A Popular Dictionary of Judaism
The state of ritual acceptability. Traditionally the three causes of ritual impurity are *leprosy, sexual emissions and contact with the dead. *Leviticus lays down provisions for the purification of lepers, but these laws are no longer observed because modern leprosy is not considered to be the same disease as the leprosy in the *Bible.
(For the laws of purification from sexual emissions see *NIDDAH). Contact with the dead renders a person ritually impure for seven days and, to this day, *kohenim avoid all contact with the dead. The laws of ritual purity are laid down in the *Mishnah, but many have fallen into disuse and the *Progressive movements have abandoned them completely. (See also *KOHEN, *MIKVEH, *NIDDAH, *TOHORAH).
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