On the Essence of Ritual Impurity
By Susan HandelmanOne of the most widely misunderstood concepts in the Torah is contained in the words tumah and taharah. Translated as "unclean" and "clean," or "impure" and "pure," tumah and taharah -- and by extension the laws of Niddah and Family Purity -- often evoke a negative response. Why, it is asked, must a woman be stigmatized as tameh, "impure"? Why should she be made to feel inferior about the natural processes of her body?
It might be said that, at bottom, these objections arise from a fundamental misunderstanding. Tumah and taharah are, above all, spiritual and not physical concepts.
The laws of Tumah, Niddah, and Mikvah belong to the category of commandments in the Torah known as chukkim -- Divine "decrees," for which no reason is given. They are not logically comprehensible, like the laws against robbery or murder, or those commandments that serve as memorials to events in our national past such as Passover and Sukkot. The laws of tumah and taharah are supra-rational, "above" reason. And it is precisely because they are of such high spiritual level, beyond what intellect can comprehend, that they affect an elevated part of the soul, a part of the soul that transcends reason entirely.
But even if the human mind can't understand these Divine decrees logically, we can nevertheless try to understand them spiritually and search for their inner meaning and significance. In this endeavor, the teachings of Chassidic philosophy are of invaluable aid, for the study of Chassidut reveals the inner aspect of Torah, its "soul," and can guide us through realms where unaided human intellect cannot reach. Chassidism strives for the direct perception of G-dliness underlying everything, and illuminates the spiritual sources of all physical phenomena.