Rambam - 3 Chapters a Day

The following entities impart ritual impurity when they are touched, carried, or one is under the same structure: a) a corpse, even a stillborn fetus whose limbs have not become attached to its body with sinews, b) an olive-sized portion of flesh from a corpse, c) an olive-sized portion of netzal, d) a limb from a living person that has the required amount of flesh, e) a limb from a corpse that has the required amount of flesh, f) the backbone of a corpse, g) its skull, h) the majority of its structure, i) the majority of the number of its bones, j) a fourth of a kab of bones in any instance, even if they do not comprise the majority of the structure of the number of the bones of the corpse, k) a revi'it of blood, and l) a revi'it of blood of "weltering blood"; twelve entities in total.

The following entities impart ritual impurity when they are touched or carried, but not when one is under the same structure: a) a limb from a living person that is lacking enough flesh to regenerate itself, b) a limb from a corpse that is lacking either flesh or bone and does not have enough flesh to regenerate itself or the bone is lacking, even if has enough flesh to regenerate itself, c) a backbone that is lacking and does not possess a fourth of a kab of bones, d) a skull that is lacking and does not possess a fourth of a kab of bones, e) a bone, even if it is the size of a barley corn, f) the earth of the nations, and g) a beit hapras; seven entities in total.

A gollel and a dofek impart ritual impurity when they are touched or when one is under the same shelter, like a grave. They do not impart ritual impurity when carried. The decomposed mass of a corpse imparts ritual impurity when it is carried or when one is under the same shelter. It does not impart ritual impurity when touched.

It appears to me that the ritual impurity imparted by a fourth of a kab of bones when one is under the same structure, a revi'it of blood, a limb that does not have the sufficient amount of flesh, whether from a corpse or from a living person is not of Scriptural origin, as evidenced by the fact that a nazirite need not shave his hair because of them, as we explained in Hilchot Nizirut. Nor is one liable for entering the Temple after having contracted such impurity and when a person is impure due to an impurity of Scriptural origin, he is liable for entering the Temple. Therefore I maintain that all sources of impurity from a corpse that do not require a nazirite to shave are not of Scriptural origin.

The decomposed mass of a corpse does not impart ritual impurity unless it is buried naked in a coffin of marble, glass, or the like, and it was totally intact at the time of burial. If it was lacking a limb, it was buried in its garments, or it was buried in a coffin of wood or metal, the decomposed mass does not impart ritual impurity. The rationale is that the rot of the garment or the wood and the rust of the metal will become mixed with the decomposed mass of the corpse.

When any amount of earth becomes mixed with the decomposed mass of a corpse, it remains impure. These laws of rekev applies only to the corpse of one who died naturally. They do not apply to one who was slain.

When two corpses are buried together, a deceased's hair or nails were trimmed and then buried with him, or a pregnant woman was buried with the fetus she was carrying, the laws of rekev do not apply.

If one ground a corpse until it became a decomposed mass, it does not convey the impurity of rekev. Those laws do not apply unless it decomposes as part of a natural process.

If one ground a corpse and then left its remains until they decomposed naturally or a portion of the body decomposed while the person was alive, he died, and then the entire body decomposed, there is an unresolved doubt concerning the ruling. Hence, if a person becomes impure because of two handfuls of this rekev, he must consider himself impure, because of this unresolved doubt.

The following laws applies when there are two handfuls and more of earth that was found under a corpse or in a grave and it is not known what it comprises: whether it is rekev that imparts impurity when under the same shelter or it is merely earth that has become soiled with the netzal and the blood of the corpse. It imparts impurity when carried and when one is under the same shelter, because this mass that is more than two handfuls contains two full handfuls of rekev. It appears to me that also this impurity is a Rabbinic decree.

When a corpse was burned and its skeleton - i.e., the backbone and the ribs - is intact, it conveys impurity like an entire corpse. Needless to say, this applies if the flesh is merely charred. If, however, it is burnt to the extent that its form is destroyed, it is ritually pure.

