Shabbat 13: The Guidelines of Ritual Purity

We learn about the separation of those who are deemed ritually impure from those who are deemed ritually pure.  These discussions include the zav and the am haaretz, ordinary person, and the menstruating woman and her husband.  Who can eat with whom?  Who can lie next to whom?  Do we trust people to be aware of the risks of sharing untithed food, or of touching when that is prohibited?

One disturbing is example is that of Ulla, who is said to have kissed his sisters' chests (or perhaps their hands) upon returning from Yeshiva study.  The rabbis debate about whether or not it is permitted to have any contact at all with forbidden relatives.

We are told the story of a woman whose husband was righteous in every way and yet died at "half his days".  She took his phylacteries to synagogues and study halls and asked the Sages how he could be taken in such a way. Only Eliyahu responded, explaining that because he ate, drank and slept with her with bodily contact but no relations, he was killed for that sin.  

This passage will be used as proof that women should not have any physical contacts with their husbands long after their periods have ended.  Even if the woman is in in dire need of physical comfort, her husband is not permitted to hold her or touch her for two weeks of the month.

A second Mishna teaches that Beit Shammai had more students than Beit Hillel.  They issued decrees  regarding eighteen matters in accordance with Beit Shammai's opinion.  

The Gemara first wishes to clarify whether or not we include the word "and" in one statement.  "And" suggests that we look at what is to come in addition to what was said before.  Steinsaltz helps us to understand the transmission of impurity with a chart:


 Source                                      Example                                   How it Transits Impurity

Ultimate source of ritual impurity	Corpse	Anything capable of becoming ritual impure is now a primary source of ritual impurity
Primary source of ritual impurity	Any person or vessel that came in contact with a corpse, leper, zav, dead creeping animal, carcass	Confers first degree ritual impurity status on any person, vessel or food
First degree ritual impurity/ Secondary source of ritual impurity	A person, vessel, or food that comes in contact with a dead creeping animal, zav, carcass, etc.	Confers second degree ritual impurity status on any foods/liquids and disqualifies non-sacred foods/liquids
Second degree ritual impurity	Foods/liquids that come in contact with first degree ritual impurity/ one who immersed self during the day, hands, the rest of the eighteen items with regard to which the decree was issued	Confers third degree ritual impurity status on consecrated food/liquids and disqualifies teruma
Third degree ritual impurity/only applies to teruma and consecrated items	Foods and liquids that come in contact with second degree ritual impurity	Teruma with this status is disqualified and it disqualifies consecrated foods/liquids
Fourth degree ritual impurity/ only applies to consecrated items	Foods and liquids that come in contact with third degree ritual impurity	Consecrated foods/liquids with this status are disqualified

The rabbis consider some examples based on the above chart.