meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt_done/Mishnah/Seder Tahorot/Mishnah Mikvaot/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Mishnah Mikvaot
  משנה מקואות
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Mishnah Mikvaot
  
  
  
  
  
  There are six levels of <i>mikvaot</i> [gatherings of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification], each [subsequent] one higher than the other: [The first and lowest level is] water collected in shallow pools [in the ground]. If an impure person drank [from one], and a pure person drank [from it afterwards], he is impure. If an impure person drank, and someone filled up a pure vessel [from those waters afterwards], it [the vessel] is impure. If an impure person drank, and then loaf of <i>terumah</i> fell in, if one rinsed [the loaf], it is impure; and if one did not rinse it, it is pure.
  If one filled an impure vessel [from water collected in such pools], and a pure person drank [from it], he is impure. If one filled using an impure vessel, and then filled a pure vessel [with the waters from the first vessel], it is impure. If one filled an impure vessel, and then a loaf of <i>terumah</i> fell in [the pool], if one rinsed it, it is impure; and if one did not rinse it, it is pure.
  If impure waters fell [into such a pool], and a pure person drank [from it], he is impure. If impure waters fell in, and one filled a pure vessel [from it], it is impure. If impure waters fell in, and then loaf of <i>terumah</i> fell in, if one rinsed [the loaf], it is impure; and if one did not rinse it, it is pure. Rabbi Shimon says: whether or not once rinsed it, it is impure.
  If a dead person fell into them [the waters of such a pool], or if someone impure walked through them, if a pure person then drank [from them], he is [still] pure. As with the waters of shallow pools, [similarly] the waters of pits, the waters of trenches, the waters of caves, runoff waters that stopped [flowing from the mountains], and <i>mikvaot</i> that do not contain forty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific unit of volume], they are all pure during the rain. Once the rain stops, those [waters] close to cities and to the roads are presumed are [presumed to be] impure; and those far away are [presumed to be] pure, but only until [the rain damage of the nearby paths is repaired such that] most people walk by them.
  When does their purity [that of the waters of shallow pools during the rain] begin? Beit Shamai say: from when they [the rain waters] exceed [the amount of the pools' waters] and cause overflow. Beit Hillel say: [from when] they exceed, even if they do not cause overflow. Rabbi Shimon says: [from when] they cause overflow, even if they do not exceed. [Such waters are] valid to be used for <i>challah</i> [a portion of a batch of bread dough given to a priest which becomes holy upon separation, and can only be consumed by priests or their household], as well as for washing [literally: taking] one's hands with them.
  Above these [<i>mikvaot</i> described, and next in the hierarchy of <i>mikvaot</i>,] are runoff waters that have not stopped [flowing down from the mountains]. If an impure person drank [from them], and a pure person drank [afterwards], he is [still] pure. If an impure person drank, and someone filled up a pure vessel [from those waters afterwards], it is pure. If an impure person drank, and then a loaf of <i>terumah</i> fell in, even if one rinsed [the loaf], it is pure. If one filled an impure vessel [from the runoff waters], and a pure person drank [from it], he is pure. If one filled using an impure vessel, and then filled a pure vessel [from the first vessel], it is pure. If one filled an impure vessel, and then a loaf of <i>terumah</i> fell in [the runoff waters], even if one rinsed it, it is pure. If impure waters fell [into the runoff waters], and a pure person drank [from it], he is pure. If impure waters fell in, and one filled a pure vessel [from it], it is pure. If impure waters fell in, and then a loaf of <i>terumah</i> fell in, even if one rinsed it, it is pure. [And these waters are] valid for [use with] <i>terumah</i>, as well as for washing [literally: taking] one's hands with them.
  Above these [<i>mikvaot</i> described thus far, and next in the hierarchy of <i>mikvaot</i>,] is a <i>mikveh</i> containing forty <i>se'ah</i> [of water], in which one can immerse one's self  and immerse other item [for purification]. Above these [<i>mikvaot</i>, and next in the hierarchy of <i>mikvaot</i>,] is a natural spring whose waters are few, and are exceeded by a greater quantity of drawn waters [which were added]. This [type of spring] is equivalent to a <i>mikveh</i> in that it purifies [only] when it is contained [in one place, standing still and not flowing], but [it is equivalent] to a spring in that one can immerse something in it [to purity it] when there is any amount of water [i.e. there is no minimum measure required].
  Above these [<i>mikvaot</i> described thus far, and next in the hierarchy of <i>mikvaot</i>,] are blighted waters, which purify even when flowing. Above these are living waters [i.e. pure, potable spring waters], that with them <i>zavim</i> [individuals who have certain types of atypical genital discharges, which render them impure] may be purified, and lepers may be sprinkled [as part of the process of purifying them], and they [these waters] are valid for use for the <i>chatat</i> ritual [i.e. to sanctify them with the ashes of a red heifer as part of the purification ritual].
  
  
  
