered preferable from the rest of the trees for the needs of their burning.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Different kinds of wood were set in order there: cedar wood, pine, spruce and the wood of smooth fig trees. They made it in the shape of a tower and opened air holes in it; and its foreside was turned towards the west. The wood was set to burn the cow. It was made into a tower with air holes so that it would burn more effectively. The wood was set up facing the Temple (which was to the west), meaning it was in rows going from west to east, with the front of the wood towards the west.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
כמין מגדל – wide from the bottom and narrow from the top.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
פותחין בהן חלונות – to bring in through them the fire to kindle the wood.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
וחזיתה מערבה – the face of the pile of wood on the altar in the Temple and its appearance, and it is the place that ignites the fire with kindling wood, he would face to the western side, that is, towards the Temple, as the Temple was to west of the Mount of Olives.
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