Nous pouvons sanctifier avec tous les vases, même avec des vases faits d'excréments, de vases en pierre et de vases en terre. Et nous pouvons sanctifier dans un bateau. Nous ne sanctifions pas avec les côtés de récipients [cassés], ni dans les crevasses d'un machatz [une grande cruche utilisée pour tirer l'eau, qui avait des crevasses creuses], ni avec un couvercle de tonneau [qui avait des indentations creuses pour les poignées], ni avec les mains en coupe; car nous remplissons, sanctifions et aspergeons seulement de l' eau de chatat dans un récipient. [De même,] un joint étanche sauve seulement [de l'impureté le contenu des] récipients [mais il ne sauve pas le contenu des choses qui ne sont pas considérées comme des récipients]; et seuls les récipients peuvent sauver de [l'impureté des] récipients en terre cuite [dans lesquels ils sont contenus]. [Les récipients en terre cuite ont la propriété qu'ils ne peuvent devenir impurs que de leur intérieur. Cependant, si quelque chose d'impur est placé dans un tel récipient, tout autre élément à l'intérieur du récipient et le récipient lui-même deviennent impurs. Cependant, si un récipient qui ne peut pas devenir impur ou un récipient en terre cuite est étroitement équipé d'un couvercle, ou «joint étanche», l'intérieur est considéré comme protégé de l'extérieur et donc les choses à l'intérieur ne peuvent pas devenir impures. De même, si un récipient scellé se trouve à l'intérieur d'un récipient en terre cuite, bien qu'un objet rituellement impur placé dans le récipient en terre cuite rend tout ce qui s'y trouve impur, le contenu d'un récipient hermétiquement fermé qui est incapable de devenir impur reste néanmoins pur. Notre mishnah déclare que pour que ces applications de «fermeture étanche» s'appliquent, le conteneur doit être considéré comme un navire.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
בכל הכלים מקדשים – whether of wood, whether of bone, whether of glass, and even with vessels of dung, that are not considered a vessel in regard to defilement, not from the words of the Torah nor from the words of the Scribes, as I is written (Numbers 19:17): “And fresh water shall be added to them in a vessel,” but it is not written, “to the vessel.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Introduction
Today's mishnah deals with what vessels can used for making the hatat waters.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
מחץ (ladle) – a large earthenware vessel that they call ALMAKHDIR in Arabic. And on one end of it is made in the form of a handle and it the sides of a broken ladle. Such is how Maimonides explained it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
They can make the mixture in all kinds of vessels, even in vessels made of cattle dung, of stone or of earth. All vessels can be used for mixing in the water and ashes, even vessels that cannot become impure, such as those made of dung, stone or earth. We might have thought that something that cannot become impure wouldn't count as a "vessel" and the Torah states that the water must be put into a vessel. Our mishnah counters that notion.[Hard to imagine them actually using vessels made of dung for this ritual, but theoretically, it's possible].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
ואין מזין אלא בכלי – meaning to say, that the water must be in the vessel at the time of the sprinkling.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
The mixture may also be prepared in a boat. So too a boat cannot become impure. Nevertheless, one can, at least theoretically, put the ashes and water in there.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
אין מצילין – all what is inside it [is protected] from the defilement of the tent of corpse through a tightly fitting cover, except [whole] vessels.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
It may not be prepared in the walls of vessels, or in the sides of a large jug, or in the stopper of a jar, or in one's cupped hands, for one does not fill up, or mix in, or sprinkle the hatat with anything but a vessel. However, there are things that can hold water that don't count as vessels. The first is the wall of a broken vessel, or the side of a large broken jug. Even though these pieces of earthenware can hold water, they cannot be used because they are not considered vessels. The stopper of a jar cannot be used even if it has a receptacle (see 9:1) because it is not considered a vessel. Finally, one's hands do not count as a vessel.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
שאין מצילין מאויר כלי חרס אלא כלים – that if a creeping reptile would fall into the airspace of an earthenware vessel, everything that is within it is impure even though it did not come in contact with them, except for utensils that are not defiled from the airspace of an earthenware vessels, as it is written (Leviticus 11:33-34): “[And if any of those falls into an earthen vessel,] everything inside it shall be impure…as to any food that may be eaten,” food and liquids become defiled from the airspace of earthenware vessels, but utensils/vessels are not defiled from the airspace of earthenware vessels.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Only on a vessel does tightly fitting cover afford protection, for only in vessels is protection afforded against uncleanness within an earthen vessel. Earthenware vessels that have a tightly fitting lid protect their contents from impurity. For instance, if a vessel with food in it is in an oven with an impure thing such as a sheretz, the food remains pure (see Kelim 8:3). However, this only applies if the food is in a vessel. Non-vessels do not protect their contents in the same way.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
שאין מצילין – like, and they do not protect/ואין מצילין , and an example of this is at the beginning of the first chapter of [Tractate] Betza [8a] that the ashes of a portable stove on feet with caves for two pots is prepared, and Rabbah stated in the Gemara (Tractate Betza 8a), that this is what he said, that the ashes of a portable stove on feet with caves for two pots is ready/prepared.
