The Commandment of the niddah waters which render the pure, impure and only purify someone impure from the impurity of a dead body: That we have been commanded about the laws of the niddah waters, meaning to say in the laws of the waters of sprinkling, which are “living” waters mixed with the ashes of the heifer, which we sprinkle on the impure. And the expression, “niddah,” is meaning to say, sprinkling, which is an expression of throwing, as in “and they threw (yadu) a stone at me” (Lamentations 3:53). And we were commanded with laws known from the Scripture: That we purify the impure, as it is stated (Numbers 19:19), “And the pure will sprinkle the impure, etc.”; and render the pure impure [with] a severe impurity, as it is written (Numbers 19:21), “and the one who sprinkles the niddah waters, etc.” And that which is stated about this commandment [to call it] the “statute” (chukat) of the heifer, is [because] it is a lofty wonder — I cannot master it.
From the laws of the commandment — that which they said (Mishnah Parah 6:5) that the waters that we put on the ashes are only taken — using a vessel — from the bubbling springs and from the flowing rivers; [that] the placing of the waters on the ashes is called by our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, the “sanctification of the sin-offering waters”; [that] the waters that he places upon the ashes are called the “niddah waters” by the verse; [that] all are fit to fill the waters and to sanctify, except for a deaf-mute, a mentally incapacitated person or a minor (Mishnah Parah 10:4); [that] one who is involved in another work at the time of filling the waters or in bringing them, disqualifies them (Mishnah Parah 4:4), but that after he puts the ashes in them, [other] work does not disqualify them; [that] a wage also disqualifies in the sanctification and the sprinkling (Bekhorot 29a), [such that] the waters and ashes of one who takes a wage to sanctify or sprinkle are like the [regular] waters of a cave and like the [regular] ashes of an oven, but one who takes a wage for the filling [of the waters] does not disqualify [them]; and the rest of its many details — are [all] elucidated in Tractate Parah. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Red Heifer 1.)
And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by males and females; as they all need sprinkling before they enter the Temple or eat the sanctified foods if they became impure with a dead body. And one who transgressed this and did not receive sprinkling if he needs it, has violated this positive commandment. And I have already written in the previous commandment that Ramban, may his memory be blessed, would not count all of the laws of impurity in the tally of the commandments. And his strong proofs are in his Book of the Commandments in Commandment 96.
מִצְוַת מֵי נִדָּה שֶׁמְּטַמְּאִין אָדָם טָהוֹר וּמְטַהֲרִין אָדָם טָמֵא מִטֻּמְאַת מֵת בִּלְבַד – שֶׁנִּצְטַוִּינוּ בְּדִינֵי מֵי נִדָּה, כְּלוֹמַר, בְּדִינֵי מֵי הַזָּיָה, דְּהַיְנוּ מַיִם חַיִּים מְעֹרָבִים בְּאֵפֶר פָּרָה, שֶׁמַּזִּין בָּהֶם עַל הַטְּמֵאִים, וּלְשׁוֹן נִדָּה כְּלוֹמַר, הַזָּיָה, מִלְּשׁוֹן זְרִיקָה, כְּמוֹ (איכה ג נג) וַיַּדּוּ אֶבֶן בִּי. וְנִצְטַוִּינוּ בַּדִּינִים הַיְּדוּעִים בַּכָּתוּב, שֶׁמְּטַהֲרִין הַטָּמֵא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יט יט) וְהִזָּה הַטָּהֹר עַל הַטָּמֵא וְגוֹ', וּמְטַמְּאִין הַטָּהוֹר טֻמְאָה חֲמוּרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שם כא) וּמַזֶּה מֵי הַנִּדָּה וְגוֹ'. וּמָה נֹאמַר בְּמִצְוָה זוֹ וְחֻקַּת הַפָּרָה פְּלִיאָה נִשְׂגְּבָה לֹא אוּכַל לָהּ.
