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In Jewish religious law, there is a category of specific Jewish purity laws, defining what is ritually impure or pure: ''ṭum'ah'' (, ) 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 ''ṭum'ah'' is said to be ''ṭamé'' ( Hebrew
adjective An adjective (abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that describes or defines a noun or noun phrase. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives are considered one of the main part of speech, parts of ...
, "ritually impure"), and thereby unsuited for certain holy activities and uses ('' kedushah'', in Hebrew) until undergoing predefined purification actions that usually include the elapse of a specified time-period. The contrasting Hebrew noun ''ṭaharah'' () describes a state of ritual purity that qualifies the ''ṭahor'' (; ritually pure person or object) to be used for ''kedushah''. The most common method of achieving ''ṭaharah'' is by the person or object being immersed in a ''
mikveh A mikveh or mikvah (,  ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvot'', or (Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazic) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for ritual washing in Judaism#Full-body immersion, ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve Tumah and taharah, ...
'' (ritual bath). This concept is connected with
ritual washing in Judaism In Judaism, ritual washing, or ablution, takes two main forms. ''Tevilah'' () is a full body immersion in a mikveh, and ''netilat yadayim'' is the washing of the hands with a cup (see Handwashing in Judaism). References to ritual washing are ...
, and both ritually impure and ritually pure states have parallels in ritual purification in other world religions. The laws of ''ṭum'ah'' and ''ṭaharah'' were generally followed by the
Israelites Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...
and post-exilic
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, particularly during the First and
Second Temple period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...
s, and to a limited extent are a part of applicable ''
halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...
'' in modern times.


Etymology

The
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
noun ''ṭum'ah'' () derives from the verb ''ṭamé'' (), in the qal form of the verb "to become impure"; in the niphal to "defile oneself"; and in the transitive Piel to defile something or pronounce something impure. The verb stem has a corresponding adjective, ''ṭamé'' (טָמֵא), "impure". Likewise the Hebrew noun ''ṭahara'' () is also derived from a verb, in this case ''ṭaher'' () "to be ritually pure". and in the transitive piel "to purify". The verb and noun have a corresponding adjective, ''ṭahor'' (), "ritually pure". The word is a cognate to the Arabic word ' طهارة' ''ṭahāra(h)'' (pronounced almost identically, with the elongation of the second 'a') which has the same meaning in Islam. Some sources, such as
Samson Raphael Hirsch Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the '' Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', hi ...
on Genesis 7:2, claim that the meaning is "entombed", meaning the person or item that is in the ''tame'' state is blocked, and not in a state of receiving holy transmission. ''Ṭahor'', by contrast, is defined as "pure" in the sense that the person or object is in a clear state and can/may potentially serve as a conduit for Divine and Godly manifestation. Although ''ṭum'ah and ṭaharah'' is sometimes translated as ''unclean and clean'', it is more a spiritual state than a physical one. Once initiated (for the physical signs that initiate ''
tzaraath ''Tzaraath'' (Hebrew language, Hebrew: ''ṣāraʿaṯ''), #Name, variously transcribed into English and frequently translated as leprosy (though it is not Hansen's disease, the disease known as "leprosy" in modern times), is a term used in the ...
'', ''zav'' and ''
niddah A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the ...
'', see below) it is generally immeasurable and unquantifiable by known mechanical detection methods, there is no measure of filth, unsanitary, or odorous affiliation with the state of ''ṭum'ah'', nor any mechanically measurable level of cleanliness, clarity, or physical purity for the state of ''ṭaharah''.


