The
Mishnah devotes one of its six subdivisions, named
Tohorot ("purities"), to the laws of ritual impurity. Neither the
Babylonian nor the
Jerusalem Talmud 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 clarifies that, in addition to all of Israel, the
priests 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, each priest was required to be in a
ṭahor state.
Mandatory or optional in northern Ethiopia, 1976. The mainstream view among
rishonim (leading 11th-15th-century legal authorities) and non-Kabbalistic authorities 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 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 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 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 sacrifices •
Niddah - 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 - 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 [or 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 to be impure by rabbinic law. This seemingly strange law had a practical purpose: it discouraged Jews from storing their
terumah produce alongside Torah scrolls, which attracted mice and caused the Torah scrolls to be nibbled on as well.
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. In
Conservative Judaism, 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; 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==