Комментарий о цитате к Бамидбар 19:21

The fathers of impurity are a: sheretz, semen, [an Israelite] who has contracted corpse impurity, a metzora during the days of his counting, and the waters of purification whose quantity is less than the minimum needed for sprinkling. Below in sections three and four the mishnah explains the shared characteristics of these types of impurity. A) Sheretz one of the eight creepy crawly things listed in Leviticus 11:29ff. B) See Leviticus 15:16-17. C) See Numbers 19:11, 17. D) Once the metzora (person with skin disease) is healed, he spends seven days outside of the camp until he is allowed back in. During these days he is still impure and he conveys impurity to other things. See Leviticus 14. E) These are waters with the red heifer's ashes in them. See Numbers 19:21. If there is not sufficient water to be used to sprinkle on the dead, then these waters convey impurity in the ways described below. Tomorrow's mishnah will discuss how they convey impurity if there is enough to sprinkle.

Water of purification which has done its duty: Beth Shammai pronounces it pure, But Beth Hillel pronounces it impure. “Waters of purification” refers to the water that has been mixed with the ashes of a red heifer, and was used to rid a person of corpse impurity. According to Beth Shammai, the water remains pure even after it has been sprinkled on the impure person. Although before it has been used it causes impurity to one who touches it unnecessarily (see Numbers 19:21), according to Beth Shammai once it has been used it is no longer impure. Beth Hillel holds that these waters remain impure even after they have been used.

כי משחיתים אנחנו, “for we are about to destroy, etc.” Throughout the mission of the angels they are referred to in the singular mode. (Compare 18,10; 19,17, 19,22) Here the Torah used the plural mode. Why? Seeing that the Torah had used the plural mode (verse 21) it used the same mode here also when the subject is the destruction.