In the Bible


Usage

The noun form of ''ṭum'ah'' is used around 40 times in the
Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...
of the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
and the New Jewish Publication Society of America Tanakh. The majority of uses are in Leviticus. Though uses for national impurity occur in
Ezra Ezra ( fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen'') in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, t ...
and
Ezekiel Ezekiel, also spelled Ezechiel (; ; ), was an Israelite priest. The Book of Ezekiel, relating his visions and acts, is named after him. The Abrahamic religions acknowledge Ezekiel as a prophet. According to the narrative, Ezekiel prophesied ...
, and Zechariah prophesies the removal of the "prophets and spirit of impurity () from the land", the adjective ''tamei'' (, "impure") is much more common. The verb form of ''ṭaharah'' (), the verb ''ṭaher'' () "be pure", is used first in the Hebrew Bible is in , where
Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
tells his family to "put away strange gods, and be pure". In general, the term ''tum'ah'' is used in two distinct ways in the Hebrew Bible: Malbim, ''HaTorah VeHaMitzvah'', commentary o
Vayikra 11:43Vayikra 5:2-3
/ref> * Ritual impurity – the opposite of ''taharah'' ("purity"), also known as "impurity of the body". * Moral impurity – the opposite of '' kedushah'' ("sanctity"), also known as "impurity of the soul"; this category also includes activities which are disgusting or abominable. In general, ''tum'ah'' in the sense of "ritual impurity" is prefixed by the letter lamed or lacks any prefix at all, while ''tum'ah'' in the sense of "moral impurity" is prefixed by the letter bet.


Ritual impurity


Activities which create impurity

The
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
, particularly the book of Leviticus, lists various activities which create an "impure" (''tamei'') status: * A person who touches a corpse. * A person who touches something that has been made impure by a corpse. * A person who touches or carries carrion. * A person who touches or shifts the carcass of one of the eight ''sheratzim'' (creeping animals); also a vessel or clay oven upon which falls one of these carcasses. * A woman, upon giving birth, becomes impure for 7 days for a son or 14 days for a daughter. * A person who has been diagnosed with ''
tzaraath ''Tzaraath'' (Hebrew language, Hebrew: ''ṣāraʿaṯ''), #Name, variously transcribed into English and frequently translated as leprosy (though it is not Hansen's disease, the disease known as "leprosy" in modern times), is a term used in the ...
''. * A house and its contents which have been diagnosed with ''tzaraath''. * A man or woman with an unnatural emission from the genitals ('' zav/zavah''), or a menstruating woman (''
niddah A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the ...
''). A person who touches them, or who touches their chair, or vessels that they touch, is also impure. * A man who has had a seminal discharge, or a garment touched by semen. * A person who eats meat of animals that have died of themselves or been killed by beasts. * A priest who performs certain roles in the
red heifer The red heifer () was a reddish brown Cattle, cow sacrificed by Temple priests as a ritual purification, purification ritual in biblical times. Ritual in the Torah The red heifer offering is described in Book of Numbers, Numbers 19. The Tora ...
sacrifice. * If a corpse is present in a house, people and objects within the house become impure. Some of these activities are forbidden (i.e. eating non-
kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
meat), others are permitted (i.e. sex between a married couple), and others are unavoidable (i.e. if a person dies suddenly while other people are in the house). Thus, there is no automatic moral stigma to becoming "impure"; impurity "comes to everyone universally and without exception by virtue of biological existence".


Implications of impure status

Certain activities are prohibited as a result of acquiring this "impure" status. For example: * Before the giving of the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
, the people were warned not to approach their wives (presumably due to semen causing impurity). * One who is impure due to ''tzaraat'', genital emissions, or touching a corpse, had to live outside the desert encampment. * Priests could only eat sacrificial meat while pure. * One who is impure due to a corpse could not visit the sanctuary without making it spiritually impure, which is a crime punished by '' karet''. Just as it is a severe offense to bring impurity into the Israelite sanctuary, "impurity" is also seen as a means of nullifying a worship site of other religions; though the rules for this impurity are not made clear.


Purification

Different forms of impurity requires various rituals in order to regain a "pure" (''tahor'') status. For example: * Impurity due to seminal emission can be purified by immersing in a
ritual bath Ritual purification is a ritual prescribed by a religion through which a person is considered to be freed of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification ...
after the next nightfall. * Impurity due to ''tzaraat'' requires waiting seven days, shaving one's hair, washing one's clothes, immersing one's body, and offering a Temple sacrifice to achieve purification. * Impurity from touching a corpse requires a special red heifer sacrifice and ritual to achieve purification.