  Someone who went down to immerse [in a <i>mikveh</i>], and there is an uncertainty as to whether he immersed or not, or an uncertainty as to whether it contained forty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific unit of volume] in it or it did not; or if there were two <i>mikva'ot</i> [gatherings of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification], one with forty <i>se'ah</i> in it, and one without, and someone immersed in one of them but he does not know in which one he immersed, its uncertainty is impure [i.e. the case is uncertain and resolved as impure].
  A <i>mikveh</i> which was measured and found to be lacking [the required forty <i>se'ah</i> of water], all purifications which were made upon it, whether in a private domain or in a public domain, are retroactively impure. To what [cases] does this apply? To a severe impurity [i.e something that was rendered impure by an Origin of impurity]. But with a light impurity, such as one who ate impure foods, or drank impure drinks, or one whose head and the majority of his body entered into drawn waters, or if three <i>log</i> [a specific measure of volume] of drawn water fell on one's head and the majority of one's body and one then went down to immerse;  [in such a cases,] if there is an uncertainty as to whether he immersed or not, or even if he immersed, if there is an uncertainty as to whether it contained forty <i>se'ah</i> in it or it did not, or if there were two <i>mikva'ot</i>, one with forty <i>se'ah</i> in it and one without, and he immersed in one of them but does not know in which one he immersed, [in such cases,] its uncertainty is pure [i.e. the cases are uncertain and resolved as pure]. Rabbi Yose considers it impure, as Rabbi Yose says: Everything which has a presumption of impurity remains forever in its invalid state, until it becomes known that it was purified. But its uncertainty [regarding its ability] to become impure or to render [something else] impure, is pure [i.e. such cases are uncertain and resolved as pure].
  Cases of uncertainty regarding drawn waters are considered pure by the Sages. [For example,] if it is uncertain whether they [the drawn waters] fell or did not fall [into a <i>mikveh</i>]; even if they did fall, if there is an uncertainty as to whether they [the waters of the <i>mikveh</i>] contained forty se'ah or did not; or if there were two <i>mikva'ot</i>, one mikveh containing forty <i>se'ah</i> and one not, and [drawn waters] fell into one of them and one does not know which it fell into, [in all these cases] its uncertainty is pure, because one has something upon which to hang [a presumption of purity]. If both [<i>mikvaot</i>] contained fewer than forty <i>se'ah</i>, and [drawn waters] fell into one of them and one does not know which it fell into, its uncertainty is impure [i.e. such a case is uncertain and resolved as impure], since one has nothing upon which to hang [a presumption of purity]. 
  Rabbi Eliezer says: A <i>revi'it</i> [a specific measure of volume, a quarter of a <i>log</i>] of drawn waters render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid at the outset [i.e. if the waters were in the pit before the valid <i>mikveh</i> waters were added, as do as three <i>log</i> [of  drawn waters which were added] on the surface of the [valid] waters. And the Sages say: whether at the outset [before there were any waters in the pit] or at the end [after valid waters amounting to less than forty <i>se'ah</i> were added], the measure [for the minimum amount of drawn waters to invalidate a <i>mikveh</i>] is three <i>log</i>. 
  Regarding a <i>mikveh</i> that has three furrows containing drawn waters [along its sloping side, such that each furrow is above the next], with one <i>log</i> in each, if it is known that forty <i>se'ah</i> of valid water fell in before they reached the third furrow, it is valid; and if not, it is invalid. Rabbi Shimon considers it valid because it is like a <i>mikveh</i> next to a <i>mikveh</i>.
  One who removes the plaster [from the floor of <i>mikveh</i>] to the sides, and three <i>log</i> [of water] flowed from it [from the plaster], it is valid. If one removed [the plaster from the waters of the <i>mikveh</i>] and three <i>log</i> flowed out from it, it is invalid [since they are considered drawn waters]. And Rabbi Shimon considers it valid it because one did not intend to draw [the waters in such a case].
  One who places jugs on the rooftop to dry them, and they filled with water, Rabbi Eliezer says: if it is the rainy season, or if there is [some] water in the pit [even if it is not the rainy season], one may break the jugs [such that their waters flow into the <i>mikveh</i>]; and if not, one should not break them [so that their waters flow in, since such waters would render the <i>mikveh</i> invalid, like drawn waters]. Rabbi Yehoshua says: either way, one may break or tip [them], but one may not pour [them] out.
  The plasterer that forgot his pot in the pit and it filled with water, if the waters were floating in any amount over the top of it, one may break it [over the <i>mikveh</i> to add its waters, and it is not considered drawn water]; and if not, one may not break it [and add it, since such waters would be considered drawn, and thus invalid], according to Rabbi Eliezer. And Rabbi Yehoshua says: either way one may break it.
  One who arranges jugs in a pit and they filled with water, even if the pit absorbed all its waters [such that the only water left in it was the water in the jugs], one may thereby break them [letting their water enter the <i>mikveh</i>, and it will still be valid, and not considered drawn water].
  A <i>mikveh</i> containing water and plaster amount [together] to forty <i>se'ah</i>, Rabbi Eliezer says: one immerses [oneself or other items] in the water, and does not immerse in the plaster. Rabbi Yehoshua says: [one immerses both] in the water and in the plaster. In which plaster may one immerse? In plaster which water floats above. If the waters were on one side, Rabbi Yehoshua agrees that one immerses in the water and does not immerse in the plaster. Regarding which plaster was this said? Regarding plaster in which a reed descends into it by itself, according to Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: a place where [the plaster is thin enough that] a measuring stick will not stand [straight]. Abba Elazar ben Dolai says: a place where a [builder's] weight descends. Rabbi Eliezer says: that [plaster] which will descend into a barrel [with a narrow opening, when poured in]. Rabbi Shimon says: that which can enter the tube of a flask. Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok says: that which can be measured with a <i>log</i> [i.e. a vessel with a wider opening, used for measuring a <i>log</i>].
  
