Parah 12:2 - 12:3

ספק מן הכוש ספק מן החוט כו' – for we require definitive sprinkling from the hyssop, because they say: “let the impurity stand on the basis of its presumptive condition.”

מחברו מיצה עליו (from its neighbor it dripped/emptied upon it) – perhaps the waters of purification dripped/emptied of one vessel and went on to the other.

הזאתו פסולה – for if from its neighbor it dripped/emptied upon it, this is not sprinkling from the hyssop.

טובל ומעלה כדרכו – but we don’t say that from out of that its mouth was pressed to go out perhaps the waters would return into the vessel and would not remain in the hyssop according to the measure.

ר' יהודה אומר הזייה ראשונה – we are not concerned/suspect regarding the first sprinkling, but the second sprinkling, because it (i.e., the water) was pressed to come out and also he sprinkled from them, they were all the more lessened and we are concerned with the second sprinkling lest there did not remain in the hyssop according to the measure. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

לא יספג ([that the hyssop] does not absorb [moisture on the side of the flask as it is pulled out]) – that he will not wipe off/cleanse from the sides of the vessel or from its rim, as it is written (Numbers 19:18):”[A person who is pure shall take hyssop] dip it in the water,” but not absorb.

הזאתו פסולה – for we require the intention of sprinkling and indeed his intention was not performed.

ואפילו הן מאה – that we don’t require sprinkling on its own for each and every person or for each and every vessel.

על דבר המקבל טומאה – people and vessels.

על דבר שאינו מקבל טומאה – animals and vessels of stone.

אם יש באזוב לא ישנה – if there remains in the hyssop in order to do sprinkling, he does not need to return and to ritually immerse [the hyssop in the water] a second time, but rather he sprinkles from that which remains in the hyssop on the impure thing and the sprinkling counted for him. As is it is written (Numbers 19:19): “The pure person shall sprinkle it upon the impure person,” until he intends to sprinkle on the impure person, therefore, when he intends at the time of ritual immersion of the hyssop to sprinkle on the impure person, he should not repeat [the dipping of the hyssop in the water,” but rather he should sprinkle from what remains in the hyssop. But if he dipped the hyssop in order to sprinkle upon a thing that is not susceptible to receive ritual defilement, since that the beginning of his immersion is invalid, so his sprinkling is invalid and he should not sprinkle with what remains on the hyssop until he repeats [the dipping of the hyssop in the water.

המים המנטפין (the water that drips off) – from the hyssop that he had ritually immersed it for the sake of something that does not receive ritual impurity, if he immersed those drops of hyssop and sprinkled from them, they are appropriate/suitable.

לפיכך הן מטמאין -because their precepts were not done, for the first immersion was invalid, and behold, these drops are like the rest of the waters of purification that are kosher that they defile.