Moral impurity

The term ''tumah'' is also used to refer to certain sins, for which there is no specific ritual to remove the impure status. For example: * Sexual sins such as incest, adultery, rape, bestiality * Consulting the Ov or Yidoni * Delivering one's child to Moloch * Murder/manslaughter * Leaving a hanged criminal's corpse on the scaffold overnight * Idolatry * According to Rabbi Malbim, the laws of kashrut fall in this category. In a number of cases, no specific sin is mentioned; overall sinful behavior has led to impurity. Christine Hayes argues that moral impurity is the reason for the
gentile ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synony ...
expulsion and alienation that occurs in
Ezra–Nehemiah Ezra–Nehemiah (, ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible found in the Ketuvim section, originally with the Hebrew title of Ezra (, ), called Esdras B (Ἔσδρας Βʹ) in the Septuagint. The book covers the period from the fall of Babylon in 539&nbs ...
. However, S.M. Olyan argues that this expulsion was inspired by earlier biblical traditions regarding both ritual and moral impurity.


In rabbinic literature

The
Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...
devotes one of its six subdivisions, named Tohorot ("purities"), to the laws of ritual impurity. Neither the Babylonian nor the
Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...
contains systematic commentaries to the tractates of Tohorot (except for niddah which is an integral part of Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud as well), as these laws had little practical relevance after the destruction of the Temple. However, the laws are discussed many times in other tractates, and in later rabbinic literature.
Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
clarifies that, in addition to all of Israel, the
priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
are expected to be knowledgeable and fluent in the general and specifics of ''ṭumah'' and ''ṭaharah'' law. Given his role of Temple service and year round consumption of ''
terumah A ''terumah'' (), the priestly dues or heave offering, is a type of offering in Judaism. The word is generally used for offerings to God, but can also refer to gifts to a human. The word ''terumah'' refers to various types of offerings, but mos ...
'', each priest was required to be in a ''ṭahor'' state.


Mandatory or optional

The mainstream view among ''
rishonim ''Rishonim'' (; ; sing. , ''Rishon'') were the leading rabbis and ''posek, poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' (, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewis ...
'' (leading 11th-15th-century legal authorities) and non-Kabbalistic authoritiesMartin L. Gordon
Netilat yadayim shel shaharit: Ritual of crisis or dedication?
''Gesher: Yeshiva University Journal of Jewish Studies'', v.8 p.36-72 (1981); see p.39 and footnotes 35-36
is that one is permitted to become ''tamei'' (except on those occasions when one must visit the Temple, or touch holy objects), and thus there is no obligation to attempt to remain ''tahor''. As an example, it is not only permitted but a ''
mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew language, Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment Divine law, from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of disc ...
'' to tend to a dead person, even though this causes impurity. However, some rabbis have advocated keeping some of the laws of purity even in the absence of the
temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...
and even in the diaspora. One category that was commonly kept in Talmudic and pre-Talmudic times is ''ṭumath ochlin v'mashkin'' (consuming food and drink that did not become ''ṭamei''). Sages such as Rabban Gamaliel and Hiyya the Great encouraged eating only pure food at all times. Targum Yonathan considered this to be implicit in . One who kept this stringency was called a ''porush'', meaning "separated" (from ''ṭumah''). This was also one of the criteria for being a '' haver'' (a "friend" or "fellow" with whom the rabbis could eat without risk of violating purity laws), and according to some, the main criterion. Additionally, some rabbis advocated abstaining from the '' midras'' of a ''niddah''. Rabbi
Menachem Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson ( – June 12, 1994; Anno Mundi, AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an American Orthodox rabbi and the most rec ...
discouraged abstaining from any object made impure by a menstruating woman in modern times, with the exception for unique individuals.