  
  
  Rabbi Yose says: Two <i>mikvaot</i> [gatherings of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification] that do not [each] contain forty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific measure of volume], and which a <i>log</i> [a specific measure of volume] and a half [of drawn waters] fell into this one, and a <i>log</i> and half into that one, and they [the two <i>mikvaot</i>] became mixed together, they are valid, since they were never given a title of invalidity [i.e. independently, each was considered valid by the law]. But a <i>mikveh</i> which does not contain forty <i>se'ah</i>, into which fell three <i>log</i> [of drawn waters], and was then split into two, it is invalid, since it was given a title of invalidity [since three <i>log</i> of drawn waters invalidate a <i>mikveh</i> containing fewer than forty <i>se'ah</i> of valid waters]. And Rabbi Yehoshua considers it valid, for Rabbi Yehoshua would say: Any <i>mikveh</i> which does not contain forty <i>se'ah</i> [of valid waters], if three <i>log</i> [of drawn waters] fell into it, and it [then] became lacking even a <i>kortov</i> [A minute volume measure], it is valid [when enough valid water is added], since it is lacking [part of the] three <i>log</i>. And the Sages say: it is forever in its invalid state, until its fullness plus some more depart from it [i.e. it would need to become lacking the amount of water it contained before the drawn waters were added, plus a little more, in order to be considered valid].
  How so? If there is a pit in the courtyard, and three <i>log</i> [of drawn waters] fell into it, it is forever in its invalid state until its fullness, plus some more, depart from it, or until one erects [another <i>mikveh</i> containing] forty <i>se'ah</i> in the courtyard [and makes an opening to connect between them], and the upper [waters] will be purified by the lower. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah considers it invalid, except if one plugs up [all the sides of the pit containing the invalid waters, such that it is open only to the valid <i>mikveh</i>].
  If there is a pit full of drawn waters, and a channel [of rainwater] is entering into to and leaving from it, it is forever in its invalid state until it is calculated that there no longer remain [in the pit] three <i>log</i> [or more, of drawn waters] from the original amount. Two individuals who were dropping, this one a <i>log</i> and a half and that one a <i>log</i> and a half, into a <i>mikveh</i>; or one who wrings out his clothing and it drops [water into the <i>mikveh</i>] from many areas [of the clothing]; or one who pours out [water] from a tzirtzur [a stone vessel with a netted opening] and it drops from many areas [of the vessel]; Rabbi Akiva considers these [such cases] valid, and the Sages consider them invalid. Rabbi Akiva said, "They did not say 'if they drop [three <i>log</i> of drawn waters, it is rendered invalid],' but rather 'if it drops.' [implying that it is only invalid if the water was dropped in from only one source]" They said to him, "They said neither this nor that. Rather [they said,] 'one that three <i>log</i> fell into it [is rendered invalid, and there is no distinction between dropping from one or multiple sources].'"
  If [three <i>log</i> of drawn waters fell into a <i>mikveh</i>] from one vessel, from two, or from three, they join together [to add up to the required measure to render the <i>mikveh</i> invalid]; but from four [vessels], they do not join together. A <i>ba'al keri</i> [a male who has had a seminal emission but has yet to purify himself by immersion in a <i>mikveh</i>] who is ill, if nine <i>kav</i> [a specific volume measurement, equal to four <i>log</i>] fell on him [which the Sages established to be sufficient to purify him in such a case when he is ill and therefore cannot immerse], or a pure individual who three <i>log</i> of drawn waters fell on his head and the majority of his body [which the Sages established renders one impure], if [they fell on him] from one vessel, or from two, or from three, they join together [to add up to the minimum measure required to render them either pure or impure, respectively]; if from four, they do not join together [to add up to the required measure to have an effect]. Regarding what were these words said? Regarding a time when the second [vessel] began [pouring] before the first had stopped. And regarding what were these words said [i.e. that three <i>log</i> poured from four vessels, or not poured in close succession, do not join together to render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid]? Regarding a time when one did not intend to increase [the waters of the <i>mikveh</i>]; but if one did intended to increase, even [only by] a <i>kortov</i> every year, they do join together to three <i>log</i> [rendering the <i>mikveh</i> invalid].
  
  
  
  If one places vessels under a [drain] pipe, whether they are large vessels or whether they are small vessels, or even vessels made from feces, stone vessels, or earthen vessels, [if rainwater flowed through the pipe and into them] they invalidate a <i>mikveh</i> [a gathering of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification; if the waters flow through these vessels and into a <i>mikveh</i> they invalidate it, since they are considered drawn waters]. Whether one places them [under the drainpipe] or forgets them, [this still applies,] according to Beit Shammai. And Beit Hillel consider it pure [i.e. the waters do not render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid from being able to purify] in the case of one who forgets. Rabbi Meir says: they voted [on this matter], and Beit Shammai had the majority over Beit Hillel. And they [Beit Shammai] agree in case of one who forgets [vessels] in a courtyard, that it [a <i>mikveh</i> into which rainwater from those vessels was poured] is pure. Rabbi Yose says: the disagreement still stands in its place. 
  One who places a board under a [drain] pipe, if it [the board] has a rim, it renders a <i>mikveh</i> invalid; and if not, it does not render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid. If one stood it up [the board] to be rinsed [under the drainpipe], either way [whether or not it has a rim] it does not render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid.
  If one carves out [furrows] in a [drain] pipe to collect stones, [a furrow] of any size in one of wood, and of a <i>revi'it</i> [a specific measure of volume, a quarter of a <i>log</i>] in one of earthenware [is sufficient for the pipe to be considered a vessel, and thus for its waters to render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid as drawn waters]. Rabbi Yose says: even for one of earthenware, [a furrow] of any size [is sufficient to invalidate waters flowing through a pipe]; they [the Sages] only said [that the minimum measure is] a <i>revi'it</i> regarding shards of earthenware vessels [that they are considered vessels as long as they can still contain that amount]. If there were stones rolling around inside it [the furrow], they [its waters] render a <i>mikveh</i> invalid. If dust descended into it and was compressed, it is valid. A duct which is narrow on either end and widens in the middle [built that way in order to increase water pressure] does not render [its waters] invalid, since it was not made to be a receptacle.
  Drawn water and rainwater that mixed in a courtyard, or in a hole, or on the upper steps of a cavern [and from there flowed into a <i>mikveh</i>], if the majority [of the water in the <i>mikveh</i>] is from the valid [waters], it is valid; if the majority is from the invalid, it is invalid; if it is half and half, it is invalid. When is this the case? At a time when they mix before they arrive at the <i>mikveh</i>. If they are flowing into the waters [of the <i>mikveh</i> directly, rather than first mixing together], if it is known that forty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific unit of volume] of valid water fell into it before three <i>log</i> [a specific measure of volume] of drawn water, it is valid; and if not, it is invalid.
  Regarding a trough in a rock [in which water gathers from a nearby spring], one may not fill [water to be sanctified with ashes of the red heifer] from it, and one may not sanctify [water with red heifer ashes] in it, and one may not sprinkle [sanctified waters, as part of the purification ritual,] from it, and it does not require a 'tight-seal' [to protect its contents from impurity, rather a mere covering suffices], and it does not invalidate a <i>mikveh</i> [if water gathered in the trough and then flowed into a <i>mikveh</i>, it is not considered drawn water]. If a vessel was attached [to the ground] with plaster, one may fill [water for sanctification] with it, and one may sanctify [water] in it, and one may sprinkle from it, and it requires a 'tight-seal' [to protect its contents from impurity], and it invalidates a <i>mikveh</i> [if water flowed in from it, it is considered to be drawn water and thus invalid]. If it was punctured from below or from the side, and it cannot hold any amount of water, it [any <i>mikveh</i> filled with its waters] is valid. And how far must the hole span? Like [the width of] the tube of a flask. Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: It happened regarding the Yehu trough in Jerusalem, which was punctured like the tube of flask, and upon which all the purifications of Jerusalem were done, and Beit Shammai sent [emissaries] and diminished it, since Beit Shammai say: [even if it has a small hole, it is still considered a vessel and thus invalidates a <i>mikveh</i>] until the majority of it is diminished.
  
