Questions tagged [tamei-tahor-ritual-purity]
Questions related to the Torah concepts of *tumah* and *taharah* - ritual impurity and purity.
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What is the process for purifying your home if you believe it may have been previously used for pagan worship?
Locations of foreign worship are typically of concern. You're not supposed to enter a church for this very reason.
My question relates to the idea that one finds out their home was previously used ...
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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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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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Do cremated animal remains contaminate with Tumas Mes, Nevela or Sherets?
If I keep an urn at home containing the ashes of my deceased and cremated favourite pet, if I touch/carry the ashes does this make me tamei ?
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A pregnant woman of a boy kohen baby going into cemetery
The gemara in chullin 71 writes that a tahor baluah cannot become tamei. Meaning something inside someone cannot become tamei from the outside. So it seems from this gemara that a woman who married a ...
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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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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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Is a Baal Keri allowed to do Mitzvot?
If a person is impure because of his nocturnal emission. Is he allowed to do mitzvot? Should he still strive to do them or should he keep low key and try to avoid them because of his impure state?
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Is eating in the bedroom forbidden?
Is eating in the bedroom or any typical part of the bedroom forbidden? I've heard that there's some sort of tumah associated with this action, but couldn't get verification outside of differing ...
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Why don't kohanim eat terumah nowadays?
Terumah is a tithe that is given to kohanim. I have been told that kohanim are not allowed to eat terumah nowadays. Is this true? If so, why not?
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How long does one stay tamei for after seminal emission?
If a person had a seminal emission from masturbation and did not go to the mikveh how long does this person remain considered impure for. Is the only way to become pure again through going to the ...
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Jewish family members and ritual impurity
If one's family is Jewish but does not wash ritually in the morning and you are the only one who washes, would this make other things in the house ritually impure, like water for example? What do ...
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consequences of minor tumah nowadays
In a comment on this question that is now deleted, DoubleAA said something to the effect of
Yes you become impure by sitting on the seat, but anyone who needs to care about the consequences of ...
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Why don’t Sheretzs made into a Streimel convey tumah?
The body of a sheretz conveys impurity. The translations of the animals that count as Sheratzim (listed in Parashat Shemini) often include weasels or ferrets as well as rats, insects, and lizards.
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Does animal food mekabel tumah?
Does food which has a status of animal food only receive ritual impurity (mekabel tumah)? please bring a source.
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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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Why does water purify?
The Torah states that immersion in a mikveh of water purifies a person from Tuma (spiritual impurity). Why does water do this? Is there some kind of spiritual powers imbued in water?
Or is this just ...
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May a Kohen bury limbs of his 7 krovim (first degree relatives) which were removed during their lifetime?
According to the opinion that limbs removed from a live person should be buried, may a Kohen bury limbs of his 7 krovim [first degree relatives) which were removed during their lifetime?
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Does a body part taken from a dead person, and transplanted onto a live person lose its *Tumah*? [duplicate]
Does a body part taken from a dead person, and transplanted onto a live person lose its Tumah?
[May a kohen enter a room where there is someone who received a body part transplant from a dead person?]...
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When can I attend service (Shabbat) after seminal emission? [closed]
Unmarried, 22 year old Jewish man here. I've been consciously trying to get myself rid of masturbation for a year now. I started to take precautions and I take this fight very seriously now. I put a ...
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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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Why are there degrees of impurity?
Why does the Torah outline many different degrees of impurity טומאה with different purification methods?
You have corpse-impurity which requires sprinkling with the water of the red heifer during a ...
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Why sprinkle on the third day?
Parshat Chukat describes the purifying ritual of the red heifer and records that one is impure for 7 days, but the process requires that one sprinkle on the third and seventh day. Aside from one ...
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Why didn't women complain about not being able to bring the Pesach?
During the first year in the desert, some men were tamei and complained that they couldn't bring the Pesach. This resulted in the mitzvah of Pesach Sheni.
Men and women are equally obligated to ...
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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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Can a person Sprinkle Mei Niddah on many people?
Please correct me if I get details wrong.
Someone who is tamei met has to have the water with the red heifer ashes in it sprinkled on him twice (days 1 and 7) by way of a hyssop branch. The sprinkler ...
