אך מעין ובור מקוה מים יהיה טהור יאמר שאין המים במקוה מקבלין טומאה בחבורם לקרקע אם יפול בהן הטומאה ואמר ונוגע בנבלתם יטמא שיעורו ומים אשר נוגע בנבלתם יטמא כי המים התלושים אשר יגעו בהם בנבלתם יטמאו כי במקוה לא יגעו המים בנבלתם אבל נבלתם יפול אל תוכו והזכיר המים בלשון יחיד כדרך מי נדה לא זורק עליו (במדבר יט יג) או שיאמר הכתוב וכל נוגע בנבלתם יטמא והכונה לרבות המים והמשקים הנזכרים (ויקרא י״א:ל״ד) ועל הכלל כי בא זה ללמד על המים שהם מקבלין טומאה בתלוש ולא במחובר שלא הוזכר זה עד עתה ובתורת כהנים (פרשה ט ו) רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר ונוגע בנבלתם יטמא במגע הן מטמאין ולא במשא וגם זה יתכן שיחזור אל כל הענינים הנזכרים ויאמר שאין לשרצים רק טומאת מגע ועוד לרבותינו בכתוב הזה מדרשים ביתור הלשון וכולם הלכה למשה מסיני והזכיר טהרת המקוה והמים המחוברים בשרצים והוא הדין לנבלות אך המתין עד שהשלים להזכיר כל מיני המטמאין או בעבור שדרך השרצים למות במעין ובור וכבר הזכרתי דעתי (רמב"ן על ויקרא י״א:ל״ב): NEVERTHELESS A FOUNTAIN OR A CISTERN WHEREIN IS A GATHERING OF WATER SHALL BE CLEAN. Scripture is stating that the waters in the immersion-pool whilst attached to the ground are not susceptible to impurity if any [source of] impurity should fall therein. BUT THAT WHICH TOUCHETH THEIR CARCASS SHALL BE UNCLEAN. The meaning thereof is as follows: “but waters which touch the carcass [of any of the creeping things] shall become impure, [meaning that waters which are separated [from a gathering of water] are rendered impure if they touch their carcass. [The phrase, and [waters] which touch their carcass shall be unclean, must be referring to detached waters], for when the waters are still attached to the pool, they cannot [be said to] ‘touch’ their carcass, but rather [Scripture should have said], their carcass ‘fell’ into it.” Scripture speaks of water in the singular [saying, v’nogeia — “and that which toucheth”], just as it says elsewhere, the water of sprinkling was not sprinkled upon him.261Numbers 19:13. There too, Scripture uses the singular: lo zorak (was not sprinkled) in referring to water, although the Hebrew word ‘mayim’ is in the plural form. Or it may be that Scripture is saying, “and whatsoever touches their carcass shall be impure,” and the intent is to include water and [the other] drinks mentioned.262In Verse 34 above. In general, this verse comes to teach that water is susceptible to impurity when it is detached [from a pool], but not when it is attached thereto, a principle that has not been mentioned heretofore.
Now in the Torath Kohanim we find that [the Rabbis gave this interpretation]:263Torath Kohanim, Shemini 9:6. “Rabbi Yosei the Galilean264The Sage generally known as “Rabbi Yosei” was Rabbi Yosei ben Chalafta, a disciple of Rabbi Akiba. To distinguish between him and another great teacher of the same name, the epithet “Galilean” was added to the name of the latter. It is this Rabbi Yosei whose opinion is here quoted. said: But that which toucheth their carcass shall be unclean. By touching they [i.e., the eight dead creeping things] convey impurity, but not by carrying them.” This too is feasible, that [the verse] is referring back to all the laws mentioned [in Verses 24-5] previously, and saying that creeping things convey impurity only by touch. Our Rabbis have further interpretations of the redundant expressions in this [whole] verse, all of them laws given to Moses on Sinai.
Now Scripture mentioned the purity of the immersion-pool and waters attached to the ground in speaking of [the impurity conveyed by] creeping things, but the same law applies to [that conveyed by] carrion [of animals forbidden as food, and of those permitted animals not slaughtered properly or which died by themselves]. It waited, however, to mention [the law concerning the purity of pools till now], until it had completed the enumeration of all objects that convey impurity. Or it may be that it is because creeping things frequently die in fountains or in cisterns. I have already mentioned my opinion265Above, Verse 32. [that this verse mentions the impurity of vessels conveyed by creeping things and their purification by immersion, and from it we learn the law of people and vessels in connection with the other forms of impurity mentioned above].
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