1.0 Maps of Places, Persons, Things, and Times

1.2 Map of Places

            "There are ten degrees of holiness: the Land of Israel is holier than any other land...The walled cities (of the land of Israel) are still more holy...Within the walls (of Jerusalem) is still more holy...The Temple Mount is still more holy...The Rampart is still more holy...The Court of the Women is still more holy...The Court of the Israelites is still more holy...The Court of the Priests is still more holy...Between the Porch and the Altar is still more holy...The Sanctuary is still more holy...The Holy of Holies is still more holy..."(m. Kelim 1.6-9).

1.2 Map of Persons

            A list of the persons who may hear the scroll of Esther: Priests, Levites, Israelites, Converts, Freed Slaves, Disqualified priests, Netzins (temple slaves), Mamzers (bastards), Those with damaged testicles, Those without a penis (t. Meg. 2.7).

1.3 Map of Things

            "There are things which convey uncleanness by contact (e.g. a dead creeping thing, male semen). They are exceeded by carrion...They are exceeded by him that has connexion with a menstruant...They are exceeded by the issue of him that has a flux, by his spittle, his semen, and his urine...They are exceeded by [the uncleanness of] what is ridden upon [by him that has a flux]...[The uncleanness of] what is ridden upon [by him that has a flux] is exceeded by what he lies upon...[The uncleanness of] what he lies upon is exceeded by the uncleanness of him that has a flux..." (m. Kelim 1.3).

1.4 Map of Times

            The tractates on "time" are collected in the section of the Mishnah called Moed:

Shabbat & Erubin (Sabbath), Pesahim (Feast of Passover), Yoma (Day of Atonement), Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles), Yom Tob (Festival Days), Rosh ha-Shana (Feast of New Year), Taanith (Days of Fasting), Megillah (Feast of Purim), Moed Katan (Mid-Festival Days)

2.0 Texts Illustrating Purity Boundaries

2.1 Decree of Antiochus concerning Jerusalem and its temple:

             “It is unlawful for any foreigner to enter the enclosure of the temple which is forbidden to the Jews, except to those of them who are accustomed to enter after purifying themselves in accordance with the law of the country. Nor shall anyone bring into the city the flesh of horses or of mules or of wild or tame asses, or of leopards, foxes or hares or, in general, of any animals forbidden to the Jews...” (Josephus, Ant. 12.146)

2.2 Text Prohibiting Gentiles in the Certain Areas of the Temple

3.0 Wholeness and Purity

3.1 Wholeness toward God

T. Asher 3:1-2

"But do not, my children, wear two faces like unto them, of goodness and of wickedness; but cleave unto goodness only, for God has his habitation therein, and men desire it. But flee away from wickedness, destroying the inclination (diaboulion) by your good works; for they that are double-faced (diprosopoi) serve not God but their own desires (epithumiais) so that they may please Beliar and men like themselves."

T. Benjamin 6:5

"The good mind has not two tongues, of blessing and of cursing, of contumely and of honor, of sorrow and of joy, of quietness and of confusion, of hypocrisy and of truth, of poverty and of wealth; but is has one disposition, uncorrupt, concerning all men."

Tanhuma V. Tavo # 1 (on Deut 6:5)

"When you make your prayer before God, you shall not have two hearts, one before God and the other directed toward some other object" (see Marcus CBQ 44(1982)606ff)

3.2 Wholeness and Daily Living "Be all that you can be, but only that"

3.2.1 Things that should not be mixed

Gender

A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whoever dos these things is an abomination to the Lord your God (Deut 22:5).

Agriculture

You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited to the sanctuary, the crop which you have sown and the yield of the vineyard (Deut 22:9)

Husbandry

You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together (Deut 22:10).

Clothing

You shall not wear mingled stuff, wool and linen together (Deut 22:11)

Saints and Sinners

2 Cor 6:14-7:1

3.2.2 Singleness - Wholeness; Fear of Doublness (Twins?)

T. Asher 3:1-2

"But do not, my children, wear two faces like unto them, of goodness and of wickedness; but cleave unto goodness only, for God has his habitation therein, and men desire it. But flee away from wickedness, destroying the inclination (diaboulion) by your good works; for they that are double-faced (diprosopoi) serve not God but their own desires (epithumiais) so that they may please Beliar and men like themselves."

T. Benjamin 6:5

"The good mind has not two tongues, of blessing and of cursing, of contumely and of honor, of sorrow and of joy, of quietness and of confusion, of hypocrisy and of truth, of poverty and of wealth; but is has one disposition, uncorrupt, concerning all men."

3.2.3 Bodily Wholeness

            Hyrcanus threw himself at the feet of Antigonus, who with his own teeth lacerated his suppliant's ears, in order to disqualify him for ever, under any change of circumstances, from resuming the high priesthood; since freedom from physical defect (holoklerous) is essential to the holder of that office ( Josephus, B.J. 1.269-270; see B.J. 5.228).

            And being fearful that the people might restore Hyrcanus to the throne, he went up to him where he was being guarded by the Parthians, and cut off his ears, thus taking care that the high priesthood should never come to him another time, because he was now mutilated, and the law requires that this office should belong only to those who are sound of body (Josephus, Ant 14.366-67).

            All who were of priestly lineage but were prevented from officiating by some physical defect, were admitted within the parapet, along with those free from imperfection, and received the portions which were their birthright, but word ordinary dress; none but the officiating priest was clad in the holy vestments (Josephus, B.J. 5.228).

