Questions tagged [tamei-tahor-ritual-purity]
Questions related to the Torah concepts of *tumah* and *taharah* - ritual impurity and purity.
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Forbidden to immerse, as opposed to doesn't work?
I was learning Pesachim, and on 17b I saw Tosafos say the following:
דבתוך הכלי ודאי אסור לטבול מדאורייתא
It is definitely biblically forbidden to immerse something within a vessel (as opposed ...
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Beam for s'chach with wood glue + embedded screws
Let's assume that there is a lechatchila to not use metal object that are mekabel tumah (susceptible to tumah) for something that supports the s'chach ("maamid"), which can be avoided by using ...
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Blessing on Immersing Vessels to Purify Them
A Mikvah can be used to purify humans or certain vessels which have contracted ritual impurity (Rambam Mikvaot 1 (English)).
When humans use the Mikvah to purify themselves they recite a blessing (...
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Why does Rambam change the list of items in Keilim 29:2 that combine for tumah and hazayah?
In the mishnah Keilim 29:2, we see a list of items and an indication of how many can be attached to each other and still be considered joined with regards to tumah and hazayah (sprinkling for ...
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Is there a tradition not to mention the pink animal?
My family always say "pink animal" in reference to, well, the pink animal. But now we find nobody remembers the reasons for this.
It seems to me I've seen the Hebrew writers say "davar acher," or "...
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Tourist guides for Kohanim
I recently saw a tourist guide for Kohanim, published online by the Chicago Rabbinical Council, listing certain Chicago tourist sites that are, and are not, problematic for Kohanim.
Are there any ...
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Putting poison inside bamboo rods (s'chach)
It says in Shulchan Aruch (OC Siman 629 Sif 3) that one may cover a Sukkah with "chitzim" (arrows) that don't have a "beis kibbul." However, if they do have a "beis kibbul," then it's not valid for ...
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Hava Amina for Kohen not becoming impure for father
The Midrash questions why the Torah has to specify that a Kohen becomes impure both for his deceased father and deceased mother. Why not just write his mother? It says:
[ד] יאמר "לאמו", מה תלמוד ...
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נגעים of houses - is the house מקבל טומאה from the נגע, or are the נגע and the house together one object of טומאה
Is the house מקבל טומאה from the נגע, or are the נגע and the house together one 'item/חפצא' of טומאה?
Same question essentially by נגעי אדם and נגעי בגדים as well.
See Kisvei HaGrach siman 65. Please ...
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Can a natural hollow become an Ohel for Tum'ah through human use?
In Mas. Sukkah 20b, R' Yehudah states his opinion that for something to be an ohel enough to shelter Tumah (and create a situation where that Tumah is transmitted within) the shelter has to be man ...
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What are the Tumah implications outside of Temple?
What are the implication of tumah other than related to the Temple?
E.g., a pathologist in, say, Australia is contaminated with Tumas Mes all the time. Does he have to travel to Jerusalem to get ...
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Does rain purify the earth in a similar way we use water for spiritual purification rituals or does the purification require a human element?
Judaism has different rituals around water and purification. A simple example is washing of the hands after a funeral or cemetery visitation.
My question is this.
Water is used for purification. Is ...
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Why isn't a cemetery a public domain for the laws of tumah?
Tohorot 3:7 explains why, when it comes to tumah, we are lenient in the case of a child found "to the side of a cemetery" (namely because he can't be interrogated).
My question is, though, ...
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Can handles become tamei?
The mishna Uktzin 1:1 discusses yadot (handles) for food, and how they מִטּמא ומְטמא ("contract uncleanness and convey uncleanness"). In his commentary to that mishna, Rambam explains that the yad ...
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Tumah of stuffed objects
In Hilchot Keilim 2:3, Rambam says that objects that have a receptacle that is made only to be (permanently) filled is not susceptible to tumah.
בֵּית קִבּוּל הֶעָשׂוּי לְמַלְּאוֹתוֹ אֵינוֹ בֵּית ...
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Why compare zimmun to the tumah of broken/repaired vessels?
In Bavli Brachot 50a-b, Rava compares a rule for a zimmun to a rule for broken/repaired metal utensils.
In particular, he says that in the case of three people, each coming from a separate group, each ...
