Tumah and taharah in the context of "Ritual washing in Judaism"

A mikveh or Mikvah (Hebrew: מִקְוֶה / מקווה, Modern: mīqve, Tiberian: mīqwe, pl. mikva'ot, mikvot, or (Ashkenazic) mikves, lit. 'a collection') is a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity.

In Orthodox Judaism, these regulations are steadfastly adhered to; consequently, the mikveh is central to an Orthodox Jewish community. Conservative Judaism also formally holds to the regulations. The existence of a mikveh is considered so important that, according to halacha, a Jewish community is required to construct a kosher mikveh even before building a synagogue, and must go to the extreme of selling Torah scrolls, or even a synagogue if necessary, to provide funding for its construction.

Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully transmitted ever since.

Orthodox Judaism therefore advocates a strict observance of Jewish law, or halakha, which is to be interpreted and determined only according to traditional methods and in adherence to the continuum of received precedent through the ages. It regards the entire halakhic system as ultimately grounded in immutable revelation, essentially beyond external and historical influence. More than any theoretical issue, obeying the dietary, purity, ethical and other laws of halakha is the hallmark of Orthodoxy. Practicing members are easily distinguishable by their lifestyle, refraining from doing numerous routine actions on the Sabbath and holidays, consuming only kosher food, praying thrice a day, studying the Torah often, donning head covering and tassels for men and modest clothing for women, and so forth. Other key doctrines include belief in a future bodily resurrection of the dead, divine reward and punishment for the righteous and the sinners, the Election of Israel as a people bound by a covenant with God, and an eventual reign of a salvific Messiah who will restore the Temple in Jerusalem and gather the people to Zion.

In the Hebrew Bible, a nazirite or a nazarite (Hebrew: נָזִיר Nāzīr) is an Israelite man or woman who voluntarily took a vow which is described in Numbers 6:1–21. This vow required the nazirite to:

• Abstain from wine and strong drink as well as all other grape products, such as vinegar
• Refrain from cutting the hair on his head
• Not to become ritually impure by contact with corpses or graves, even those of family members.

After following these requirements for a designated time period (which would be specified in the individual's vow), the nazirite would offer a specific animal sacrifice; along with it, the nazirite's hair was to be shorn and burned.

Hagigah or Chagigah (Hebrew: חֲגִיגָה, romanized: Ḥəḡiḡā, lit. 'Celebration, Festival') is one of the tractates comprising Moed, one of the six orders of the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish traditions included in the Talmud. It deals with the Three Pilgrimage Festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot and the pilgrimage offering that men were supposed to bring to the Temple in Jerusalem. In the middle of the second chapter, the text discusses topics of ritual purity.

The tractate contains three chapters, spanning 27 pages in the Vilna Edition Shas of the Babylonian Talmud, making it relatively short. The second chapter contains much early aggadah, discussing the Genesis creation narrative and early merkabah mysticism. Its content is relatively light and uncomplicated except for the third chapter.

Practical Kabbalah (Hebrew: קַבָּלָה מַעֲשִׂית Kabbalah Ma'asit), in historical Judaism, is a branch of Jewish mysticism that concerns the use of magic. It was considered permitted white magic and all magic by its practitioners, reserved for the elite, who could separate its spiritual source from qlippoth realms of evil if performed under circumstances that were holy (Q-D-Š) and pure, tumah and taharah (טומאה וטהרה). The concern of overstepping Judaism's prohibitions against impure magic ensured it remained a minor tradition in Jewish history. Its teachings include the use of divine and angelic names for amulets and incantations.

Practical Kabbalah is mentioned in historical texts, but most Kabbalists have taught that its use is forbidden. It is contrasted with the mainstream tradition in Kabbalah of Kabbalah Iyunit (contemplative Kabbalah), which seeks to explain the nature of God and the nature of existence through theological study and Jewish meditative techniques.