            With regard to the priests there are the following laws. It is ordained that the priest should be perfectly sound throughout, without any bodily deformity. No part, that is, must be lacking or have been mutilated, nor on the other hand redundant, whether the excrescence be congenital or an after growth due to disease. Nor must the skin have been changed into a leprous state or into malignant tatters or warts or any other eruptive growth (Philo, Sp. Leg. 1.80; see also 1.117).

            Havdalah prayer on Sabbath: "Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the world, who divides between holy and profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the peoples, between the seventh day and the six days of work. Blessed are you, Lord, who divides between sacred and profane" (Neusner, Invitation to the Talmud, p. 40); see Alan Segal, The Other Judaisms of Late Antiquity (Altanta: Scholars Press, 1987) on liturgy).

             1QSa 2:3-10 And let no person smitten with any human impurity whatever enter the Assembly of God. And every person smitten with these impurities, unfit to occupy a place in the midst of the Congregation, an every (person) smitten in his flesh, paralyzed in his feet or hands, lame or blind or deaf, or dumb or smitten in his flesh with a blemish visible to the eye, or any aged person that totters and is unable to stand firm in the midst of the Congregation: let these persons not en[ter] to take their place in the midst of the Congregation of men of renown, for the Angels of holiness are [in] their [Congrega]tion. And if [one of] them should have somethi[ng] to say to the Council of holiness, [then] he shall be questioned privately; but that person shall not enter into the midst [of the Congregation], for he is smitten

            1QM 7:4-7 And no young boy and no woman shall enter their camps when they leave Jerusalem to go into battle until their return. And no lame man, nor blind, nor crippled, nor having in his flesh some incurable blemish, nor smitten with any impurity in his flesh, none of these shall go with them into battle. They shall all be volunteers for the battle and shall be perfect in spirit and body and prepared for the Day of Vengeance. And no man who is in a state of uncleanness because of his flux on the day of battle shall go down with them; for the angels of holiness shall accompany their armies. And there shall be a space of about two thousand cubits between all their camp and the site of the (retiring) place, and nothing shameful nor ugly shall be visible in the surrounds of all their camp.

            Philo ( Sp. Leg. 1.117) "These rules are followed directly by his legislation on those who are to share in the first fruits. If any of the priests, he tells us, has lost the use of his eyes or hands or feet or any part of his body, or suffers from any defect, he must refrain from officiating because of the afflictions which have befallen him, but he may enjoy the privileges common to the priests because his pure lineage still remains without reproach."

            Philo (Sp. Leg. 1.80    ) "With regard to the priests there are the following laws. It is ordained that the priest should be perfectly sound throughout, without any bodily deformity. No part, that is, must be lacking or have been mutilated, nor on the other hand redundant, whether the excresecence be congenital or an aftergrowth due to disease. Nor must the skin have been changed into a leprous state or into malignant tetters or warts or any other eruptive growth."

3.2.4 Rabbinic Examples

            t. Parah 3:8 "A certain Sadducee had waited until sunset (for purification) and (then) came to burn a cow. And Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai became cognizant of his intention, and he came and place his two hands on him and said to him: "My Lord, High Priest! How fitting are you to be high priest! Now go down and immerse one time." He went down and immersed and emerged. After he came up, he (Yohanan) tore (on) his ear (rendering him unfit for service." Neusner translation

too much/too little

“Too much or too little”

            7.1 These same blemishes, whether lasting or passing, likewise render [priests] unqualified to serve in the Temple. Among men are moreover added: he whose head is wedge shaped or turnip shaped or hammer shaped, or whose head is sunk in or is flat at the back. R. Judah decleares the humpbacked qualified, but the Sages declare him unqualified.

            2. He that is bald-headed is unqualified. “Bald-headed” means any that has not a strip of hair going round from ear to ear; but if he has that much he is qualified. If he has no eyebrows or but one – such is the gibben spoken of in the Law. R. Dosa says [Gibben means] he whose eyebrows hang down.

            3. He that is flat-nosed is unqualified. ‘Flat-nosed’ means that one can paint both his eyes together. If both is eyes are too hligh or both is eyes too low, or if one eye is too high or one eye too low. . .He whose eyelashes have fallen out is unqualified by reason of his unsightliness.

            4. If his eyes are big like those of a chalf or little like those of a goose; if his body is too big or too little compared with his other parts; if his nose is too big or too little compared with his other parts. . .little ears.

            5. If his upper lip juts out beyond his lower lip, or the lower beyond the upper, this is a blemish. If he has lost his teeth he is unqualified by reason of his unsightliness. If his breasts hang down like a woman’s; if his belly is swollen, if his navel protrudes, if he suffers from falling sickness even but rarely. . if his testicles or his male organ are too big, he is disqualified. If he has no testicles or but one, this is he that hath “his testicles crushed” (Lev 21:20), spoken of in the Law.

            6. If his ankles or knees knock together; or if he is afflicted with swellings [in his feet] or is bow-legged (“bow-legged” means any whose soles come together and whose knees do not touch; if he has a swelling on the big toe, if his heel juts out backwards, or if his sole is as wide as that of a goose. If his fingers or toes lie one above the other or are webbed but only to the [middle] joint. If he had an extra finger and he cut it off, if there was a bone in it, he is disqualified; but if there was not, he is qualified. If he had extra fingers and tones, six to each limb, twenty-four in all, Rabbi Juahh declares him qualified, but the Sages declare him unqualified.. If he is black-skinned or red-skinned or an albino, if he is too long or a dward, for a deaf-mute, or an imbecile, or drunken . . . not qualified (m. Bekhoroth 7.1-6).