Parah 12:10 - 12:11

המיחם (vessel for heating water) – a kettle of copper/brass that they heat in it the water.

חוץ מטומטום ואנדרוגינוס – because they are doubtfully female, and a woman is not fit/suitable to sprinkle, as it is written (Numbers 19:18): “A person who is pure [shall take hyssop], dip it in water, [and sprinkle on the tent and on all the vessels and people who were there]; a man, but not a woman, טהור/someone pure, to include the minor. And sprinkling is derived from ritual immersion that is compared to each other.

האשה מסעדתו (and a woman assists him – i.e., the child, who sprinkles) – assists him, as it is explained in the last clause of this Mishnah - that "אוחזת לו במים"/that she holds the water for him.

ואם אחזה בידו אפילו בשעת הזאה פסול – it is needless to say “at the time of ritual immersion”, for it is written, “a man” but not a woman, it is written regarding ritual immersion (see Numbers 19:18), but even at the time of sprinkling, for it is not written in Scripture “at sprinkling,” even so, if she held his hand, it is invalid, for we derive sprinkling from ritual immersion.

ביום והזה בלילה פסול – as it is written (Numbers 19:19): “The pure person shall sprinkle it upon the impure person on the third day and on the seventh day, [thus purifying him by the seventh day],” during the day, but not at night. And there is an analogy made between ritual immersion and sprinkling, as it is written (Numbers 19:18): “[A person who is pure shall take hyssop] dip it in the water, and sprinkle [on the tent and on all the vessels and people who were there,]” just as sprinkling is during the day, even ritually immersion of the hyssop is during the day.

טובל בלילה ומזה ביום – where he delayed his immersion and did not sprinkle on the seventh day, when he does to sprinkle on the eighth or ninth or tenth [days] he is able to advance ritual immersion to sprinkling. But a person who ritually immerses on the seventh according to his precept, he sprinkles first and afterwards ritually immerses, as it is written (Numbers 19:19): “thus purifying by the seventh day,” and afterwards it is written: “He shall then wash his clothes and bathe in water.” (see also Tractate Megillah, Chapter 2, Mishnah 4 – that a person does not ritually immerse in water nor sprinkle other than during the daytime).

משעלה עמוד השחר כשר – that from then onwards it is day, as it is written (Nehemiah 4:15): “And so we worked on, while half were holding lances, from the break of day until the stars appeared,” and it is written there (Nehemiah 4:16): “[I further said to the people at that time: ‘Let every man with his servant lodge in Jerusalem,] that we may use the night to stand guard and the day to work.’” (see also Tractate Berakhot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1 for the usage of the phrase "עד שיעלה עמוד השחר"/until the crack of dawn).