Similarly, if a miscarried embryo which had already begun to have its limbs take form was mixed with water, it is pure, because its form was destroyed.

When the flesh of a corpse has become powdery and flourlike, it is ritually pure. Similarly, the ashes of corpses that were burnt are ritually pure. Similarly, worms which come into existence from the flesh of a corpse, whether they are alive or dead, are ritually pure.

We have already explained that bone marrow is considered as flesh in all instances, whether with regard to a human corpse or with regard to the carcass of an animal or crawling animal.

A person's skin is considered as his flesh. If it was processed entirely or trodden upon as is necessary for processing, it is considered as pure according to Scriptural Law. According to Rabbinic Law, however, an olive-sized portion imparts impurity like the flesh of a corpse. This is a decree, enacted so that people do not become accustomed to processing human skin and using it.

The skin that appears opposite the face of a infant when he is born, whether both he and his mother survive the birth or he and his mother die in the process of the birth, is considered as ritually pure. The rationale is that it is like a waste produce, like filth, vomit, or the like.

Every element of a corpse is impure with the exception of the teeth, the hair, and the nails, for they are replaced. While they are attached to the body, they are all impure.

What is implied? When a corpse is outside a house and his hair which is attached to his body is inside, everything in the house becomes impure. Similarly, one who touches hair, teeth, or nails while they are attached to a corpse becomes impure. When the hair of the deceased was ready to be cut or his nails were ready to be trimmed, their halachic status is in doubt because they are prepared to be cut off. Therefore, one who touches them is considered as ritually impure because of the doubt.

Any liquid that flows out from a corpse is pure except for its blood. Any liquid with the color of blood that flows from a corpse is impure, as we explained. Why wasn't a decree made with regard to liquids that flow from a corpse as was made with regard to liquids flowing from other impure individuals? Since everyone withdraws from a corpse, they did not feel the need to enact a decree regarding liquids that flow from it.

When a liver has decomposed, a revi'it of it imparts impurity, because it is considered like blood that has coagulated.

If all the blood of an infant flows out, but it does not amount to a revi'it, it is pure even though it comprises all the blood in his body.

If even the slightest amount of these measures are lacking, the substances are pure: a) a revi'it of blood, b) a piece of bone the size of a barley-corn, c) an olive-sized portion of flesh, d) an olive-sized portion of netzal, e) two handfuls of rekev, and f) a limb from a living person from which the slightest portion of the bone was lacking.

When a revi'it of blood comes from two corpses, it is pure. To impart impurity, the entire revi'it must come from one corpse. When a backbone was put together from two corpses, e.g., some of the vertebrae came from one corpse and others, from another, when a skull was put together from two corpses, or a fourth of a kab of bones came from two corpses or a limb came from two corpses: in all these instances, impurity is not imparted when one is under the same structure, only through touching and carrying, as is true with regard to other bones.

When a limb from a living person comes from two people, it is pure. Even if it comes from one person, it is pure if it was cut into two.

An olive-sized portion of flesh that comes from two corpses, an olive-sized portion of netzal that comes from two corpses, and two handfuls of rekev that come from two corpses when the laws of rekev apply to each one of them, can be combined. Similarly, a half of an olive-sized portion of flesh and a half an olive-sized portion of netzal can be combined with each other. All of the other sources of impurity stemming from a corpse are not combined with each other, because they are not of equal measures.

When a bone the size of a barley-corn is divided into two, it imparts impurity when carried. Similarly, when a quarter of a kab of bones were crushed, although none of them are the size of a barley-corn, they impart impurity when one is under the same shelter as if they were not crushed.

When an olive-sized portion from a corpse was cut into small pieces, flattened, and pressed together, it imparts impurity when under the same shelter and when carried, but it does not impart impurity when one touches a portion of it, even when the pieces are joined together, because anything joined together by man is not considered as joined.

