Taharos 4:8 - 4:9

ספק טמאה צפה על פני המים – there is a doubt if it (i.e., the water) touched the uncleanness floating on the surface of the water or it didn’t touch it.

בין בכלים בין בקרקע – whether the water was in vessels or whether the water was on the ground, it is ritually pure, for it is considered as if there is no place for uncleanness.

בכלים טמא – for they are considered as if there is a place for uncleanness. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

ספק ירידתו טמא (if the doubt has to do with his descent into the water) – for it is manner of a person when he descends to a pond of water that everything that is in the water comes upon him, on account of the movement that when he begins to wash himself. But when he ascends from the water, the things that are in the water distance themselves from him and go to the sides of the pond.

אפילו אין שם אלא מלא האדם והטומאה – that the place is narrow in the path for it is impossible for him that he wouldn’t touch it, nevertheless he is ritually pure, for he (i.e., Rabbi Yossi) holds that the uncleanness that floats does not defile. Such is what I found. But Maimonides explains that all the while that he didn’t know with certainty that he touched uncleanness, he is ritually pure. It appears that if he was on the path where it is impossible for him that he doesn’t touch it, he is ritually impure.

ספק משקים ליטמא – ritually pure liquids that a doubt appeared on them if they were susceptible to receive defilement or not, their doubt is ritually impure, as we will explain further on.

לטמא טהור – and if the liquids are ritually impure and we have a doubt if they defiled the ritually pure thing or not, its manner of doubt is that it is ritually pure.

וזרקה לבין הככרות כו' ספיקו טהור – as for example that we had a doubt if after the staff came to rest the liquids touched the loaves [of bread] or didn’t touch them. For if it was at the time of throwing, it had defilement that has no place, and even with a creeping animal according to the Torah, its manner of doubt is ritually pure, since the defilement is thrown. But if you say that yet I will derive (that it is ritually pure) even with a creeping animal because it does not have awareness/knowledge to be interrogated. But one can say, that it is possible to establish that our Mishnah is dealing with a case when a person is holding the loaves.