Three Levels of Impurity

Greetings from Los Angeles. This week we read Parshat Nasso, which is the longest Parsha of the year. One of the subjects discussed is that there were three different degrees of טומאה, in the Beit Hamikdash.

Just like there were three camps in the desert, there were also three camps in Jerusalem. One was the Temple itself, the second was the Temple Mount, and the third was Jerusalem itself within the city walls.

The first type of טומאה or impurity, was called טומאת מת, coming in contact with the dead. Such an individual had to remain outside only one of the camps. The של״ה הקודש says that the reason for this was that it was not really that person's fault for coming in contact with the dead.

The second type of טומאה was זב, that refers to a man who has an unwanted flow, which could either be a seminal flow or puss from an infection. This person stays out of two camps because had he remained on a high spiritual level, this טומאה would not have happened.

The most severe impurity is צרעת, or leprosy, that comes with evil gossip that certainly could have been prevented. This person causes great damage with his tongue. He must remain outside all three camps until his impurity passes due to the severity of his sin. Shabbat Shalom