When an olive-sized portion of fat that was intact was liquefied, it is impure. If it was separated and it was liquefied, it is pure.

When the majority of the vertebrae were taken from a backbone, it does not impart impurity when under the same shelter, even through its form remains. If it is in the grave, even if it is broken and even if it is crushed, it imparts impurity when under the same shelter. The rationale is that the grave joins it together.

Whenever a substance that imparts impurity when under the same shelter was divided and then both portions are brought into a house, it is considered as joined together by the shelter and impurity is imparted by them because of it.

When there is an olive-sized portion of flesh that grew on a bone through the influence of heaven, and a portion of that bone was brought inside a house, the house contracts ritual impurity. If the flesh had been pushed into the bones by humans, the house is pure. The rationale is that anything joined by man is not considered as joined.

When two handfuls of rekev are spread out throughout a house, the house is impure.

When a revi'it of blood is absorbed in a house, in the future, the house is pure. Anything that was in the house at the time the blood was absorbed in the earth, is impure.

When an olive-sized portion of a corpse was lost inside a house and it was searched for and not found, the house is assumed to be pure. If it is discovered afterwards, the house is deemed impure retroactively from the time it was lost until the time it was discovered.

The following laws apply when a revi'it of blood was poured in an open space. If it coagulated or it was in a place where it could collect, i.e., a low place like a pit and an entity projects over even a portion of it, that entity is impure. If it was spilled on the doorstep which was on an incline, whether to the inside or outside, the house is pure. The rationale is that the blood did not come to rest on the doorstep. If the doorstep was a place where the blood could collect or it coagulated there, the house is impure.

The following laws apply when a revi'it of blood is absorbed in a garment. If it could be washed and a revi'it of blood would be discharged from it, the garment imparts impurity when touched, carried, or when one is under the same shelter. If not, it does not impart impurity when one is under the same shelter and it is considered as a garment that came into contact with a corpse. The rationale is that whenever something absorbed cannot be discharged, it is considered as pure.

How is the quantity of blood measured? The garment should be washed in water. Then an equal quantity of water should be brought and a revi'it of blood placed in it. If their appearance was the same or the water in which the garment was washed was of a redder hue than the mixture, it is apparent that a revi'it was discharged.

Carrying, touching, and being under the same structure are three different categories. Whenever activities come from one category, they can be combined and impart impurity. If they are from two categories, they are not combined and are pure.

What is implied? A person becomes impure in all of the following situations, for the activities that are combined are from the same category:

a) He touches two portions of a corpse that are half the size of an olive at the same time or carries two portions of a corpse that are half the size of an olive at the same time.

b) He stands over two portions of a corpse that are half the size of an olive.

c) He stands over a portion of a corpse that is half the size of an olive and has a similar portion hang over his body.

d) He and a portion of a corpse half the size of an olive were under one shelter and a portion of his body stood over another similar portion, or a similar portion was suspended over his body.

One is, by contrast, pure in all of the following situations. He touches a portion of a corpse half the size of an olive or carries such a portion and:

a) another entity covers both him and another such portion from a corpse;

b) another such portion was suspended over a portion of his body; c) he stood over such a portion, or

d) he touched such a portion and carried such a portion. The rationale is that a quantity that is touched is not combined with one that is carried, neither with regard to a corpse, nor with regard to other forms of impurity. Similarly, a quantity that is touched is not combined with one that is governed by the laws of ohel, nor is one governed by the laws of ohel combined with one that is carried, because they are not from the same category.

All entities - whether humans or keilim - that become impure because of contact with a human corpse contract impurity that lasts seven days.

What is implied? When a person or a k'li touch an entity that imparts the impurity associated with a corpse when touched or contract impurity through ohel from one of the entities that impart impurity through ohel, or carry an entity that imparts the impurity associated with a corpse when carried, he or it contract impurity that lasts seven days, as Numbers 19:14 states: "Anyone who enters the tent and anything that is inside the tent will be impure for seven days."

