By Israel Drazin Should we attend a House of God? Maimonides offers a counter-intuitive idea about attending houses of God in his discussion of “uncleanliness,” which most people will reject. But should they do so? The biblical Hebrew tamei is generally translated “unclean” and “impure.” Priests are told in Leviticus 21:1 [...]
By Israel Drazin Numbers 19 tells how people who became impure because of contact with a dead human must be sprinkled with ashes of a red heifer before they can enter the tabernacle.[1] Among other particulars of the law, verse 9 states, “A man who is clean should gather the ashes of [...]
By Israel Drazin The Torah is frequently unclear; both the meaning of some words and legal requirements are obscure. This has led to differences in opinions and the acceptance of strange ideas. The word tazria in Leviticus 12:2 is a good example. It literally means “brings forth seed”: “If [...]
