מקואות ז׳:ז׳ - ח׳:א׳

הטביל בו את המטה – whose legs are high, and it is impossible to ritually immerse all of it as one in a small Mikveh like this whose measurements are exact, unless its legs sink down in the [thick] mud.

העבה – that is not miry (see Mishnah 1 of this chapter), and we don’t ritually immerse in it.

שהמים מקדמין – to ritually immerse the legs prior to its sinking in the mud, and it was [ritually] immersed in water.

שמימיו מרודדים – that the waters are not deep, on account that the Mikveh is wide and the waters spread out throughout all of it, and even though it has forty Seah one’s whole body is not covered with water all at once.

כובש (presses down) – to one side of the Mikveh.

אפילו חבילי עצים וקנים – and even though it appears like a Mikveh that they divided, nevertheless since the water enters between them, it is not a division. And the word וכובש"”/he presses that it (i.e., the Mishnah) uses, because the wood and the reeds float over the face of the water and heneeds to press upon them stones in order that they will enter underneath the water.

היה מוליך ומביא במים – he shakes/stirs the water with his hand.

כיון שעבר הגל – [the wave] of water over the top of the Mikveh that the needle is placed in it and the waters of the wave have floated over the needle, it is [ritually] pure. And because the needle is thin and small, and he fears lest it will fall into the water, this is the manner of [ritually] immersing it.

ארץ ישראל טהורה – and even the villages of the Cutheans (i.e., Samaritans) upon whom they (i.e., the Rabbis) did not decree [ritual] impurity, other than the lands of the nations outside of the Land [of Israel].

ומקואותיה טהוהים – and we don’t presume them to be of drawn [water], for undefined they were made kosher/fit.

לבעלי קריין – to permit them by the words of the Torah, for a person who experienced a seminal emission is prohibited by the words of the Torah until he [ritually] immerses, and if he [ritually] immerses in a place where all of its waters are drawn, it is permitted.

אפילו נתמלאו בקילון (even if they were filled up with a swipe and bucket for drawing water – see also Tractate Moed Katan, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1) – that they filled water with a shoulder and poured it into a hole and from that hole/indentation there is a path that the water travels to the Mikveh.

שחוץ למפתח – outside of the opening of the town gate.

כשרים אף לנדות – to permit them to their husbands, and even though there is the prohibition of extirpation [for not following the laws of the menstruant woman properly]. But we are not concerned lest they (i.e., the Mikvaot/ritual baths) were lacking [enough water] and that drawn water fell upon them and they were filled up, for outside of the town gate, the foot of people are not found there.

לפנים מן הפחת – inside from the entrance to the town gate.

ופסולים לכל הטמאים – for many people are found there and fill up water with their shoulders and give them there [clothing] to launder and to wash.

מפני הכביסה – that one can say that they (i.e., the Mikvaot/ritual baths) were lacking [in water] and were made invalid from the utensils that they would launder there.

הרחוקים טהורים – for they don’t launder in them but one shouldn’t be concerned for this. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.