Parah Chapter 7

(1) Five [people] who filled five barrels in order to perform five sanctification [i.e. five sets of ashes], and they instead decided to perform one sanctification; or if [they filled the barrels] to perform one sanctification and they decided to perform five sanctifications, they are all valid. An individual who fills five barrels in order to perform five sanctificaitons, and he then decides to perform one sanctification, only the last one is valid; if to perform one sanctification and he decides to perform five sanctifications, only the first one he sanctified is valid. If he said to someone, "Sanctify these for yourself," only the first is valid. [If he said,] "Sanctify these for me," they are all valid.

(2) One who fills [a vessel with water] with one hand while doing work with one hand, one who fills for himself and for another, or he fills for two at once, both are invalid, for work invalidates the filling, whether for him or for another.

(3) One who sanctifies [the water] with one hand and does work with one hand, if [the work is] for himself, it is invalid; and if it is for another, it is valid. One who sanctifies for himself and for another, his is invalid and the other's is valid. One who sanctifies for two [others] at once, both are valid.

(4) [One who says to his fellow,] "Sanctify for me and I will sanctify for you," the first [one sanctified] is valid. "Fill for me and I will fill for you," the latter [one filled] is valid. Sanctify for me and I will fill for you," both are valid. "Fill for me and I will sanctify for you," both are invalid.

(5) One who [wants to] fill [water] for himself and for a chatat [the red heifer sanctification ritual], he [should] fill for himself first and tie it to the [carrying] pole, and afterwards fill for the chatat. And if he filled for the chatat first and afterwards he filled for himself, it is invalid. He places his own behind him [on the pole holding the water vessels], and the one for the chatat in front of him. And if he placed the one for the chatat behind him, it is invalid. If they were both for chatat, he places one in front and one behind and they are valid since it is impossible [to do otherwise].

(6) One who takes a rope [borrowed for drawing water for the chatat ritual] in his hand [and goes to return it to its owner, after drawing water with it], if it is on his way, it [the water for the ritual] is valid. And if [he goes] out of his way [to return the rope to it owner], it is invalid [since carrying the rope unnecessarily is considered unrelated work, which invalidates the waters]. Regarding this, someone went to [the sages of] Yavneh on three festivals [to ask about this ruling], and on the third festival, they validated [the waters] as a temporary teaching [i.e. one which was only applied because of pressing circumstances].

(7) One who wraps the rope around his hand [while drawing the water], it is valid [and not considered unrelated work]. And if he wraps it after [he finishes drawing the water], it is invalid. Rabbi Yose says: It was this [ruling] that they validated as a temporary teaching [as opposed that in the previous mishnah].

(8) If [after drawing water for the chatat] one hides a barrel to prevent it from breaking, or overturns it onto its mouth to dry it in order to fill it, it [the drawn water] is valid [since those action are not considered unrelated work]. If [he did these actions] in order to carry the sanctified [waters] in it, it [the drawn water] is invalid. If [between drawing the water and sanctifying it with ashes] one removes earthenware shards from a trough [in which he plans to sanctify the water] so that it will hold much water, it [the drawn water] is valid. But if [he removed the shards] so that they should not impede him when he wishes to empty out the water, it is invalid.

(9) One whose waters were on his shoulders and he taught a halachic teaching, showed others the path, killed a snake or a scorpion, or took foods to hide them, it [the water] is invalid. If [he took] food to eat, it is valid; or [killed] a snake or scorpion that were impeding him, it is valid. Rabbi Yehuda says: This is the rule: Anything which is a kind of work, whether or not he stopped [and delayed his way], it is invalid. Anything which is not a kind of work, if he stopped [and delayed his way], it is invalid, and if he did not stop, it is valid.

(10) One who leaves his water with a ritually impure individual, it is invalid; and with a ritually pure person, it is valid. Rabbi Eliezer says: even with an impure individual, it is valid if the owner did not do work.

(11) Two that were filling [water] for the chatat, if they lifted for one another [helping each other carry], or if they removed thorns from each other, if [they were filling water] for one sanctification, it is valid; for two sanctifications, it is invalid. Rabbi Yose says: Even for two sanctifications it is valid if they stipulated between them [before hand that they would do this].

(12) If [while carrying the drawn water to be sanctified] one breached [a fence] on a condition to re-fence it, it [the water] is valid. But if he did re-fence it, it is invalid. If [between drawing and sanctifying the water] one eats on condition to spread [the leftover seeds], it [the water] is valid. But if he did spread, it is invalid. If one was eating and had [food] leftover, and threw what was in his hand underneath the fig tree or into the designated region [for drying figs] in order that it not go to waste, it [the water] is invalid.