Wednesday, January 27, 2021

I can enter and go no farther TB Pesakhim 67

The first five mishnayot in massekhet kelim1 enumerate the different levels of ritual unreadiness (טוּמְאָה) starting with the lowest level and ending with the most severe level. The korban Pesakh overrides ritual unreadiness was the first topic discussed on our daf  TB Pesakhim 67. Through a careful analysis of relevant verses, only when the vast majority of the Jewish people who became ritually unready because they have come into contact with a corpse (טמאי מת) may still offer up their korban Pesakh. People who are ritually unready because they are a zav2 or a metzora3 have to become ritually ready first and afterwards may offer up their korban Pesakh on Pesakh Sheni, one month later.

The Israelite’s camp in the desert and Jerusalem were divided into three different sections or camps, each one holier than the next. The first and holiest camp was the  Makhanah Shekhinah (מחנה שכינה) where the tabernacle was situated. In Jerusalem this section was the Temple’s courtyard. The second camp was the Makhanah Leviyah (מחנה לויה), the area around the tabernacle where the Levites were permitted to fulfill their obligations. In Jerusalem this section was the entire Temple Mount. The third camp was Makhanah Yisrael (מחנה ישראל) and this is the rest of the walled-in city of Jerusalem. Today’s daf teaches what areas were different people of different kinds of ritual on readiness allowed in.

“Having cited verses dealing with the requirement to send out the ritually impure from the camp, the Gemara addresses several halakhot relevant to that topic. Rav Hisda said: A leper, who must be sent out from all of the camps including the Israelite camp, who went in beyond his boundary, that is, he entered an area that is prohibited to him, is nonetheless exempt from the punishment of lashes. With regard to the ritually impure, the Torah states: 'Both male and female shall you send out, outside the camp shall you send them, and they shall defile not their camps in the midst of which I dwell' (Numbers 5:3), from which we learn that an impure person who enters the camp is liable to receive lashes for having violated the prohibition of they shall not defile. A leper, however, is exempt, as it is stated: ‘All the days that the plague shall be in him he shall be impure; he is impure, he shall dwell in isolation, his dwelling shall be outside the camp.’ (Leviticus 13:46). 

"...zavin and zavot, who are prohibited from entering the Levite camp.... And one who is ritually impure due to contact with a corpse is permitted to enter even the Levite camp." (Sefaria.org translation)

In summary somebody who is ritually unready because he has come into contact with a corpse is still allowed in the Makhanah Leviyah. A zav is still allowed in the Makhanah Yisrael. Unfortunately the metzora was expelled to beyond the walls of Jerusalem.

Because the Temple no longer stands and no rites to become ritual readiness are possible, every Jew is considered to be ritually unready by virtue of becoming in contact with a corpse. Putting politics aside, an observant Jew will not enter the Temple Mount where the Temple courtyard stood because he falls into the category of being ritually unready by virtue of coming into contact with a corpse.

1. https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Kelim.1.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Mishnayot 6-9 enumerates the levels of wholeness from the least holy to the most holy.

2. a person who has a discharge

3. a person who has various types of skin disease

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