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69. .

69

Tin;

Abiud

JKWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Ablution

ally as vinyim rislufiiim (first waters) and tlie subsequent Alilutiou as iiuiyim iihnronim (lust waters). The Intlei- Ablution is by no means generally ob-

shown

served.

aheyance at the |ucsent time,

of the hands and feet is only prescribed by tlie .Mosaie Law for those desirinj; to perform Scripture states ]iri<stly functions. Ancient and that whenever Moses or Aaron or any of the sulxirdinale priests desired to Modern Temple enter the sanctuary ('rabernaele) or approach the altar, they were bound Service. to wash their hands and feet from the laver which stood between the Tabernacle and the altar(K.. .xxx. lit. -. :il). This rule was, of course. also (ihserved in the Teuiide at .lerusiilem. The washinji: of the whole body is the form of Ablution most frequently ordained in Scripture, and for the greatest number of causes. According to r.ibl)inical interpretation, this is only valid when ]ierformed by innnersion. either in a natural fountain or stream or in a ])roperly constructed niikweh. or ritual bath, containing at least forty Hiili!< (about one luinilrcd and twi'niy gallons) of water (see 15.THs). The following are the eases in which the Mosaic Law requires immersion of the whole body, the object being either puritiImmersion cation or consecration (n) No leper or unclean person of the seed of Aaron of the could eat of holy tlesli until he had Whole washed his wholc> body in water (Ixv. Body. ill) When a leper was x.ii. -t-li) healed of his leprosy, he shaved olf his hair. olTered up the prescribed sacrifices, washed his clothing, bathed his person in water, and became clean (Lev. (c) Any person who came into contact .xiv. 8. !)) with the body of, or with articles of furniture used by, a person having an unclean issue (3t). or with any article used by him. w.is obliged to wash both

in the

,

Viislijnir



.

.

his body and his garments, and was unclean for (d) On the Day of a whole day (Lev. xv. .VIO). Atonement the high priest, after sending off the scapegoat (see A/,./.Ki.). was oliliged to wash his The .same whole body in water in a holy place. duty devolved upon the man who took away the goat and upon him who burned the ox and the goat of the sin-olfering; and they were also required

Acto wash their garments (Lev. xvi, 24. 20, 2M). cording to the Talmud, on the Day of Atonement the high priest inunersed his whole person tive times and washed his han<ls an<l feet ten times (Mislmah, Yoma, iii. S). (<) A sulTerer from an unclean issue to be clean required innnersion of the whole person (Lev. XV. 10, W) (/) Whoever touched a nienstruous woman, or any article used by her, required innnersion of the whole person (F-ev. xv. lit-27) , native Israelite or a proselyte eating luiclean (.'/) Ilesh of a beast which had diiil of itsi-lf, or had bien torn, became thereby unclean for a day. and was obligeil to wash his whole body (Lev. xvii. 1.")). ill) The priest who tended »- reil heifer, itself inteiidid as a rite of pin'ilicalion. bicame unclean for.

day and was obligeil to wash his whole body (Num. xix. 7. H). (i) Whoever came into contact

a

with acorjise or a grave wasiniclean for seven days. the third and seventh days he was sprinkled with wah'r in vlii body and his garments in water

On

and beciune clean (Num. xix. ID), (j) Among the ceremonies at the installation of priests was the washing of the whole body (Kx. xxix. •!. xl. 'i) (k) The Leviles were jiurilied by having water of the sin iilTerinir sprinkled upon them (Nuni viii. 1.5). (I) menstruous woman ricpiires innnersion. as is

bj- II Sam. xi. 2, 4, and the rabbinical interpretjition of Num. xxxi. 23. Most of the above purifications, with the exception of the last, are in

judgment of

it

being impossible,

ralibiuical authorities, to observe

them

The innnersions i)roperly in the dispersion. for the .sake of ritual purity at the festivals are, however, still oliserved by the pious. The Karaites follow all the laws of purity. The numerous sects of the Ilasidim are esiiecially scrupulous in their ablutions. A Gentile wishing to become a proselyte must also immerse his whole body. This ceremony is, no doubt, historically allied to B.M'TIsm, which is thought by modern authorities to have originated among the Kssi;ni;s, who were very scrui)ulous respecting ablutions, and in the observance of the rules of purity (see Lvsth.^tiox; SiMtiXKi.ixo). The only jiriestly function still observed among .Jews as a part of the puldic wor.shi]) is the blessing of the people. On festivals and holy days, the descendants of Aaron ])ronounee ujion the con.irregation the threefold benediction (Num. vi. 24-20). On this occasion the Levitesjiour out the water for the priests at the washing of hands, which takes place jircvious to the benediction, and for which a spei>ililic fUr Stniinr, Cuib'Peilia; Itihtl untl 7Vr//M»(/, i. 14. 872; Nowaeli, liUtUtti-he ArrhaC' (iliillir, II. 275-a'.l!l; Samuel Spitzer, Vhcr Baden tiiiil Bitder hei den AUeu Hehrdern. 18S4. B. D. Historical Presentation The rite of Ablution forms ])art of the system of purification practised at all times and in all lands by such as strive It for holiness or for a eomnnunon with the Deity. may have a twofold object: (1) the cleansing of the body from inqiurity, first in a idiysical .sense, and then on a higher stage in a symljnlieal sense, and (2) the jireparing of the body for a higher degree of Persons were not allowed to enter a holy holiness. place or to ajiproach the Deity with sacrifice or ])rayer without having first performed the rite of Ablution or. as it is also called, sjuictitication (Ex. .xix. lU; I Sam. xvi. ."i; II Chron. xxix. ">; and Joscwhere we are told that the phus. "Am." xiv. II. S whole people purified themselves for the approach:

.">.

compare Taanit, l!)/(-2(t"). The priests were especially enjoined to wash their hands and

ing festival



feet before entering the sanctuary or before ofliciatingat the altar(Kx. xxx. l"j (7 wi/.V Similarly the priests in Egypt had to wash themselves twice every probably identi(hiy ami twice every night in cold water (Herod, ii. ;!7): and cal with livingfir Mowing the (ireeks. we learn from Ilesiod ("Opera et Dies." verse 722). were warned "never with unwashed hands to ))our out the black wiru' at morn to ZeUS or the otiiir immortals" (compare Homer. "Iliad," It is partly in view vi. 200; "Odyssey," iv. 7."il»). of this almost universal pnu'li.se that the Psjilmist savs: "I will wash mine hands in iimoeeiicy: so I's. xxvi. O"), or will I compass thine altar" "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, mid " (I's. Ixxiii. l!t); washed my hands in innocency partly also in vii'W of an especial rite prescribed (Deut. xxi. 0) in the ease of the commission of a murder by an iknown pcTson. when the elders of

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the nearest city had to wa.sli their hands ovi-r the blood of an expiatory heifer (parallels to which have been found in Vergil. ".Kiicid," ii. 217. and scholiast on Sopho<'les' ".jax." 0(i4. in i. 80 of the London edition. t7.'>si. "Clean hands" iK'came.syn-