1,272. The Taharah (Purification)

197:2 A body is purified as follows: the whole body is washed in warm water, including the head. We clean it well, between the fingers and toes and all over.  The hair is washed, combed and cut. The nails of the hands and feet are cut, though in our lands the practice is not to do this. We must be careful not to turn the deceased over on his face as this is considered disgraceful. Rather, we incline him first on one side and then on the other.  After thoroughly cleaning the deceased, we pour nine kav of water over him. [A kav is a little more than a half-gallon; nine kav is around 5.5 gallons.] We stand the deceased on the ground or on top of straw and we pour the water over his head so that it runs down over his body.

197:3 There is a difference of opinion regarding the volume of nine kav, therefore 24 quarts (i.e., six gallons) should be used. This need not be in one vessel; it can be in two or three vessels but one must start pouring from the second before the first is finished, and from the third before the second is finished. Even when pouring from a single vessel, we must make sure that the flow is uninterrupted. If one uses four vessels, even if he pours from all of them simultaneously, the water does not combine to form the requisite volume.