Hierarchy of impurity

The rabbis describe a hierarchy of levels of impurity. In general, each level can result from touch by the level above it. The levels are: * ''Avi avot hatumah'' (grandfather of impurity) - a human corpse * Av HaTumah (father of impurity) - Maimonides enumerates 11 objects which have this status: ** ''Tameh met'' - a living person who has touched a corpse ** ''Tumat sheretz'' - the dead body of a swarming animal (''sheretz'') listed in ** ''Tumat nevelah'' - the body of a land animal which died without ritual slaughter; the body of a non-kosher land animal which died in any manner; a kosher bird which died without ritual slaughter receives this status in relation to its consumption but not its touch ** ''Shichvat zera'' - human semen which has left the body ** ''Mei hatat'' - water into which ashes of the red heifer were mixed ** People who were involved in the red heifer procedure and in certain procedures of the
Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...
sacrifices ** ''
Niddah A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the ...
'' - a menstruant woman; a man who has had sex with such a woman; the woman's blood, spit, and urine; objects which she has sat, reclined, or rode upon ** ''Yoledet'' - a woman in the period after she gives birth; the same related categories as with ''niddah'' ** ''
Zavah In Jewish ritual law, a ''zavah'' (Hebrew זבה, lit. "one who e bodyflows") is a woman who has had vaginal blood discharges not during the usually anticipated menstrual cycle, and thus entered a state of tumah and taharah, ritual impurity. Th ...
'' - a woman with abnormal genital discharge; the same related categories as with ''niddah'' ** '' Zav'' - a man with abnormal genital discharge; his spit, urine, semen, and discharge; objects which he sat or rode r reclined??upon ** ''Metzora'' - a person who has contracted ''tzaraat'', and in the purification period after recovery; a garment or house infected by ''tzaraat'' **Subsidiary types of Av Hatumah include: *** A person who had relations with a ''niddah'', ''zavah'', or ''yoledet'' *** A utensil designed for sitting which was sat on by a niddah, ''yoledet'', ''zavah'', ''zav'' (and possibly ''metzora'') *** Liquids expelled from inside the body (e. g., spit, blood, but not sweat) of a ''niddah'', ''yoledet'', ''zavah'', ''zav'' (and possibly ''metzora'') ** In addition, the rabbis declared several rabbinic categories of ''av hatumah''. * ''Rishon letumah'' (first level of impurity) or ''vlad hatumah'' (child of impurity) - a person, vessels, food, or drink which have touched an ''av hatumah'', * ''Sheni letumah'' (second level of impurity): ** Food or drink which has touched a ''rishon letumah'' ** A person's hands are always considered ''sheni letumah'', until he or she has done netilat yadayim. * ''Shlishi letumah'' (third level of impurity) - sanctified goods which have touched ''sheni letumah'' * ''Revii letumah'' (fourth level of impurity) - sanctified goods which have touched ''shlishi letumah'' * ''Hamishi letumah'' (fifth level of impurity) - According to Maimonides this status does not exist, and ''revii letumah'' cannot impurify other objects. However, some sources suggest that this status might exist. In addition, red heifer waters can have a status similar to this.


Impurity of scrolls

The rabbis declared
Torah scrolls A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...
to be impure by rabbinic law. This seemingly strange law had a practical purpose: it discouraged Jews from storing their
terumah A ''terumah'' (), the priestly dues or heave offering, is a type of offering in Judaism. The word is generally used for offerings to God, but can also refer to gifts to a human. The word ''terumah'' refers to various types of offerings, but mos ...
produce alongside Torah scrolls, which attracted mice and caused the Torah scrolls to be nibbled on as well.Shabbat 14a
/ref>


In modern times

Following the destruction of the Second Temple, ritual impurity status ceased to have practical consequences, with the exception of ''niddah'' and ''zav/zavah'', and rules forbidding making a Kohen impure. These rules are still practiced in
Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...
. In
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...
, while the concept of ''niddah'' and a prohibition on sexual relations during the ''niddah'' period (including childbirth) are still agreed upon, recent decisions by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards have endorsed multiple views about the concept of ''zavah'', as well as the ''tumah'' status of a ''niddah''. The liberal view held that the concepts of ''ṭumah'' and ''ṭaharah'' are not relevant outside the context of a Holy Temple (as distinct from a
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
; hence a ''niddah'' cannot convey ''ṭumah'' today), found the concept of ''zavah'' no longer applicable, and permitted spouses to touch each other in a manner similar to siblings during the ''niddah'' period (while retaining a prohibition on sexual conduct). The traditional view retained the applicability of the concepts of ''tumah'', ''ṭaharah'', and ''zavah'', and retained a prohibition on all contact.


See also

* Taharah (Islam), Arabic word for the same concept in Islam *
Kegare is the Japanese term for a state of pollution and defilement, important particularly in Shinto as a religious term. Typical causes of ''kegare'' are the contact with any form of death, childbirth (for both parents), disease, and menstruation, an ...
, Japanese for state of pollution and defilement


References


Further reading

* Neusner, Jacob (1974–1977). ''A History of the Mishnaic Law of Purities''. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Part I–XXII.


External links


Ritual Purity in the Torah and in the Code of Jewish Law of Maimonides
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tumah And Taharah Jewish ritual purity law Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law