More on Kedusha and "Radiation" I said that unquestionably there are certain parallels between the Holy and radiation in that both are active and potentially very dangerous. (Vayikra 15:31). "A fire came forth and consumed" the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, because "they brought a strange fire before G-d, that He had not commanded (Vayikra 10:1). "A Divine fire consumed the 250 Incense-offerers of Korach's coterie because they presumptuously made their offering, thereby challenging the ordained Divine order. Uziyahu Hamelech was struck with Tzara'at when he brazenly marched into the Mikdash to offer incense (II Divrei Hayamim 26:19). Like the core of a nuclear reactor, death threatens all who approach the holy by unauthorized people or without the proper preparation. The well-meaning Uzza was struck down for touching the Aron Habrit (II Shmuel 6:6). In his case, it was not presumption at all! With the best intentions, he only wanted to save the Aron from toppling over when the oxen pulling the wagon stumbled! On the other hand, Tum'a - impurity - is not in itself a source of danger. The elaborate purification rites ordained by the Torah, the purification of the Zav, the Metzora, etc. convey a moral message to Am Yisrael; they were not enacted to guard Am Yisrael from antagonistic demons or inimical magic. R. Yochanan ben Zakkai said, "No matter how it appears, the corpse does not defile, nor does the mixture of ash (from the Para Aduma) purify. The truth is that the rite of the Para Aduma is a decree of G-d. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'I have set down a statue, I have issued a decree. You are not permitted to transgress My decree" (Pesikta Rabbati 14:14). (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. 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, the resurrection of the dead, the newly revived will not have to undergo a purification process because when they were dead, they were not impure. Admittedly, the Gemara is somewhat more ambiguous. See Nida 70b.) Tum'ah may be defined as a spiritually negative condition that is "contagious" and that has the power to "infect" people, food, or "vessels" depending on its "Halachic virulence". However, nowhere in the Tanach is there an allusion to danger or indeed any conscious activity emanating from the realm of impurity. Indeed the realm of impurity is seen as nothing else except the source of defilement. In his daily life, with the exception of the prohibition of "approaching" a Nida (or Yoledet or Zava), it is never sinful for a non-Kohein to be in a state of impurity. Only bringing impurity into contact with the holy, e.g. entering the Mikdash or eating Kodashim in a state of impurity, is dangerous. "The purpose of the laws is to avert such confusion of the impure and the sacred, to keep the unclean away from contact with the holy, and to guard the holy from defilement by the unclean. To defile the Tabernacle of the Lord is to incur death." Note Vayikra 15: 31, 22: 9. Contact with a corpse, the source of the most virulent form of impurity is not dangerous. Sickness, like all physical harm, comes, not from the realm of impurity, but from G-d. Similarly, the "evil spirit" that troubles Saul "is from G-d". Even Tzara'at - which is defined as a primary source of impurity - is not demonic in origin, but rather a disease sent by G-d. Unlike Zoroastrianism, which does postulates a cosmic dualism and a cosmic conflict between two antagonistic realms, the Torah postulates the essential unity of the universe. Impurity is not considered an independent primary force. Mr. Gwertzman's tourists are not wrong when they say that, like a nuclear reactor, the Mikdash has "restricted areas, special clothing and if one approaches too closely to holiness it can result in death. Not only that, but there were special procedures to follow and only certain times when one could conduct rituals or enter the Holy of Holies." The various Midrashim claim that Nadav and Avihu independently entered the Kodesh Hakodashim and offered Ketoret. Had they consulted with their father (Aharon) or their uncle Moshe, they never would have undertaken such an inappropriate and rash act. The Sages accuse Nadav and Avihu of the following sins: they partook of wine before entering the Sanctuary; they did not wear the four prescribed priestly garments; they did not wash their hands and feet with water from the Kiyor; they used "strange fire"; and, not commanded by G-d, they dared offer incense in the Kodesh Hakodashim. These acts defied the "special procedures" laid down by G-d. II Divrei Hayamim 26 describes the sad fate that befell the powerful Uziyahu Hamelech who presumptuously attempted to follow in the footsteps of the 250 "incense offerers". "When he (Uziyahu Hamelech) was strong, his heart was lifted up so he did corruptly, and he trespassed against the Lord his G-d; for he went into the Temple of the Lord to burn incense…" The Midrashim explain the rationale behind the king's rash act. "G-d is King and so am I. It behooves the terrestrial king to do the service in the Temple of the Celestial King." Forewarned of the seriousness of his act by the Kohein Gadol, Uziyahu could not plead ignorance, "It pertaineth not to thee Uziyahu, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense…" II Divrei Hayamim 26:18). Refusing to back down, the headstrong king was instantly punished - "the Tzara'at broke forth on his forehead…" - even though he had not even offered the Ketoret yet. Josephus adds (Antiquities 10:4), "In the meantime, a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the Temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that leprosy seized him immediately." (The comment of Josephus that a ray of sunlight caused Uziyahu's Tzara'at is probably based on a no-longer extant Midrash that interprets Vehatzra'at Zarcha in II Divrei Hayamim 26:19 as the "Tzara'at - the 'leprosy' - was caused by the sun's rays." The usual meaning of Zarach is "shine" as in Hashemesh Zarachat - the "sun shines".) The analogy is not wrong. Similar to an exposed core of a nuclear reactor, contact, unlawful approach or even seeing the Holy is lethal! G-d said to Moses, "You will not be able to see My face, for no human can see My face and live" (Sh'mot 33:20). Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’s Perspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service [The
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