Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 19:17/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ט:י״ז
אוְנָתַן עָלָיו מַיִם חַיִּים אֶל כֶּלִי – אֵין עִנְיָנוֹ שֶׁיִּתֵּן הָאֵפֶר בַּכְּלִי תְּחִלָּה וְיִתֵּן מַיִם עַל הָאֵפֶר, שֶׁכָּךְ שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סוטה טז) שֶׁהַנּוֹתֵן אֵפֶר תְּחִלָּה וְאַחַר כָּךְ הַמַּיִם פָּסוּל. דִּקְדְּקוּ "מַיִם חַיִּים אֶל כֶּלִי" שֶׁתְּהֵא חַיּוּתָן בַּכְּלִי, וְאוּלַי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר ״וְלָקְחוּ לַטָּמֵא מֵעֲפַר שְׂרֵפַת הַחַטָּאת אֶל כְּלִי וְנָתַן עָלָיו מַיִם חַיִּים״, אֲבָל פֵּרוּשׁוֹ וְנָתַן עַל הָאֵפֶר מַיִם חַיִּים שֶׁהָיוּ בַכְּלִי, לוֹמַר שֶׁיְּעָרֵב הָאֵפֶר בַּמַּיִם שֶׁבַּכְּלִי עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַמַּיִם צָפִין עָלָיו:
1AND HE SHALL PUT UPON IT RUNNING WATER INTO A VESSEL. The meaning thereof is not that he should first put the ashes [of the Red Heifer] into the vessel and then put the water upon the ashes, for our Rabbis have taught51 that if one places the ashes in the vessel first and then the water, it invalidates [the water, so that it may not be used as water of purification]. They derived this law from the expression, running water into a vessel, which implies that the running water [alone] should be put into the vessel [i.e., there should be nothing-such as the ashes — intervening between the water and the vessel]. Perhaps they deduced it because He did not say: “And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification into a vessel, and he shall put upon it running water.” But [since Scripture put it in the reverse order: And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification — and running water he shall put thereto in a vessel], the meaning of the verse is as follows: “and he shall put upon the ashes the running water which was [already] in the vessel,” meaning that he should mix the ashes with the water which was in the vessel until the water flows over them.52