  
  
  Regarding a spring that was led to pass over a [man-made] trough, it [a <i>mikveh</i> filled from its waters] is invalid. If any [even minimal] amount [of water] was led to pass over its edge, it is valid [for immersion] outside of it [anywhere outside of the trough, and even on its edge], since a spring purifies [even] with a minimal amount. If it was led to pass over a pool and [then] it was stopped, it [the spring water in the pool] is thereby [considered to be] like a <i>mikveh</i> [a gathering of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification]. If one went back and drew it [the spring] to continue [flowing into the pool again], it is invalid for [the purification of] <i>zavim</i> [males who had certain types of atypical genital discharges which render them impure, and who require immersion in naturally flowing water], and for lepers, and to sanctify <i>chatat</i> waters from them [with the ashes of a red heifer, as part of a purification ritual], until the original waters have departed. 
  If it [the spring] was led to pass over vessels or over a bench, Rabbi Yehuda says: it is thereby [still] as it was [i.e. the status of the spring is unchanged]. Rabbi Yose says: it is thereby like a <i>mikveh</i>, so long as one does not immerse over the bench.
  A spring that flows like a centipede [i.e. with many smaller tributaries], if one added [drawn waters] upon it and it continued flowing, it is thereby [still] as it was. If it [the spring's water] was standing, and one added [drawn waters] upon it and it continued flowing, it is equivalent to a <i>mikveh</i> in that it purifies [only] while gathered in one place, and to a spring in that one can immerse [objects] in it in any amount [of water].
  All the seas are like a <i>mikveh</i>, as the verse says (Genesis 1:10) "And the gathering [literally: <i>mikveh</i>] of water, he called seas," according to Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: the great sea [i.e. the Mediterranean, alone] is like a <i>mikveh</i>; the verse only says "seas" [in the plural] because it contains many types of seas. Rabbi Yose says: all the seas purify [even] when they are flowing, and they are invalid for <i>zavim</i>, and for lepers, and to sanctify <i>chatat</i> waters from them.
  Flowing [water] sources are like a spring, and dripping [water] sources are like a <i>mikveh</i>. Rabbi Tzadok testified regarding flowing sources that [their waters] were greater than [those of] dripping sources [in a case where the two became mixed], that they are valid. And regarding a dripping source that was made into a flowing source [i.e. if it was somehow breached], one may put even a stick, or even a reed, or even a <i>zav</i> or a <i>zavah</i> beside it [the breach, in order to seal it off], and one may [then] descend and immerse [as into a <i>mikveh</i> of gathered waters], according to Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Yose says: anything which can be rendered impure, one cannot use it to stop the flowing.
  Regarding a wave which became detached [from the sea], and which contains forty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific unit of volume], if it fell on a person or on vessels, they are pure. Any place which has forty <i>se'ah</i>, one may immerse, and cause [other objects] to be immersed. One may immerse [objects] in trenches, and in ditches, and in the [hollowed out] tracks of donkeys mixed in [and connected, though small openings in the mountainside, to a <i>mikveh</i> containing forty <i>se'ah</i> that is also in] the valley. Beit Shammai say: one may immerse [objects] in runoff streams. Beit Hillel say: one may not immerse in them. And they agree that one can fence-off [the runoff waters] with vessels and immerse in them. And the vessels with which one fenced-off [the runoff waters] were not immersed.
  
