TAZRIA_LEVITICUS XII:1-XIII:59
In the Parashah Shemini we are taught about the animals that are allowed and those whose meat should not be ingested. All this is framed within the set of Laws about impurity and ritual purity, which is the fundamental theme of our chapters. Contact with certain animals, especially their carcasses, introduced the person into a state of impurity that at the time of Beit HaMikdash had important consequences.
The Kohanim had been warned to refrain from personal contact with the corpse of a human being, which constitutes the greatest source of impurity. The reasoning is that the passage from holiness to impurity is proportional, that is, that the being that can acquire the highest degree of holiness is the being that produces the most intense degree of impurity. However, it should be noted that caring for a deceased is a very important Mitsvah, despite the fact that the people who take care of the deceased enter afterwards into a state of impurity.
At present, it is considered that everyone is in a state of impurity, because in the absence of the Beit HaMikdash this situation that requires the sacrifice of the Parah Adumah, the red heifer from whose ashes the indispensable element for purification was obtained, is not available presently. This is an additional reason that makes it impossible to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, an activity that demands purity that cannot be obtained today.
Considering that the burial of a person is a Mitsvah, it can be concluded that there is no prohibition against the acquisition of the state of ritual impurity. During the existence of the Beit HaMikdash these Laws were observed with great care, because the “impure” person did not have access to the sacred enclosure that was the center of ritual activity for Judaism.
This fact introduced divisions within society and the scholars refrained from eating in the homes of those who ignored the details of the Law, assuming that they had probably not given to the Kohen and Levi the corresponding Terumah and Ma’aser, that is, they had not separated a percentage of the harvest for the maintenance of those who dedicated their labors to worship in the Beit HaMikdash.
In ancient times, the Essenes took great care of these laws and therefore stood apart. The Mishnah teaches that “the garments” of the ignorant were considered impure to the Pharisees, whose garments, in turn, were impure to those who ingested Terumah. Even the garments of those who ate Kodesh were impure for those who dealt with the ‘purification waters’. Yose ben Yo’ezer was very pious, and yet his apron was impure for Kodesh.”
The aforementioned Mishnah implies that there were levels of holiness and purity, which in turn implied a separation between the different groups of the society of the time. At present, there is a parallel with Kashrut. Different levels have been created, which include the famous Glat Kasher, which means that there was never any doubt about the kashrut of the animal that demanded the ruling of the Shochet, who decides if the meat is suitable for human consumption.
According to the Talmud, the Schools of Hillel and Shama’i had serious differences regarding the Laws of Purity. “Some describe as impure the cases that the others had purified.” This discussion had an academic character, because in practice they exchanged kitchen utensils. In this way, the difference of opinion between these two great Schools never produced a de facto division in society.
In general, this is the attitude of the Talmud, which reflects differences of opinion, although Halachah issues a verdict that reflects a single opinion. Judaism has always stimulated the divergence of opinions in the intellectual field, but, at the same time, it shown a specific path that must be followed by all.
MITSVAH: TORAH ORDINANCE IN THIS PARASHAH
CONTAINS 5 POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 2 PROHIBITIONS
- Leviticus 12:2,5 The ritual impurity of a woman after giving birth
- Leviticus 12:4 The ritually impure person does not ingest Sacred Sacrifices
- Leviticus 12:6 The offering that a woman brings after giving birth
- Leviticus 13:2 The ritual impurity of the person who has Tsara’at (manifested with a rash on the skin)
- Leviticus 13:33 Do not cut the hair of a Netek (type of Tsara’at) lesion
- Leviticus 13:45 – The person who has Tsara’at or anyone who can transmit ritual impurity to others should not cut his hair and leave his clothes torn.
- Leviticus 13:47 Laws pertaining to the garment of the Tsara’at
