Holiness and Purity
Purity and impurity, sacred boundaries and the meaning of transitions.
11 articles- “If a Woman Conceives”From the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”
- Priests and IsraelitesFrom the book “In Search of Lost Meaning”
- Leaving the CityEncountering God requires departure from impure space; the Tabernacle newly permits remaining within itFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- A Rite of PassageBlood on the body’s right extremities symbolizes the priests’ gradual entry into their new role through the right sideFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- Why Does Childbirth Differ for a Son and a Daughter?The doubled impurity period after a daughter’s birth reflects two females participating – mother and daughterFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- The Tzara‘at ParadoxUnlike ordinary tzara‘at, a white swelling imparts impurity only with raw flesh – a definition rather than a paradoxFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- If a Tree Falls in a ForestTzara‘at is a heavenly sign, but requires human meaning to impart impurityFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- Priests and IsraelitesThe Torah extends some priestly holiness laws to all IsraelFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- The Secret of Loosening the Suspected Wife's HairLoosening the hair in the suspected-wife ritual marks the transition from human justice to divine judgmentFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- “The Fringe of the Corner”Unraveling the garment corner and adding a blue thread symbolizes leaving human order and entering beneath the wings of the Divine PresenceFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”
- A Clean PlaceThe heifer’s ashes are kept outside the camp because human space cannot guarantee absolute purityFrom the book “Peshat in Brief (working title)”