Hyssop: When is it fit to sprinkle? From the time that it has shed its blossoms. [If] one sprinkled before it shed its blossoms, Rebbi disqualifies it and Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon renders it fit. Rabbi Yosei concedes that as to hyssop that had two [blossoms] at the beginning and shed one of them, that it is disqualified.

Severed hyssop branches are fit, and severed [strings of] tzitzit are fit. He lowered it and immersed it and brought it up -- if there is on it a flow of rainwater and he sprinkled, his sprinkling is disqualified, but if there is dripping moisture on it (i.e., caused by a source of water pouring from above (see Gittin 16a:1)), and he sprinkled, his sprinkling is fit. Rabbi Yehuda says, if there is liquid from his legs on it and he sprinkled, his sprinkling is disqualified. Hyssop that he dipped its branch along with its capsules -- even if when he sprinkles the water runs from the branch to the capsules -- it is valid. [He may sprinkle] in his normal fashion and need not be concerned lest [the water] came out from the wood. Hyssop that he dipped [only] part of it -- Rabbi Yehuda renders it valid, for Rabbi Yehuda says, "One may dip part of it and go back and surround it [completely with water] until he has immersed all of it." One who immerses all of it may not perform a second sprinkling [with the same hyssop] until he dries it.

A flask whose mouth is narrow -- they may sprinkle from it the second sprinkling, but not the first sprinkling because the water squeezes out, the words of Rabbi Yehuda. Three things said Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Kahana: In their days, the priests never refrained from sprinkling with hyssop that had [previously] been dipped; or [dipping] with a flask whose mouth was narrow; or cracking open terumah nuts with unclean hands, and [the Sages] were not concerned for them on account of impurity.

One who says to his fellow, "Sprinkle on me and I will sprinkle on you," Rabbi Akiva renders him impure and the Sages render him pure. Those who watch over the waters of purification, even up to ten days, behold, they retain their presumption [of purity] and need not immerse.

All are fit to sprinkle except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor, and Rabbi Yehuda renders a minor fit. Rabbi Yishmael the son of Rabbi Yochanan ben Berokah says, [as to] a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor who sprinkled and others supervised them, their sprinkling is valid.

[If] he intends to sprinkle in front of him, and he [inadvertently] sprinkles behind him, his sprinkling is valid (contra Par. 12:2 ("disqualified")). [If] he sprinkles on a person and [also] on his fellow, whether he mixed up the sprinklings, he may sprinkle a second time. Or [if he sprinkled on a person and] on vessels, whether on their insides or on their outsides, [the sprinkling is valid] -- except for the additional part of the olive cookers' boiler (Kel. 5:5), for it defiles the sprinkling in the airspace opposite the additional part, for he sprinkles on it from its outer side. [If] he dipped the hyssop in the name of something that is fit to be sprinkled, the water that drips [from the hyssop] is impure, but valid for sprinkling, and if any remains on the hyssop, he may sprinkle a second time. [If he dipped the hyssop] in the name of something that is not fit it be sprinkled, since at the outset its dipping was disqualified, so too its sprinkling is disqualified. And so too would Rabban Gamaliel say, "They tell him, sprinkle perush behind you lest you become defiled." They said to him, "But isn't it so that they would slip [on the waters of purification] in front of a window [facing] the public domain, [and nevertheless] they would tread [in that spot] and not refrain, because they said, 'The waters of purification that performed their mitzvah do not become defiled.'" And how much water must there be? There should be enough [water for] sprinkling, [which is] enough to dip the tops of the capsules [of the hyssop branch and sprinkle therewith]. [However,] this amount should be apart from the amount required for sprinkling, for the hyssop absorbs [the water]. Rabbi Yehuda says, we view it as though the capsules are made of bronze, which does not absorb.

A pure person for [purposes of the waters of] purification whose hands became defiled: His body becomes defiled [via his hands], and he defiles his fellow, and his fellow [defiles] his fellow, and [he defiles] the outer part of the flask [containing the waters of purification]. A flask used for [the waters of] purification that was defiled via its airspace: Its inside is thereby defiled, and it defiles its fellow, and its fellow [defiles] its fellow, and [it defiles] the one who sprinkles, for they did not say concerning the [waters of] purification, "this is first-degree impurity," and "this is last-degree impurity"; even if they are one hundred, they are all [treated] like the first, for they do not count [degrees of impurity] for purposes of the waters of purification. Batches of dough that were made on top of [waters of] purification and a sheretz touched one of them: Even if they are one hundred, they are all [treated] like the first, for they do not count [degrees of impurity] for purposes of [the waters of] purification.

A reed [spindle] used for spinning coarse material is connected for [purposes of] impurity and for sprinkling. Of flax or of leather strips, behold, he should not sprinkle [with it], but if he [nonetheless] sprinkled, it is sprinkled (i.e., the sprinkling is deemed valid). All drilled handles of vessels are connected. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says, even the spittle and excrement that are on a chair are connected for sprinkling, but they are not connected for impurity, [the words of Rabbi Yosei HaGalili, and Rabbi Akiva says, everything that is connected for sprinkling is connected for impurity,]* but there exists that which is is connected for impurity but which is not connected for sprinkling. A kettle is connected for impurity and for sprinkling. The lid of a kettle that is connected [to the kettle itself] with a chain: Beit Shammai say, everything is a single connected unit, and Beit Hillel say, a sprinkling on the kettle is a sprinkling on the lid, but a sprinkling on the lid is not a sprinkling on the kettle. Said Rabbi Yosei, [those are] the words of Beit Shammai, and Beit Hillel say, everything is a single connected unit.

[If] he dipped the hyssop at night, it is not that the water becomes disqualified (see Par. 12:11), but that he needs to dip a second time (i.e., during the day). [If] he sprinkled at night, the sprinkling is disqualified and the water is impure for purposes of the waters of purification.