  
  
  Any [water] mixed into a <i>mikveh</i> [a gathering of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification] is considered as the <i>mikveh</i> [if it was already a complete <i>mikveh</i>, containing forty <i>se’ah</i> of valid water]. Regarding holes or cracks in a cavern [which houses a <i>mikveh</i>], one may immerse [objects] in them as they are [regardless of how little water they contain, or how small their connection is to the rest of the <i>mikveh</i>]. Regarding a dug out area [of water] in a cavern, one may not immerse in it unless it was pierced [with a hole connecting it to the mikveh waters] the size of the tube of a flask. Rabbi Yehudah said: when does this apply? When it [the barrier separating between the dug out area and the valid <i>mikveh</i>] holds itself up; but if it does not hold itself up, one may immerse in it as it is.
  Regarding an [impure] bucket which is full of vessels, if one immerses them, they are [all] pure. But if one did not [intend to] immerse [the bucket, i.e. if the bucket was already pure], the waters [in the bucket and those in the <i>mikveh</i>] do not mix [to render the vessels in the bucket pure], unless they were mixed [through an opening] the size of the tube of a flask.
  Regarding three <i>mikvaot</i>, one containing twenty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific unit of volume], one containing twenty <i>se'ah</i>, and one containining twenty <i>se'ah</i> of drawn water [while the other two contain valid water], and the drawn [water <i>mikvah</i>] was to the side, if three people descended and immersed in them [at once, one in each], and they [caused the waters to overflow such that the three <i>mikvaot</i>] were mixed, the <i>mikvaot</i> are pure and the immersers are pure. If the drawn [water <i>mikvah</i>] was in the middle, and three people descended and immersed, and they were mixed, the <i>mikvaot</i> are as they were [before the people immersed], and the immersers remain as they were [i.e. impure].
  Regarding a sponge or a bucket which had inside them three <i>log</i> [a specific unit of liquid measurement] of [drawn] water, if they fell into a <i>mikvah</i> [which does not contain forty <i>se'ah</i> of valid water], they do not render it invalid, for they [the Sages] only said "three <i>log</i> that fell" [into a incomplete <i>mikveh</i> invalidate it; but in these cases, not all of the three log of water actually ever fell into the <i>mikveh</i>, since some remain inside the sponge or bucket].
  Regarding a crate or a chest [floating] in the sea, one may not immerse [objects] in them, unless they were pierced [with openings] the size of the tube of a flask [connecting their waters to the seawaters]. Rabbi Yehuda says: for a large vessel [the opening must be] four handbreadths, and for a small vessel [it must be] the majority of its size. If it was a sack or a basket [floating in the sea], one may immerse in them as they are, because the waters are mixed. If they were placed beneath a pipe [such that rainwater flowed through them and into a <i>mikveh</i>], they do not invalidate the <i>mikveh</i>; rather, one may immerse them and take them out normally [without worrying about the water in them rendering the <i>mikveh</i> impure as drawn water].
  If a jagged-edged [impure] earthenware vessel is in a <i>mikveh</i> [with its edges above the water's surface], and one immersed vessels in it, they are purified from their impurity [which they had before they were immersed], but they become impure due to [the protruding edges of] the earthenware vessel [which are impure and, as the immersed vessels emerge from the water but are still inside the space of the earthenware, render the water on them impure, which in turn renders those vessels impure]. If [however] any amount of water was floating above [the jagged edges], they are pure. A spring that flows [through and] out of an [impure] oven, if one descends and immerses in it, he is pure, but his hands are impure [since one's hands, but not one's body, are rendered impure by impure liquids, such as the liquid on his body once he emerges into the space of the impure oven]. If they [the spring's waters] rose above it [the oven] the height of his hands, even his hands are pure.
  <i>Mikvaot</i> are [considered] mixed [when they are connected by an opening] the size of the tube of a flask, alike to it in its width, and alike to it in [the length of] its hollow, such that two fingers can be rotated in place [i.e. its diameter should be the length of two fingers]. If there is an uncertainty as to whether it [the opening] was the size of the tube of a flask or was not the size of the tube of a flask, it is invalid because it is [a requirement] from the Torah [to immerse in a valid <i>mikveh</i>, and therefore we rule stringently on the matter]. Similarly [we rule stringently in a situation of uncertainty] regarding an olive's bulk of a corpse, and an olive's bulk of a carcass, and a lentil's bulk of a vermin. Anything that will stand in [an opening] the size of the tube of a flask, reduces it [from being that size, and thus from being able to be a connection between <i>mikvaot</i>]. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: any thing that is created out of the water is pure [i.e. does not reduce the size of the opening].
  <i>Mikvaot</i> can be purified [i.e. made valid], a higher one by a lower one, and a distant one by a near one. How so? One brings a pipe of earthenware or lead [and puts one end in the upper <i>mikveh</i>], and puts his hand under [the other end of] it until it fills with water, and he brings it and touches it [to the lower and valid <i>mikveh</i>] even by a hair's width; that is sufficient [to render the upper <i>mikveh</i> valid]. If the upper [<i>mikveh</i>] contained forty <i>se'ah</i> [of valid waters], and the lower one had nothing, one can fill [water] by one's shoulder [i.e. drawn water which one carried over] and add to the upper one, until forty <i>se'ah</i> flow down into the lower one.
  Regarding a wall [dividing] between two <i>mikvaot</i> [which only contain forty <i>se'ah</i> if combined], if it [the wall] was split along its warp [i.e. height-wise, from top to bottom], it is [considered] joined together [and both are valid]; if along its woof [i.e. lengthwise, from side to side], it is not [considered] combined, unless there is [at least] one place [where there is an opening] the size of the tube of a flask. Rabbi Yehuda says: the matter is reversed. If they [the waters] breached into one another [i.e if the was top of the wall was breached and waters mix together there, a breach] the height of a garlic peel and the width of the tube of a flask [is sufficient for them to be considered combined].
  Regarding a drain [at the bottom of a <i>mikveh</i>] in a bath, when it is in the middle, it invalidates [the <i>mikveh</i>]; when it is on the side, it does not invalidate, since it is like a <i>mikveh</i> adjacent to a <i>mikveh</i>, according to Rabbi Meir. And the Sages say: if the tub can contain a <i>revi'it</i> [a specific measure of volume, a quarter of a <i>log</i>] before they [the waters] reach the drain, it is valid; and if not, it is invalid. Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Tzadok says: if the drain can contain any amount, it invalidates.
  Regarding the purifying pools in a bathhouse [used for rinsing off in cold water after a warm bath], where a lower one is filled with drawn waters and an upper one is filled with valid [waters], if there are three <i>log</i> opposite the opening [connecting the two pools], it [the upper pool] is invalid [due to the three <i>log</i>, if it contains fewer than forty <i>se'ah</i>]. How far must the hole span in order for it to contain three <i>log</i>? One three-hundred-twentieth of the pool [i.e. since three is one three-hundred-twentieth of 960, which is the number of <i>log</i> in forty <i>se'ah</i>], according to Rabbi Yose. Rabbi Elazar says: even if the lower one is full of valid [water] and the upper one is full of drawn water, and there are three <i>log</i> opposite the opening, it is valid, for they [the Sages] only said "three <i>log</i> that fell" [into a incomplete <i>mikveh</i> invalidate it; and such a case is not considered falling in].
  
