Maimonides

In Maimonides' introduction to the Sefer Hamitzvot ("The Book of Commandments"), he states the goal he set to accomplish with authoring this work. The Talmud (end of Tractate Makkot) tells us that there are 613 biblical precepts—248 of which are "positive...

1We already explainedIn this chapter, the Rambam’s primary focus is the laws of ritual purity of hands. As stated in Hilchot She’ar Avot HaTum’ah 8:7-8, 12:12, there are situations where the Sages decreed that a person’s hands - but not his entire body- c...

1What is meant by an unresolved doubt regarding drawn water that our Sages ruled as pure?See Hilchot Sha’ar Avot HaTum’ah 14:1. A mikveh about which one was unsure whether drawn water fell into it. Or even if one was certain that drawn water fell into it,...

1There are six categories of mikvaos, one superior to another. The first is the water of pits, cisterns, storage trenches, storage caverns, and the like, where water is collected on the earth. Even though the water was “drawn”Here and in Hilchot Tum’at Oc...

1Any body of water that is in contact with a mikveh, is considered as the mikveh itself and it can be used for immersion.The degree of contact required between the mikveh and the other body of water varies, as reflected in the following halachot. When cav...

1A mikveh is not disqualified, neither because of a change of its water’s taste, nor a change of its smell, only because its colorThe term the Rambam — and his source, Mikveot 7:3 — use literally means appearance. The intent is, however, color. See parall...

1Whenever water passes over keilim that contain a receptacleEven if it does not enter the receptacle. See also Halachah 6. or water falls into them,Through man’s conscious effort. See Chapter 4, Halachot 3-5. it is considered as drawn water and disqualifi...