In the realm of ''
tumah and taharah
In Jewish law, ''ṭumah'' (, ) and ''ṭaharah'' (, ) are the state of being ritually "impure" and "pure", respectively. The Hebrew noun ''ṭum'ah'', meaning "impurity", describes a state of ritual impurity. A person or object which contracts ...
'' terminology, the term ''Av HaTumah'' ("father of uncleanness," or simply ''Av'') is a rabbinic term for a person or object that is in a state of ''tumah'' (ritual impurity), second in severity only to
corpse uncleanness
Corpse uncleanness ( Hebrew: ''tum'at met'') is a state of ritual uncleanness described in Jewish halachic law. It is the highest grade of uncleanness, or defilement, and is contracted by having either directly or indirectly touched, carried or ...
. Anything suffering from ''Av HaTumah'' ("Father of uncleanness"), such as
carrion, the blood of a menstruate woman, seminal fluid, etc., can render those persons who touch it defiled at a further remove, known as a "first-grade level of uncleanness."
A person or object that is a ''Av HaTumah'' has the ability to transfer its ''tumah'' to another person or object, such as clothing (usually at a downgraded level of ''tumah''), while they, in turn, have the ability to transfer their ''tumah'' to both foods and drink (in the case of foods, at a downgraded level, but in the case of drinks, at the very same level).
There are two types of ''Av HaTumah'', the first being one textually listed in the Torah (
D'Oraita), such as the carcass of any of the
eight creeping things named in Leviticus 11:29-30, or a seminal issue (Leviticus 15), ''
inter alia''; the second being one of rabbinic origin (
D'Rabbanan), such as a grave area that had been ploughed, or any
foreign land, or a dead human's bone the size of a
barleycorn, among other things.
[Mishnah ('']Kelim
A kilim ( az, Kilim کیلیم; tr, Kilim; tm, Kilim; fa, گلیم ''Gilīm'') is a flat tapestry-woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire, including Iran, the Balkans and the Turkic countries. Kil ...
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Torah source
Examples
An ''Av HaTumah'' is generally a person or object that is listed in the Torah. Common examples of an ''Av HaTumah'' include a ''zav'', ''zavah'', ''niddah'', ''tzaraath, metzorah'' (leper), and ''midras''.
Purification
A person or object that is under ''Av HaTumah'' status can usually be purified by immersion in a
mikveh ''and'' the elapse of sunset.
References
Jewish ritual purity law
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law
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