  
  
  There are those that raise [i.e. that count towards the measure of it waters to reach forty <i>se'ah</i>, to complete] a <i>mikveh</i> [a gathering of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification] and do not invalidate it, [those that] invalidate but do not raise, [and those that] do not invalidate and do not raise. These raise and do not invalidate: snow, and hail, and frost, and ice, and salt, and mud that can be poured. Rabbi Akiva says: Rabbi Yishmael would rule against me, saying, "Snow does not raise a <i>mikveh</i>." But the people of Midva testified in his name that he said to them, "Go out and bring snow to make a <i>mikveh</i> from the outset." Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says: A hailstone is like water. How do these raise and not invalidate? If there is a <i>mikveh</i> containing forty <i>se'ah</i> [a specific unit of volume] less one, and a <i>se'ah</i> [of one] of these fell into it, and raised it [to be a complete <i>mikveh</i> containing forty <i>se'ah</i>], we find thus that these raise and do not invalidate.
  These invalidate and do not raise: [drawn] waters, whether pure or impure, and picking waters, and waters in which foods were boiled, and inferior wine [made by fermenting grape residue steeped in water] that has not yet fermented. How do they invalidate and not raise? If there is a <i>mikveh</i> containing forty <i>se'ah</i> less one <i>kortov</i> [A minute volume measure], and one <i>kortov</i> [of one] of these fell into it, it has not raised it [to be a full forty <i>se'ah</i> and thus a complete <i>mikveh</i>]; and three <i>log</i> of it [of any of these] would invalidate [such a <i>mikveh</i>]. But the remaining liquids [such as oils and wines], and fruit juices, and juices of salted fish, and fish brine, and inferior wine once it has fermented, [all of these] at times raise [a <i>mikveh</i> to be complete] and at times do not raise. How so? If there is a <i>mikveh</i> containing forty <i>se'ah</i> less one, and a <i>se'ah</i> [of one] of these fell into it, it has not raised it [to be complete]. If it contained forty <i>se'ah</i> [at the outset], and one added a <i>se'ah</i> [of one of these] and [then] took out a <i>se'ah</i>, it is thereby valid.
  If one rinsed baskets of olives or baskets of grapes in it [in a <i>mikveh</i>] and they changed its appearance, it is valid. Rabbi Yose says: dyed waters invalidate it if there are three <i>log</i> of them, but they do not invalidate it due to a change in appearance. If wine or olive juices fell into it and they changed its appearance, it is invalid. What should one do [in such a case]? One should wait until it rains and its appearance returns to that of water. If it contained forty <i>se'ah</i> [of valid waters], one can fill [water] by one's shoulder [i.e. drawn waters which one carried over] and add them into it, until its appearance returns to that of water.
  If wine or olive juices fell into it, and they changed its appearance in part [i.e. the appearance of part of the <i>mikveh</i> was changed], if it does not contain forty <i>se'ah</i> that have the appearance of water, one should thereby not immerse in it.
  If there are three <i>log</i> of [drawn] water, and a <i>kortov</i> of wine fell into them, and their appearance is thereby like that of wine, and they [that mixture] fell into a <i>mikveh</i> [containing fewer than forty <i>se'ah</i>], they have not rendered it invalid [as drawn waters, since their appearance is that of wine]. If there are three <i>log</i> of water less one <i>kortov</i>, and a <i>kortov</i> of milk fell into them, and their appearance is thereby [still] like that of water, and they fell into a <i>mikveh</i>, they have not rendered it invalid [since there is still less than three <i>log,</i> of drawn water]. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says: everything follows the appearance.
  Regarding a <i>mikveh</i> containing precisely forty <i>se'ah</i>, if two people descended and immersed [in it], one after the other, the first is pure, and the second is impure. Rabbi Yehuda says: if the feet of the first were touching the water [while the second was immersing], even the second is pure. If one immersed a thick wool coat [which absorbs a lot of water] in it, and raised it out, if a small part of it is touching the water [and another person then comes and immerses,] he is pure. Regarding a leather pillow or cushion, once one raised their edges out of the water, the water within them is [considered] drawn. What should one do [in such a case]? One should immerse them and raise  them out by their undersides.
  If one immerses a bed in it [in a <i>mikveh</i> containing precisely forty <i>se'ah</i>], even if its legs sink into thick mud [at the bottom of the <i>mikveh</i>, which is not counted as part of its waters] it is pure, because the waters precede it. If the waters of a <i>mikveh</i> are shallow [such that one cannot immerse one's whole body at once], one may weigh down even bundles of wood or bundles of reeds [with weights, on one side of the <i>mikveh</i>,] so that the waters will rise, and then he can descend and immerse. Regarding a [impure] needle on the steps of a cavern [which houses a <i>mikveh</i>], if one was moving the waters back and forth [by stirring the waters around with one's hands or feet], once a wave passes over it [the needle], it is pure.
  
