- published: 02 Jan 2016
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The Hebrew terms tumah and taharah refer to ritual "impurity and purity" under Jewish law.
The Hebrew noun tum'ah (טָמְאָה) "impurity" describes a state of ritual impurity. A person or object which contracts tumah is said to be tamei (Hebrew adjective, "ritually impure"), thereby unsuited for certain kedusha (holy activities) or use until undergoing predefined purification actions that usually include the elapse of a specified time-period.
The contrasting Hebrew noun taharah (טָהֳרָה) describes a state of ritual purity that qualifies the tahor (טָהוֹר) (ritually pure person or object) to be used for kedusha. A most common method of achieving taharah is by the person or object being immersed in a mikveh (ritual bath). This concept is connected with ritual washing in Judaism, and both ritually impure and ritually pure states have parallels in ritual purification in other world religions.
The laws of tumah and taharah were generally followed by the Israelites, particularly during the First and Second Temple Period,[citation needed] and to a limited extent are a part of applicable halakha in modern times.