TY - JOUR
T1 - THE RISE AND FALL OF ‘PURITY CULTURE’ IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL
T2 - A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE
AU - Safrai, Zeev
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Israel Antiquities Authority. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This article aims at determining the turning point in the adherence to the Jewish laws of purity in the Land of Israel, considering the situation before ‘the outburst of purity,’ its decline and final cessation. Four different stages were distinguished regarding the practice of purification: (1) prior to the appearance of the ritual bath (miqweh), before the Hasmonean Kingdom; (2) the period of ‘purity culture,’ when purity was widespread, becoming a central religious phenomenon; (3) individual purity; (4) the final decline of purity. Once the ‘purification water’ became unavailable, halakhic immersion was observed only by women, while symbolic purification continued in Hasidic communities, albeit without a formal halakhic status. This article further discusses the impact of the struggles between the different religious-social groups on the distribution of purity.
AB - This article aims at determining the turning point in the adherence to the Jewish laws of purity in the Land of Israel, considering the situation before ‘the outburst of purity,’ its decline and final cessation. Four different stages were distinguished regarding the practice of purification: (1) prior to the appearance of the ritual bath (miqweh), before the Hasmonean Kingdom; (2) the period of ‘purity culture,’ when purity was widespread, becoming a central religious phenomenon; (3) individual purity; (4) the final decline of purity. Once the ‘purification water’ became unavailable, halakhic immersion was observed only by women, while symbolic purification continued in Hasidic communities, albeit without a formal halakhic status. This article further discusses the impact of the struggles between the different religious-social groups on the distribution of purity.
KW - Purity
KW - Rabbis
KW - miqweh
KW - priests
KW - sages
KW - sects
KW - social development
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186564468&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.70967/2948-040X.1035
DO - 10.70967/2948-040X.1035
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AN - SCOPUS:85186564468
SN - 0792-8424
VL - 113
SP - 115
EP - 157
JO - Atiqot
JF - Atiqot
ER -