  
  
  The land of Israel is pure and her <i>mikvaot</i> [gatherings of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification] are [assumed to be] pure. The <i>mikvaot</i> of the nations outside the Land are valid for <i>ba'alei kerayin</i> [males who have had a seminal emission but have yet to purify themselves by immersion in a <i>mikveh</i>], even if they were filled manually from a pit of water. The ones in Israel that are outside the locks [of the city gates, i.e. outside the cities] are valid even for <i>niddot</i> [women who have menstruated and are thereby impure]; those inside the locks [i.e. inside the city gates], are valid for <i>ba'alei kerayin</i> but invalid for all [other] impure individuals. Rabbi Eliezer says: [even outside the city gates,] those close to the city and to the road are impure due to being used for laundry, and those far away are pure.
  These are the <i>ba'alei kerayin</i> who require immersion: if one discharged drippings or a murky liquid at the start [of his urinating], he is pure; in the middle or the end, he is impure; from the start until the end, he is pure. If [the discharge was] white and flowing, he is impure. Rabbi Yose says: white is like murky.
  One who discharges thick drops from his member is impure, according to Rabbi Elazar Chisma. One who had [sexual] thoughts at night, and woke up and found his flesh was warm, is impure. A woman who discharges semen on the third day [since intercourse, including that day] is pure [i.e. even with only two nights and one day in between intercourse and the discharge], according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya. Rabbi Yishmael says: there are times [when she is pure] when there must be four time periods [in between; i.e. according to Rabbi Yishmael she is not pure until the fourth day, meaning there have to have been at least two nights and two days between intercourse and having the discharge], times when there must be five time periods [in between, i.e. two nights and three days], and times when there must be six time periods [in between, i.e. three nights and three days, for example if she had intercourse at the start of Shabbat night, she is only pure if she has the discharge on Tuesday night or later]. Rabbi Akiva says: there must always be five [time periods in between, before she is considered pure].
  A gentile woman who discharges semen from a Jew is impure. A Jewish woman who discharges semen from a gentile is pure. If a woman had intercourse with her husband, [literally: her house] and she descended and immersed but did not clean herself [literally: clean the house], it is as though she did not immerse. If <i>ba'al keri</i> immersed before urinating, when he urinates he becomes impure. Rabbi Yose says: [only] regarding one who was sick or elderly is he impure; but a child or a healthy person is pure.
  If a <i>niddah</i> placed money in her mouth, and descended and immersed, she is pure from her impurity [which she had from before], but she is [again rendered] impure because of her saliva [the saliva on the money, a opposed to that which is in her mouth naturally, renders her impure]. If she put her hair in her mouth, clasped her hands [together], or pursed her lips, it is as though she did not immerse. If one grasps on to a person or vessels while immersing them, they are impure. If one washed his hand with water [before grasping them], they are pure. Rabbi Shimon says: he should loosen [his grip] so the waters can surround them. Hidden areas and crevices [in the body] do not need the waters to surround them.
  
  
  
  The following are [items which are considered] an interposition on a person [immersing in a <i>mikveh</i>, and thereby prevent one’s immersion from being valid]: wool threads, and flax threads, and ribbons [worn] on the heads of girls. Rabbi Yehuda says: those of wool and of hair do not interpose, because water can enter them.
  [The following are also considered interpositions on a person attempting to immerse:] tangles [of hair] on the chest, or on the beard, or in the hidden areas of a woman, a secretion outside the eye, or a crusting on the outside of a wound, or a bandage that is upon it, or dried sap, or hardened feces on one’s flesh, or dough underneath a fingernail, or dirt particles, or Greek clay, or potters’ clay, or Greek mud. What is Greek clay? This is the clay used for pits, as the verse states, (Psalms 40) "And he raised me out from the pit of tumult, from the Greek clay." The potters’ clay is as it sounds. Rabbi Yose would consider that of potters to be pure [i.e. and not to be an interposition preventing something from being purified by immersion], and he would consider impure [i.e. and therefore an interposition] that [earth] which was used to polish and mend vessels. And regarding Greek mud, this is [white earth used to make] road pegs, in which one may not immerse, nor may one immerse them [i.e. one may not immerse while they are on his body]. And regarding all other clay, one can immerse in it when it is moist. And one should not immerse with the dust on his feet. One should not immerse a kettle with soot [on it], unless he rubbed [it off].
  The following are [items which are considered] not an interposition [on a person attempting to immerse]: tangles [of hair] on the head, or the armpit, or the hidden areas of a man. Rabbi Eliezer says: regarding either a man or a woman, anything which one cares about, interposes; and that which one does not care about, does not interpose.
  A secretion in one’s eye, and a crusting on a wound, and moist sap, and moist feces on one’s flesh, and feces underneath a fingernail, and dirt particles, and a dangling nail, and the [temporary] thin hairs on an infant, [all these] do not become impure, and they do not render impure [i.e. if they are on one’s body, he does not become impure if they become impure, nor is one rendered impure by touching them while they are on the body of someone who is impure]. A membrane over a wound does become impure [i.e. one is rendered impure if it becomes impure while on his body], and it renders impure [i.e. one who touches it while it is on the body of someone impure is himself rendered impure].
  The following are interpositions in vessels [preventing them from being purified through immersion]: pitch or myrrh on a glass vessel, whether on the inside or the outside. Regarding a table, a board, or a couch, when they are clean, these things [pitch and myrrh, if they are on them,] interpose; when they are dirtied, they do not interpose. [When they are] on beds of a homeowner, any one of these would interpose; on the bed of a poor person, it would not interpose. On the saddle of a homeowner, it would interpose; on one used for [carrying] water skins, it would not interpose. It would interpose on a riding cushion. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: [it does not interpose] until it [the amount of pitch or myrrh] is the size of an Italian <i>issar</i> [a specific unit of money].
  On clothing, [if the pitch or myrrh is] on one side it does not interpose; on two sides it interposes. Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Yishmael: [it interposes] even on one side. Rabbi Yose says: regarding those [clothes] that belong to builders, [it interposes when it is] on one side; and regarding those belong to boors, [it interposes when it is] on both sides.
  Regarding the aprons of pitch workers and potters and tree-hedgers, they [pitch and myrrh] do not interpose. Rabbi Yehuda says: even those [aprons] of fig driers are like them. This is the general rule: anything which one cares about, interposes; and that which one does not care about, does not interpose.
  
