From Sources of Impurity to Circles of Impurity
From Sources of Impurity to Circles of Impurity
The first chapter overviews some of the central innovations that the rabbis introduced to the biblical system of purity, arguing that these innovations effectively turn impurity from a concern restricted to those who function as sources of impurity or to those in their immediate vicinity (as is the case in the Bible and in the Qumran Scrolls) to a concern pertaining to anyone and everyone at any given time. These innovations include a system of graded impurity, as well as new forms of impurity transmission. Through this transformation in the scope and impact of impurity, the rabbis of the Mishnah portray the entire lived world as infused with impurity, and they depict one's daily interactions with people and things as governed by constant attention to impurity.
Keywords: Bible, Qumran, bodily fluids, transmission of impurity, graded impurity
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