A person who becomes impure because of a corpse and keilim which such a person touches contract impurity that lasts seven days, as Numbers 31:24 states: "And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day and become pure."

If, by contrast, a person touches a person who contracted impurity because of a corpse - whether he touched him after he disengaged himself from the corpse that imparted impurity to him or whether he is still touching the corpse - the second person is impure only until the evening, as ibid. 19:22 states: "And the soul that touches it will be impure until the evening."

This is the Scriptural Law. According to Rabbinic Law, if one touches a corpse and touches another person while he is still touching the corpse, they both contract impurity that lasts seven days, as if the second person touched the corpse itself.

In what context does this apply? With regard to partaking of terumah and sacrificial food. By contrast, a nazirite or one who brings a Paschal sacrifice who are touched by a person who touched a corpse only becomes impure until the evening as is Scriptural Law, whether the first person is still touching the corpse or whether he is not.

When keilim become impure due to contact with a corpse, whether because they were touched or because they were under the same shelter, one who touches them is considered like one who touches a corpse itself. Just as a corpse imparts impurity that lasts seven days to whatever touches it, whether a person or a k'li, so too, when a k'li became impure due to contact with a corpse, it and other keilim, or a person who touches it contract impurity that lasts seven days, as implied by Numbers 19:16: "one slain by the sword or a corpse." According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught that a sword is like a corpse. This also applies to other keilim, whether they are metal utensils, keilim that can be purified by immersion, or garments.

These concepts can also be inferred from ibid. 31:19 which states: "Everyone who killed a person and everyone who touched a corpse must purify himself." Would one think that a person who shot an arrow or threw a stone and killed another person would become impure for seven days? Instead, this is speaking about a person who kills with a sword or the like who becomes impure because he touched the k'li with which he killed, for that k'li touched a corpse.

What is the source from which we learn that keilim that touch a person who touched keilim that became impure because of contact with a corpse become impure? It is written: "And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day and become pure." This teaches that any person who contracts impurity that lasts seven days imparts impurity that lasts seven days to his garments.

Thus in summary: When a person touches a corpse and then touches another person, the first contracts impurity that lasts seven days and the second, impurity that lasts until the evening. When keilim touch a corpse and then other keilim touch them, they both contract impurity that lasts seven days. An entity whose connection is of the third degree, whether a person or a k'li, contracts only the impurity that lasts until the evening.

When keilim are touching a corpse and a person touches those keilim and other keilim, all three contract the impurity that lasts seven days. An entity whose connection is of the fourth degree contracts only the impurity that lasts until the evening.

When does the above apply? With regard to terumah and sacrificial food. With regard to liability for karet for entering the Temple or partaking of sacrificial foods, by contrast, only the first two are liable - the first person who touched the corpse and the second person who touched him - as mandated by Scriptural Law, as Numbers 19:22 states: "Everything which is touched by the impure person becomes impure."

When, by contrast, one touches keilim that were touched by an impure person or one touches a person who touches keilim that touched a corpse, he is exempt, as we explained in Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash. For these matters, although part of the Oral Tradition, are not considered as Scriptural Law. The rationale is that it was only explicitly stated in the Torah that one who became impure because of contact with a corpse becomes a primary source of impurity and secondly, that an entity, whether a person or a k'li,that touches him becomes impure, becoming a first degree derivative of impurity.

When an earthenware container touched a corpse or was in the same structure as it, it contracts ritual impurity. It does not impart ritual impurity, neither to a person, nor to another earthenware container, nor to any other k'li. For an earthenware container never becomes a primary source of ritual impurity, neither with regard to impurity stemming from a corpse or other sources of impurity. This is Scriptural Law, even though it is part of Oral Tradition.

This is a great general principle with regard to ritual impurity. Any primary source of ritual impurity imparts ritual impurity to humans, garments, and utensils, whether metal implements, utensils that can be purified by immersion, or earthenware containers. Any entity that imparts impurity to a person or keilim when touched is called a primary source of ritual impurity. Any derivative of ritual impurity imparts ritual impurity to food and drink, but it does not impart impurity to a person or keilim, neither to earthenware containers, nor to other keilim and garments.

