Yoma 61

חוצץ או אינו חוצץ אמר ליה כל דתקון רבנן כעין דאורייתא תקון

render this immersion<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An immersion, to be valid, requires utterly undisturbed touch of the water on the body of the person immersing himself, any intervening object rendering the immersion invalid. This, however, in the questioner's mind applies only to such immersion as is commanded by the Torah. R. Judah, who considers it only an immersion for the sake of uniformity, might hence hold that in this case an intervening object might not be considered sufficiently disturbing to render the immersion invalid.');">¹</span> invalid or not? - He replied: 'Whatever the Rabbis ordained, they endowed with the authority of a law of the Torah'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Pes. 30b.');">²</span> Said Abaye to R'Joseph: Is a partial entrance of the Sanctuary considered an entrance or not? - He answered: The thumb<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIV, 14: And the priest shall take the blood of the guilt-offering and... shall put it upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. Ibid. 17: And of the rest of the oil . . the priest shall put . . upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the great toe of his right foot. It is to receive of the blood and the oil that the leper stands at the Nicanor Gate and puts his hands and feet inside, v. 11 indicating that: And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed . . at the door of the tent of meeting.');">³</span>

אמר ליה אביי לרב יוסף ביאה במקצת שמה ביאה או לא א"ל בהונות יוכיחו שהן ביאה במקצת ותניא מצורע טובל ועומד בשער ניקנור איבעיא להו מהו שיעשה סכין ארוכה וישחוט

and toe will prove that, for there but a partial entrance is involved, and it was taugh A leper immerses himself and stands in the Nicanor Gate! - The question was asked: What about making for himself a long knife for slaughtering?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To escape the obligation of an immersion, which is due on entering. With a knife long enough he might slay the sacrificial animal from without.');">⁴</span> This question is asked in accord with the view of both Ben Zoma and the Rabbis who oppose R'Judah. This question is asked on the view of Ben Zoma: Perhaps Ben Zoma does not consider the immersion obligatory except in the case of one who actually enters, but not for one who stands outside; or perhaps even for the latter, because he might gradually enter.

תיבעי לבן זומא תיבעי לרבנן דפליגי עליה דר' יהודה תבעי לבן זומא עד כאן לא מחייב בן זומא אלא לגואי אבל לבראי לא או דילמא אתי לאימשוכי

The question is also asked according to the view of the Rabbis who oppose R'Judah: Perhaps the Rabbis hold their view only there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of an ordinary man entering the Sanctuary.');">⁵</span> because he does not perform a service,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence they free him from the obligations of an immersion.');">⁶</span> but where he officiates at a service they would agree,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That such is necessary.');">⁷</span>

תיבעי לרבנן דפליגי עליה דרבי יהודה ע"כ לא קאמרי רבנן התם דלא קא עביד עבודה אבל הכא דקא עביד עבודה לא או דילמא לא שנא תיקו

or do they make no difference? - The question remains unanswered. FIVE IMMERSIONS AND TEN SANCTIFICATIONS: Our Rabbis taught: The high priest underwent five immersions and ten sanctifications on that day, all of them on holy ground, in the Parwah Cell, with the exception of the first, which took place on profane ground, on top of the Water Gate, lying at the side of his [private] cell.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra.');">⁸</span> Abaye said: We infer therefrom that the Etam well was [at least] twenty-three cubits above the ground of the Temple Court.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From the Etam well was the water supply for the pool on top of the Water Gate, v. Zeb. 55b.');">⁹</span>

חמש טבילות ועשרה קידושין טובל ת"ר חמש טבילות ועשרה קידושין טובל כ"ג ומקדש בו ביום וכולן בקודש בבית הפרוה חוץ מראשונה שהיתה בחול ע"ג שער המים ובצד לשכתו היתה אמר אביי שמע מיניה עין עיטם גבוה מקרקע עזרה עשרים ושלש אמות

For we have learnt: All the doorways there were twenty cubits in height, ten cubits in breadth, with the exception of that of the Hall<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra 15a.');">¹⁰</span> and it was taught: And he shall bathe all his flesh i water,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The reference is to Lev. XV, 16 and the text is to be corrected accordingly. The verse in cur. edd. is from Lev. XV, 13.]');">¹¹</span> I.

דתנן כל הפתחים שהיו שם גובהן עשרים אמה ורחבן עשר אמות חוץ משל אולם ותניא (ויקרא טו, יג) ורחץ בשרו במים במי מקוה כל בשרו מים שכל גופו עולה בהן וכמה הן אמה על אמה ברום ג' אמות ושיערו חכמים מי מקוה ארבעים סאה

e. , in the waters of a mikweh,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'gathering (of water) ' then the term. techn. for the pool for ritual immersion. The water therein must not be drawn, i.e,, through a vessel, but must come directly from spring, river, sea or rain.');">¹²</span> in water which covers his whole body. What 'is its quantity? One cubit square, three cubits high, and the Sages have calculated that the required quantity for [the contents of] a mikweh is forty se'ah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Er. 4b. Forty se'ah correspond roughly to two hundred and sixty-four quarts of water. [The water in the pool on top of the Water Gate had thus to rise to a height of twenty-three cubits above the level of the Temple Court twenty cubits for the height of the doorway and three cubits for the height of the pool, which would have been impossible unless the Etam well was situated on at least a corresponding height.]');">¹³</span>