SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...
A series of articles on Beit HaMikdash-related topics
by Catriel Sugarman

More on Tum'ah and Tahora

In Last weeks TT, we noted that the most virulent form of Tum'ah, ritual impurity, is Tum'at Meit, corpse impurity. The corpse is the apex, the Avi Avot HaTum'ah - the "father of the fathers" of impurity - and is acquired by a Yisrael coming into contact with a corpse, part of a corpse, a grave, etc. (Strictly speaking, the corpse itself is not impure; it merely "radiates" impurity or causes impurity to those who come into contact with it, "overshadow" it, etc. This Halachic phenomenon is based on Bamidbar 19:11 where it is written, "Whoever touches the corpse of any human being shall be impure for seven days…" As the Yalkut Shimoni quoting the Sifri Zuta, puts it, "The person who touches the corpse is impure; the corpse itself is not impure." What does this mean Halacha Lema'aseh, practically speaking? The Zayit Ra'anan remarks that at the time of Techi'at HaMeitim, revival of the dead, the newly revived will not have to undergo a purification process because when they were dead, they were not impure. However the Gemara is more ambiguous. See Nida 70b.) A Yisra'el can become Tum'at Meit simply by being in an enclosed space with, or under the same roof as, a corpse of a Yisra'el; the remains of a non-Jew do not have this special contaminating power.

Aside from Tum'at Meit, there are eleven lower forms of Tum'ah; six are emitted by a living Israelite human being.
• Zav - "Any man who will have a discharge (abnormal seminal emissions) from his flesh… " (Vayikra 15:2, 3, 13-15, discussed in last weeks TT)
• Nida - a woman who experiences her normal monthly flow (Vayikra 15:19).
• Zava - a woman who had abnormal Nida- like bleeding after the conclusion of her normal menstrual period (Vayikra 15:25).
• Yoledet - the parturient, the woman after childbirth (Vayikra 12:2)
• Metzora - the "leper" (Vayikra 13:1 et seq. TT #616)
• Shichvat Zera - semen virile (Vayikra 15:16)
There are two kinds of Tum'ah (aside from the human corpse) which cause impurity through contact when dead.
• Neveilah - carrion (Vayikra 11:8 et seq.)
• Sheretz - the eight unclean "creeping things" specified in Vayikra 11:29-38
There are three acts associated with rites of the Beit HaMikdash which cause impurity.
• The burning of the Para Aduma - the red heifer (Bamidbar 19:7), gathering its ashes (19:10) and contact with the Mei Nida - the ashes mixed with spring water - when it is not being used for purifying purposes (19:21).
• The burning "of the bullocks and he-goats which must be burnt" (Vayikra 4:12,21,26 and Vayikra 16:27,28)
• The act of leading away of the Sa'ir Hamishtalei'ach (Sa'ir La'azazel, scapegoat) during the Yom Kippur service (Vayikra 16:26)

These are primary sources of impurity and therefore are called Avot HaTum'ah (sing. Av HaTum'ah, "father of impurity") Not all Avot HaTum'ah are of the same virulence which means there is a substantial difference in some of the purification rites and the time required. The following are susceptible to ritual impurity:
• Yisra'el - the male or female Israelite/ Kohein can be rendered impure.
• Vessels, utensils, man-made artifacts, clothing etc. - One must differentiate between porous Klei Cheres - earthenware vessels which cannot be purified by immersion, and Klei Shetef - non-porous washable vessels which can be purified by immersion (e.g. silver). Only an Av HaTum'ah renders vessels impure. Susceptibility of vessels to impurity depends on what they are made of, the details of their construction and whether they are firmly attached to the ground or not. A vessel is susceptible to impurity only when it is completed but there is a difference between wooden and metal vessels as to what Halachically constitutes completion.
• Food - All food may be rendered susceptible to impurity if intentionally moistened by one of seven liquids: water, dew, wine, oil, blood, milk and honey. Strangely enough, bee honey renders food susceptible to impurity, wasp honey does not (Vayikra 11:38, Machshirin 6:4). The application of the liquid cannot be accidental. If a glass of water was inadvertently knocked over and as a result dry food was moistened, the spilt liquid did not cause impurity. The essential element of intention was absent.
• Drinks - all drinks are susceptible to impurity.

There are four levels of impurity which are classified as Veladot HaTum'ah, "children of impurity". Whatever receives impurity directly from an Av HaTum'ah - a "father of impurity" becomes a Rishon LeTum'ah - a derivative impurity of the first degree or "first degree impurity". First degree impurity is the most severe form of "children of impurity" and can render impure Chulin (ordinary non-sacred food), Terumah ("priests-due") and Kodashim (sacrificial meat). Whatever received impurity from a Rishon LeTum'ah becomes a Sheini LeTum'ah - "second degree impurity". A Sheini LeTum'ah can defile Terumah and Kodashim; these then become Shelishi LeTum'ah - or third degree impurity. A Sheini Letum'ah cannot defile Chulin. Only Mei Nida can be contaminated by Revi'i LeTum'ah - "fourth degree impurity". Though there are exceptions, the general rule is that when impurity is transferred from one person or vessel etc. to another, the resultant "new" impurity is of a lower level.

There is frequent confusion between which animals cause impurity, which animals are forbidden to be eaten and which animals are simply "abominable" (Sheketz). All animals which the Torah calls "abominations" are not Kosher but not all non-Kosher animals are necessarily "abominable". Birds and dead creatures of the sea, even when they are forbidden to be eaten or are called "abominable", are never sources of impurity.

"Everything (in the water) that does not have fins and scales (the signs of Kashrut) … is to be abominated" (Vayikra 11:10-12). A dead octopus might be "abominable", nevertheless because it is a sea creature, it does not cause ritual impurity. And even though the Torah calls "creeping things" impure and abominable - Vayikra 11:43,44 - nevertheless, dead insects, spiders, worms, snakes, etc. do not contaminate. The Torah specifies eight "creeping things" (e.g. lizards, mice) whose remains cause impurity (Vayikra 11:29-31). Contact with any larger dead quadruped (e.g. cat, bear) causes ritual impurity but a Kosher animal slaughtered according to Halacha does not. A Yisrael/Kohein never becomes Tamei by touching a live animal even if the animal is not Kosher and even if the Torah calls it "abominable". to be continued

Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service