Se eles não pudessem encontrar [as cinzas] de [todas] sete [novilhas vermelhas, as sete que foram feitas nos tempos do templo], elas usariam de seis, de cinco, de quatro, de três, de duas ou de duas um [dependendo de quantos eles encontraram]. E quem fez estes [sete]? O primeiro Moisés fez, o segundo Esdras fez, e cinco de Esdras em diante, de acordo com o Rabino Meir. E os sábios dizem: Sete foram feitos de Esdras e seguintes; e quem os criou? Shimon, o justo, e Yochanan, o sumo sacerdote, formaram dois cada, Elyehoeinai ben Hakof e Chanamel, o egípcio e Yishmael ben Pi'avi, cada um.
Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
לא מצאו משבע – because as we stated that from all the sin-offerings that they sprinkle upon him, because of this it is stated, that if they did not find [the residue of ash] from seven [cows of purification], they sprinkle even from one [cow of purification].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
Introduction In mishnah one we learned that they sprinkled the priest with the ashes from all of the red cows that had ever been burned. Our mishnah reflects a legend (I think) according to which there had been seven burned red cows in Jewish history.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
וחמש מעזרא ואילך – Rabbi Meir did not count the four that were made by Shimon HaTzaddik/The Righeous and Yohanan the High Priest but rather for two, because he holds that as a result of invalidation that occurred at first, the second was made.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
If they did not find the residue of the ashes of the seven [red cows] they performed the sprinkling with those of six, of five, of four, of three, of two or of one. If they didn't have the residue of all seven red cows, then they could use as many as they found.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Parah
וחכ"א שבע מעזרא ואילך – for they hold that all of them were fit/appropriate.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
And who prepared these? Moses prepared the first, Ezra prepared the second, and five were prepared from the time of Ezra, the words of Rabbi Meir. According to Rabbi Meir two of the cows were prepared by two central biblical figures. Moses burned one while in the desert and Ezra burned the second when he founded the Second Temple. The remaining five were burned after the time of Ezra.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Parah
But the sages say: seven from the time of Ezra. And who prepared them? Shimon the Just and Yohanan the high priest prepared two each; Elihoenai the son of Ha-Kof and Hanamel the Egyptian and Ishmael the son of Piabi prepared one each. The sages say that all seven were burned from the time of Ezra and onward. They even name all seven high priests that burned them. Shimon the Just is a well-known figure in rabbinic literature. Scholars identify him as being either of two High Priests (grandfather and grandson) that served early in the Second Temple period, before the Hasmonean revolt. Part of the confusion as to which Shimon this is stems from the fact that Onias was the name of the father of both of them. Yohanan the high priest was a member of the Hasmonean family (Judah's nephew). The other three are harder to identify. There is a priest by the name of Elihoenai that appears in Ezra 8:4. Hanamel seems to be called Ananelos by Josephus (Wars of the Jews 15.40). He served during Herod's time. Ishmael son of Piabi seems to have been a high priest after Hanamel. He is described as being close to the Sadduceans. Nevertheless, he is portrayed positively in rabbinic literature.