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What is a Safek Muchlat? (i.e. unsure if he's a full-fledged Metzora)
The Mishna in Nazir 8:2 (Daf 59b and various other times in tractate Nazir) discusses a person who may or may not be a Metzora that is supposed to be sent out of the city walls.
To quote with the ...
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Kohanim in Eastern Europe
Another question on this website deals with the issue of kohanim in Auschwitz. To be "strict", a kohen today could simply avoid going to death camps altogether. Elsewhere, however, is not so easy. Are ...
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Using a robot "puppet" for matters requiring purity
Based upon an exchange in this question, we require complete purity in the drawing of water for the purposes of mei chatas. The setup described in Maseches Parah was essentially a ritualistic clean ...
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How did temple priests and visitors go about relieving themselves without desecrating the sanctity of the Beit Hamikdash?
Judaism has very strict rules around human waste and separating God from such things. You may not even speak God's names within a restroom.
This leads to my question regarding the temple priesthood ...
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Receiving animal based organ transplants
I was looking at the idea of receiving an organ transplanted from an animal as in this question. One issue which was not raised is that of tum'ah. Though the transplant might be acceptable for many ...
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Water from washing that ran onto sleeves- Is it tumah?
If after raising hands for netilat yadayim the water from the hands ran down onto sleeves, is that water on the sleeves then rendered tumah?
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Are hands rendered tumah if water flowed down after second or third pour?
When performing morning netilat yadayim, are the hands rendered tumah if during the second or third pour the water is poured above the wrists?
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Why are אוכלי חולין בטהרה called "בני הכנסת"?
Zavim, chapter 3, mishna 2, lists a bunch of cases in which someone is deemed tame (ritually impure) by decree of the rabbis. However, it concludes,
וְכֻלָּן טְהוֹרִין לִבְנֵי הַכְּנֶסֶת וּטְמֵאִין ...
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Machshirin and being satisfied with wetting
Mishnah Machshirin 3:3 explains that a loaf of bread which is placed over the top of a wine cask and absorbs wine fumes is considered hechsher. But why is this the case, because there is no reason to ...
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How can tumah pass through a cupboard?
Ohalot 4:1 says that where there is a source of tumah beneath a cupboard, everything in the house is tamei.
ArtScroll adds that the things in the cupboard remain tahor: “the tumah penetrates into the ...
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Exact distances and sizes in the Mishna
In many locations in the Mishna, it is mentioned what should be done if something has an exact measurement. For instance in Shekalim:
Coins which were found between the [chest inscribed] “shekels” ...
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Chatam Sofer on tumat met
This article states that the Chatam Sofer described tumat met as being not a solid fact of the layout of the building, but more something that we should view like a "viscous vapour" (קיטור צמיג) in ...
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Common denominator cases tumah
Looking for a common denominator for all mentioned cases of tumah, trying to find something that would bind them together, I found that a thematic denominator is death (or loss of life, diminution of ...
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Is regular tahara implied by "b'makom tahor"?
Mishna Para 10:3 begins
קָלָל שֶׁל חַטָּאת שֶׁנָּגַע בְּשֶׁרֶץ, טָהוֹר. נְתָנוֹ עַל גַּבָּיו, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְטַהֵר, וַחֲכָמִים מְטַמְּאִים.
[The water inside] a chatas bucket that touched an ...
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Why do certain cloth combinations become susceptible to tumah while others don't?
In Keilim 27:3, we see the rule for when a clothes item becomes susceptible to tumah when it's made of different materials, each with a different minimum size to be susceptible to tumah.
הָעוֹשֶׂה ...
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Do places where the Mishkan stood retain Keddushah?
The Mishkan wandered through tens of camps in the desert and a couple of places in Israel for 480 years, and Holy Services were held in each place.
Are those places sanctified in any way nowadays? Do ...
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How can a cemetery be Tahor?
In the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in 128:13 he states, regarding going to a cemetery on Erev Rosh Hashana:
וְגַם מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹם קְבוּרַת הַצַּדִּיקִים, הַמָּקוֹם הוּא קָדוֹשׁ וְטָהוֹר, ...
