The Rambam · Sefer Taharah
הלכות פרה אדומה י״גRed Heifer 13
Chapter 13 of 15 in Red Heifer — 12 halachot
Halacha 1א׳
מַעֲלוֹת יְתֵרוֹת עָשׂוּ בְּטָהֳרַת הַחַטָּאת. שֶׁהָאָדָם הַטָּהוֹר אֲפִלּוּ טָבַל לְקֹדֶשׁ וְעוֹמֵד וּמְשַׁמֵּשׁ עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֵינוֹ טָהוֹר לְחַטָּאת וְלֹא לִשְׂרֵפַת הַפָּרָה וְלֹא לְמִלּוּי הַמַּיִם וְלֹא לְקַדְּשָׁן וְלֹא לְהַזּוֹת עַד שֶׁיִּטְבּל לְשֵׁם חַטָּאת וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִהְיֶה טָהוֹר לְחַטָּאת. וְכֵן הַכֵּלִים אֲפִלּוּ מִזְרָק שֶׁבָּעֲזָרָה אֵינוֹ טָהוֹר לְחַטָּאת עַד שֶׁיַּטְבִּילוּהוּ לְשֵׁם חַטָּאת. וְכֵן כָּל הָאֳכָלִין וְכָל הַמַּשְׁקִין אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֵן טְהוֹרִין הֲרֵי הֵן לְעִנְיַן חַטָּאת כָּאֳכָלִין וּמַשְׁקִין הַמְטַמְּאִין:
Additional stringencies did they impose upon the purity required for the chatat, the rite of purification by the water in which the ashes of the red heifer are mingled. For a man who is pure — even if he has immersed for sacrificial food and stands and serves upon the altar — is not pure for the chatat, nor for the burning of the heifer, nor for the drawing of the water, nor for sanctifying it, nor for sprinkling, until he immerses for the sake of the chatat; and then he is pure for the chatat. And so too the vessels: even a sprinkling basin of the Temple courtyard is not pure for the chatat until they immerse it for the sake of the chatat. And so too all foods and all liquids: even though they are pure, they are, in respect of the chatat, as foods and liquids that convey impurity.
Halacha 2ב׳
כָּל כְּלִי הָרָאוּי לְמִשְׁכָּב אוֹ לְמוֹשָׁב אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא טָהוֹר לְגַבֵּי הַקֹּדֶשׁ הֲרֵי הוּא לְגַבֵּי חַטָּאת כְּמִדְרַס הַזָּב עַד שֶׁיַּטְבִּילוּהוּ לְשֵׁם חַטָּאת. יוֹחָנָן בֶּן גֻּדְגְּדָא הָיָה אוֹכֵל בְּטָהֳרַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ כָּל יָמָיו וְהָיָה מִטְפַּחְתּוֹ כְּמִדְרַס הַזָּב לְעִנְיַן הַחַטָּאת:
Any vessel that is fit to be lain upon or sat upon, even though it is pure in respect of sacrificial food, is in respect of the chatat like the midras of a zav, the impurity a man with a flux conveys to whatever he lies or sits upon, until they immerse it for the sake of the chatat. Johanan ben Gudgada would eat in the purity of sacrificial food all his days, and yet his napkin was like the midras of a zav in respect of the chatat.
Halacha 3ג׳
כָּל וְלַד הַטֻּמְאוֹת אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא אָדָם וְלֹא כֵלִים אֲפִלּוּ לְקֹדֶשׁ כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ. הֲרֵי הוּא מְטַמֵּא אָדָם וְכֵלִים לְחַטָּאת. לְפִיכָךְ אָמְרוּ הַמְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת מֵי חַטָּאת לֹא יִנְעל אֶת הַסַּנְדָּל. שֶׁמָּא יִפְּלוּ מַשְׁקִין עַל הַסַּנְדָּל וְנִמְצָא הַסַּנְדָּל טָמֵא שֶׁכָּל הַמַּשְׁקִין טְמֵאִין הֵן לִגבֵּי החטָּאת וִיתִטמֵּא זֶה הַמְקַדֵּשׁ בִּנְגִיעָתוֹ בְּסַנְדָּל וְנִמְצְאוּ מֵי חַטָּאת טְמֵאִים:
Every derivative impurity, even though it does not convey impurity to a man or to vessels, not even in respect of sacrificial food, as we have explained, does convey impurity to a man and to vessels in respect of the chatat. Therefore they said: one who sanctifies the waters of the chatat shall not put on a sandal, lest liquids fall upon the sandal and the sandal be found impure — for all liquids are impure in respect of the chatat — and this one who sanctifies be defiled by his touching the sandal, and the waters of the chatat be found impure.
Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain
English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0
English: rendered from the Hebrew for this app — our own, not a borrowed translation