The Commandment of the niddah waters which render the pure, impure and only purify someone impure from the impurity of a dead body: That we have been commanded about the laws of the niddah waters, meaning to say in the laws of the waters of sprinkling, which are “living” waters mixed with the ashes of the heifer, which we sprinkle on the impure. And the expression, “niddah,” is meaning to say, sprinkling, which is an expression of throwing, as in “and they threw (yadu) a stone at me” (Lamentations 3:53). And we were commanded with laws known from the Scripture: That we purify the impure, as it is stated (Numbers 19:19), “And the pure will sprinkle the impure, etc.”; and render the pure impure [with] a severe impurity, as it is written (Numbers 19:21), “and the one who sprinkles the niddah waters, etc.” And that which is stated about this commandment [to call it] the “statute” (chukat) of the heifer, is [because] it is a lofty wonder — I cannot master it.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (פרה ו, ה) שֶׁהַמַּיִם שֶׁנּוֹתְנִין עַל הָאֵפֶר, אֵין מְמַלְּאִין אוֹתָן אֶלָּא בִּכְלִי מִן הַמַּעְיָנוֹת הַנּוֹבְעִים וּמִן הַנְּהָרוֹת הַמּוֹשְׁכִין, וּנְתִינַת הָאֵפֶר עַל הַמַּיִם הוּא הַנִּקְרָא לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה קִדּוּשׁ מֵי חַטָּאת, וְהַמַּיִם שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן עֲלֵיהֶם הָאֵפֶר הֵם נִקְרָאִים בַּכָּתוּב מֵי נִדָּה, וְהַכֹּל כְּשֵׁרִים לְמַלֹּאת וּלְקַדֵּשׁ, (שם י, ד) חוּץ מֵחֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן. וְהַמִּתְעַסֵּק בִּמְלָאכָה אַחֶרֶת בִּשְׁעַת מִלּוּי הַמַּיִם וּבְהוֹלָכָתָן (שם ד, ד) פְּסָלָן, וְאַחַר שֶׁנָּתַן בָּהֶן הָאֵפֶר אֵין הַמְּלָאכָה פּוֹסֶלֶת בָּהֶן, כֵּן קִבַּלְנוּ הַדָּבָר. וְהַשָּׂכָר גַּם כֵּן פּוֹסֵל (בכורות כט, א) בַּקִּדּוּשׁ וּבַהַזָּיָה, כֵּיצַד? הַנּוֹטֵל שָׂכָר לְקַדֵּשׁ אוֹ לְהַזּוֹת מֵימָיו כְּמֵי מְעָרָה, וְאֶפְרוֹ כְּאֵפֶר מַקְלֶה, אֲבָל הַנּוֹטֵל שָׂכָר עַל הַמִּלּוּי אֵינוֹ פּוֹסֵל, וְיֶתֶר רֻבֵּי פְּרָטֶיהָ, מְבֹאָרִים בְּמַסֶּכֶת פָּרָה [הלכות פרה אדומה פ"א].
From the laws of the commandment — that which they said (Mishnah Parah 6:5) that the waters that we put on the ashes are only taken — using a vessel — from the bubbling springs and from the flowing rivers; [that] the placing of the waters on the ashes is called by our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, the “sanctification of the sin-offering waters”; [that] the waters that he places upon the ashes are called the “niddah waters” by the verse; [that] all are fit to fill the waters and to sanctify, except for a deaf-mute, a mentally incapacitated person or a minor (Mishnah Parah 10:4); [that] one who is involved in another work at the time of filling the waters or in bringing them, disqualifies them (Mishnah Parah 4:4), but that after he puts the ashes in them, [other] work does not disqualify them; [that] a wage also disqualifies in the sanctification and the sprinkling (Bekhorot 29a), [such that] the waters and ashes of one who takes a wage to sanctify or sprinkle are like the [regular] waters of a cave and like the [regular] ashes of an oven, but one who takes a wage for the filling [of the waters] does not disqualify [them]; and the rest of its many details — are [all] elucidated in Tractate Parah. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Red Heifer 1.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת, שֶׁכֻּלָּם צְרִיכִין הַזָּאָה אִם נִטְמְאוּ בְּמֵת קֹדֶם שֶׁיִּכָּנְסוּ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ אוֹ יֹאכְלוּ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וּמִי שֶׁעָבַר עַל זֶה וְלֹא קִבֵּל הַזָּאָה אִם צָרִיךְ לָהּ בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה זֶה. וּכְבָר כָּתַבְתִּי בַּמִּצְוָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת, כִּי הָרַמְבַּ"ן זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, לֹא יִמְנֶה בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן הַמִּצְוֹת כָּל דִּינֵי הַטֻּמְאוֹת, וּרְאָיוֹתָיו הַחֲזָקוֹת בְּסֵפֶר הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ בְּמִצְוָה צו.
And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by males and females; as they all need sprinkling before they enter the Temple or eat the sanctified foods if they became impure with a dead body. And one who transgressed this and did not receive sprinkling if he needs it, has violated this positive commandment. And I have already written in the previous commandment that Ramban, may his memory be blessed, would not count all of the laws of impurity in the tally of the commandments. And his strong proofs are in his Book of the Commandments in Commandment 96.
(פרשת בלק אין בה מצוה)
There are no commandments in Parashat Balak.