  
  
  Any handles of vessels which were inserted improperly, or which were inserted properly but not secured, or which were secured but they broke, these thereby interpose [i.e. if they are touching something as is being immersed, they prevent it from being purified]. A vessel that was immersed by way of its mouth [i.e. with its mouth face down] is as though it was not immersed. If one immersed it properly [but] without its bottom rim, [it is not pure] until he tips it to its side [so that it will be fully immersed]. A vessel which is narrow at both ends and wide in the middle is not pure until one tips it on its side. A flask with a sunken mouth is not pure until one punctures it on its side [before immersing it]. The ink jar of a commoner is not pure until one punctures it one its side. And the ink jar of Yosef the Priest was punctured on its side.
  A leather pillow or cushion require [if one is immersing them to be purified] that the water enter into them. A round cushion, or a [leather] ball, or a shoemakers last, or an amulet or a <i>tefillah</i> [singular of <i>tefillin</i>] do not require that the water enter into them. This is the general rule: anything into which things are not normally inserted and removed may be immersed while sealed [and does not require that the water enter into it].
  The following do not require that the water enter into them [when they are immersed]: the knots [in the clothing] of a poor person, and [the knots in] the fringes [along the edge of one’s clothing], and the fastening of a sandal [which is not made to be unfastened], and the head <i>tefillah</i> when it [i.e. its knot] is tight, or that of the arm when it [i.e. its knot] does not slide up and down, and the handles of a jug, and the handles of a bag.
  The following require that the water enter into them [when they are immersed]: the knot at the shoulder of an undershirt, and the edge of a sheet [though it] must be spread out, and the head <i>tefilah</i> when it is not tight, and that of the arm when it slides up and down, and the straps of a sandal [used for fastening it]. Clothes that were immersed after being washed, [are not pure] until they bubble [i.e. they are pure once they rest on the water, even if they are still air bubbles between the clothing and the water]; if one immersed them after they were dried, [they are not pure] until they bubble and finish their bubbling [i.e. until they have been fully immersed, with no air bubbles separating them from the water].
  All handles of vessels that are long and will eventually be trimmed should be immersed until the measured place [where they will be trimmed]. Rabbi Yehuda says: [such a vessel is not pure] until one immerses all of it. The [measure for the] chain of a large bucket is four handbreadths, and of a small one, ten; they should be immersed until the area of the [respective] measurement. Rabbi Tarfon says: [it is not pure] until one immerses the entire link [at which the measurement ended]. A rope that is tied to a basket is not considered attached unless one sewed [it on].
  Beit Shammai say: Hot waters cannot be immersed in cold waters, nor cold waters in hot waters, nor good waters in bad waters, nor bad waters in good waters. Beit Hillel say: these can be immersed. If a vessel is full of liquid [i.e. not water] and one immersed it, it is as though it was not immersed. If it was full of urine, it is viewed as though it were water [and the vessel is pure]. If it was full of <i>chatat</i> waters [waters sanctified with the ashes of the red heifer and used as part of the purification ritual, it is not pure], until the water is greater than the amount of the <i>chatat</i> waters. Rabbi Yose says: even if a vessel that can hold a <i>kor</i> [a large unit of volume] has in it only a <i>revi’it</i> [a smaller unit of volume, of any of these liquids other than water], it is as though it was not immersed.
  All foods can join together [into the minimum measure] of impure foods] to render one’s body invalid [from being able to eat <i>terumah</i>, i.e. impure], by [the measure of] half of a <i>pras</i> [a specific unit of measure]. All liquids can join together [into the minimum measure of impure liquids] to render one’s body invalid [i.e. impure] by [the measure of] a <i>revi’it</i>. In this matter, one who drinks impure liquids is treated more stringently than a <i>mikveh</i> [a gathering of water collected by natural means and immersed in for purification], since [regarding one who drinks impure liquids,] they made the rest of the liquids like water for him [i.e. impure liquids other than water can also render one’s body impure if he drinks enough of them; but regarding a <i>mikveh</i>, other liquids are not treated like water, since only three <i>log</i> of drawn water, and not of other liquids, invalidate a <i>mikveh</i>].
  If one ate impure foods or drank impure liquids [other than water], and immersed, and vomited them out, they [the liquids] are impure because they are not [rendered] pure in the body [as one immerses]. If one drank impure waters, and immersed, and vomited them out, they [the waters] are pure because they are [rendered] pure in the body. If one swallowed a pure ring, and entered a tent containing a dead body [thereby rendering himself impure], and was sprinkled [with the <i>chatat</i> waters as part of the purification process], and was [then sprinkled] a second time, and immersed, and vomited it out, it thereby is as it was [i.e. the ring remains pure, since swallowed items are not rendered impure, and the body had already been purified once it was vomited out]. If one swallowed an impure ring, he may immerse and then eat <i>terumah</i> [that evening, and is not rendered impure by the swallowed item]. If he vomited it out, it is impure, and it has rendered him impure. Regarding an arrow stuck into a person, at times when it can be seen [sticking out of the body], it interposes [and prevents one from having a fully valid immersion]; but at times when it cannot be seen, one may immerse and then eat his <i>terumah</i> [that evening, and the arrow is not considered an interposition preventing an effective immersion].