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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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Why would the Belzer Rebbe usually shake hands with a towel wrapped around his hand?
Jewish Educational Media publishes a series of videos about the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The series is called Living Torah.
Disc 34, Program 135, contains an interview with Rabbi Chatzkel Besser,
[about ...
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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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Removing Niddah status without a mikvah
Is it possible to remove the status of Niddah without a mikvah? I've heard from other people you can remove certain levels of impurity with a shower and possibly other ways (no sources though) so I ...
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Tamei what causes it?
To sum things up quickly as an example: If a woman is in her state of nidah Vayikra 15 teaches that what she touches or if something/someone is touching her, or if someone is touching that which has ...
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Kohen Entering the Taj Mahal
Can a kohen enter the Taj Mahal? When visiting India is a kohen allowed to enter even certain parts of the Taj Mahal? The tombs themselves are of non-Jews, of course, and they are buried beneath the ...
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Meaning of "whereon is the seed" in Leviticus 15:17?
16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of ...
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Is a felt hat made with beaver or rabbit fur unclean according to Leviticus 11:8?
Many of the finer felt hats (especially antique ones) are made of felt created from animal fur, such as beaver or rabbit. The fur is initially harvested from the pelt of a dead animal before it is ...
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How does a woman become a zava?
On a biblical level, for a woman to become a zavah, does she need to have the onset of a new flow come during the 11 'zava days' (the 11 days past the 7 'nidda days'), or will even a flow that ...
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Does the Torah use the word טָמְאָה to imply physical defilement anywhere besides sotah?
In the parsha of sotah (Bamidbar 5:13) the Torah describes the woman who was secluded and had relations with another man as וְנִסְתְּרָ֖ה וְהִ֣יא נִטְמָ֑אָה meaning that she became physically defiled -...
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Is a paper Keili susceptible to tumah?
The mishnah in Keilim 2:5 states that חביות ניירות can receive Tumah. According to the RASH it is referring to "paper barrels". Would this have any ramifications to today's "paper" cups as far as ...
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Does food under bed become tamei?
Someone told me if there's food under my bed and I sleep in the bed I can't use the food because it becomes tamei. Is there a source for this?
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Is flying over Har Habayis allowed?
It is my understanding that one is forbidden to go onto the Har Habayit ("Temple Mount") while s/he is Tamei.
However, if one is only over Har Habayit but not physically on the ground (e.g. flying in ...
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Is a Kohen Allowed to Receive an Organ Donation?
A Kohen is forbidden from becoming Tamei Meis (coming in contact with a dead body) (Vayikra-21)
Aside from being allowed for Pikuach Nefesh reasons (life threatening situation). What other reasons ...
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how much is required to make something tamei?
Do all things that are tamei have to be more than an adasha or just a sheretz? for example is less than an adasha of zera tamei?
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Tumah tahara mikva [duplicate]
If a man chalila had a mikra balaila and he didnt clean off totally and then went to the mikva and the zera hadnt dried would it make the mikva water tamei?
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Why can you buy dry fruit from an Am Ha'aretz?
Explanation of the following Mishnah is according to the Bartenura, Rambam, Kehati, and Tiferes Yisrael.
The Mishnah in Demai (2:3) discusses the requirements of a Chaveir (one careful regarding ...
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Why is one who touched doubtful Tumah in a public domain considered Tahor?
The source that doubtful Tumah in a private domain is Tamei is the Gemara in Sotah (28b - see there for translation):
מה ת"ל והיא נטמאה והיא לא נטמאה אם נטמאה למה שותה אם לא נטמאה למה משקה מגיד לך ...
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Is Tumah an intellectual idea or a physical/spiritual idea
This is a difficult question to ask since it is hard to define each term adequately,but will try my best.
Is tumah an intellectual idea, meaning that if something is rendered tamei (impure) such as ...
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tumah and tahara davening takanas Ezra
i once heard that once zera is dried it is no longer tameiand not considered a problem for davening etc. does anyone know if this is true? for example if somebody bumped into or sat on dried zera ...
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Where does Rashi say that less than a kezayis of oil does not become impure?
Wikiyeshiva has an article in Hebrew on the question of the Beis Yosef as to why Chanukah is 8 rather than 7 days (after all they had oil for one day).
The article quotes an answer on the approach ...
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