Any entity that touches a primary source of impurity is referred to as a derivative of the first degree. Anything that touches a derivative of the first degree is referred to as a derivative of the second degree. Anything that touches a derivative of the second degree is referred to as a derivative of the third degree. And anything that touches a derivative of the third degree is referred to as a derivative of the fourth degree. A derivative of the first degree and those on a lesser level are called "the offspring of impurity."

Any entity, whether a person or a k'li, which contracts impurity that lasts seven days as a result of contact with a corpse is referred to as tamei meit. The person or the k'li is a primary source of impurity with regard to imparting impurity to terumah and sacrificial food, as we explained. From it, are counted a first degree derivative and a second degree derivative to impart impurity to people and keilim when it is touched, like other primary sources of impurity. It does not impart impurity when carried.

Any entity that contracts impurity that lasts until the evening as a result of contact with an entity that contracted impurity from a corpse is considered as the offspring of impurity. It is a derivative of impurity of the first degree. It is possible that a fourth degree contact with a corpse can be a first derivative of impurity, as we explained with regard to terumah and sacrificial foods.

When a person or keilim contract impurity because of contact with the lands of the nations or a beit hapras or because he carried such earth or he touched weltering blood, a gollel or a dofek, or entered a shelter where they were located or carried weltering blood, in all instances, these individuals or keilim and the like are all primary sources of impurity by Rabbinic decree. Similarly, garments that contract impurity that lasts seven days because of these entities are all primary sources of impurity by Rabbinic decree.

A tent itself which encompasses a source of impurity contracts impurity that lasts seven days according to Scriptural Law even though the impurity did not touch it. It is like garments that were touched by a corpse, as implied by Numbers 19:18: "And he shall sprinkle on the tent."

When does the above apply? When the tent was made from cloth, sackcloth, or a wooden k'li, or a hide, either a hide from an animal or beast that is permitted to be eaten or one which is forbidden to be eaten. These concepts are derived from Exodus 40:19: "And he spread the tent over the Sanctuary." The term "tent" applies only to an entity that is woven or made from hides, as in the Sanctuary. If, by contrast, the structure was made from slats of wood, like a roof, a mat, or the like, or it was bone, or made of metal, it is pure. Needless to say, if it was made from building materials, it is pure.

Whenever the Torah uses the expression, "the house is impure," the intent is the person and the keilim in the house. There is no product of wood that becomes impure as a tent except flax.

When garments touch a corpse, even though they are considered as a corpse with regard to imparting impurity that lasts seven days to other entities that touch them, they are not considered as a corpse with regard to imparting impurity when one is under their shelter or when one carries them. The rationale is that the impurity stemming from carrying a corpse itself is not explicitly stated in the Torah, as we explained. And with regard to the impurity imparted by a tent, Numbers 19:14 states: "A man when he will die in a tent." Therefore if one carried garments that touched a corpse without touching the garments, or if one stands over them, they are held over him, or they were in a structure with him, he is pure.

Similarly, when a person contracted impurity from a corpse and stood over keilim, they are pure. For one who contracts impurity from a corpse imparts impurity through touch alone.

A corpse does not impart impurity to a seat or a couch that is below him, nor to articles that are placed upon him, only to a k'li that touches a corpse whether it was at its side or it was below the corpse or on top of it.

What is implied? There were ten garments one on top of the other and the corpse was on top of them and then there were ten garments on top of him. The garment that is touching him and the second garment which is touching the garment touching him both contract the impurity that lasts seven days. The third garment, whether on top or below, contracts the impurity which lasts until the evening.

When does the above - that all the garments or keilim above him and below him are pure - apply? When the impurity was not retzutzah, the laws of ohel do not apply, or there was a stone intervening between them, as will be explained in the appropriate place.