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Kesamim found on a tattoo
We Pasken that a Kesem (blood stain that is presumed to be uterine blood) that is found on a colored garment is not Tamei. Rashi on Niddah 61b says that Chazal never forbade Kesamim on colored ...
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Nozir who completes his vow: why different permissions in written Torah and Mishna.
A nozir is forbidden grape products, haircutting and to become tomei from a dead body.
After successful conclusion of his nezirus, he goes through a process ending with the waving of his korban as ...
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Is there a halacha [either modesty or taharah] against more than one woman at a time immersing in a mikvah for T'vilah?
Is there a halacha [in either modesty law or taharah law] against more than one woman at a time immersing in a mikvah for t'vilah, (ritual imersion), (If each woman's tvilah was supervised properly by ...
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If one has tzaraat but doesn't seek a Kohen
In parashat Tazria it mentions the Kohen's involvement of identifying tzaraat and rendering the person pure/impure (about 50 times!). Rashi (13:3) says that the Kohen's involvement in declaring 'pure\...
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Is the partially generated animal dead?
Chulin, chapter 9, mishna 6, is discussing the ritual impurity imparted by a dead sheretz (animal of any of certain types). Note that the impurity is imparted only by a dead animal. The mishna says (...
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How does Tum'ah ("Ritual Impurity") work?
What are the mechanics by which Tum'ah works?
How does one detect it, or diagnose someone as Tamei?
Certain materials can contract and transfer Tum'ah. Why do these material do so, but others don't?
...
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Can angels become tamei?
What it says on the tin really.
Are there any sources dealing with the question of angels and tumah?
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What was the spiritual significance of the blood being used as a means of atonement, dedication, and purification?
Blood played a significant role within Israelite Culture ceremoniously and ritualistically. For example (including but not limited to) for confirmation of a covenant, as part of the dedication of the ...
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After a טמא מת gets הזאות and is still טמא until טבילה והערב שמש, is this a new טומאה or the remains of the original טומאה?
Are the הזאות really מטהר him completely, only now is חל a completely new טומאה? Or is this טומאה that he still has the remainder of the old טומאה; the הזאות aren't מטהר him completely and leave over ...
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What are the best sites online for understanding tumah and tahara
I'm speaking in general and not of the laws of Taharat Mishpacha. As a scientist I find Tumah and Taharah fascinating, but I haven't found anything on Taharot (at least in English) that's comparable ...
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Odd choice of language in Keilim 19:4 and 28:6
In Keilim 19:4 and 28:6, we see an unusual (to me) way of describing av hatumah and rishon l'tumah:
נִשָּׂא הַזָּב עַל הַמִּטָּה וְעַל הַמִּזְרָן, מְטַמֵּא שְׁנַיִם וּפוֹסֵל אֶחָד, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי ...
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Two supports for a stove: which one "counts"?
The mishnah in Keilim 6:1 describes a stove made in two ways: a pot resting on three metal* pegs that are either (1) attached at the ground via clay, or (2) stuck into the ground. In the first case, ...
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Should you avoid cemeteries the week before Yom Tov?
מִבְּשָׂרָם֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכֵ֔לוּ וּבְנִבְלָתָ֖ם לֹ֣א תִגָּ֑עוּ טְמֵאִ֥ים הֵ֖ם לָכֶֽם׃
Don't eat their [non-kosher animals'] meat and don't touch their corpses; they are impure for you
ובנבלתם לא תגעו. יכול ...
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What modern devices are susceptible to impurity?
I'm especially interested in computing devices like laptops/smartphones and vehicles like cars and trains.
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Cloud and pillar of fire to count seven days
Midrash Tehillim 105:9, brought in Yalkut Shimoni § 417 says:
חזקיה אמר למה היה משתנה להן מפני הזבין והמצורעין כדי שיהו יודעים אימתי יום ואימתי לילה.
Hezkiya said the reason Hashem put a cloud on the ...
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Does soda machshir for receiving tuma?
Would soda (non-fruit juice like sprite or coke) machshir to receive tuma? is it similar to water in this respect or to other liquids which do not machshir?
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Can anyone Jew today prove that they did not contact Tumas Mes?
In a shiur the Rabbi stated that today, "basically every Jew is impure" bc of contact with dead bodies (not just by visiting cemeteries or morgues, but especially also via unseen bodies buried deep in ...
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