7 - Impurity and sacrifices

Summary

One of the most intriguing areas involving the impurity of animals is that of sacrifices. It is understandable that dead animals in general should be a source of impurity, but it is, at first sight, bewildering that the performance of holy sacrifices of animals in or just outside the Temple area should produce impurity, in some cases, in those performing them. An examination of these cases may throw light on the inner nature of impurity itself.

SIN-OFFERINGS

One of the commonest kinds of sacrifice in the Temple was the sin-offering (hatta't), which was brought by individuals in expiation of unwitting infringements of the prohibitions of the Torah. But sin-offerings are also prescribed on a less individual basis: for the High Priest for derelictions in his performance on behalf of the community, and for the community itself, when it has been guilty of some communal offence, or for a ruler (Lev. 4), or for everyone indiscriminately (whether guilty of specified offences or not) on the expiatory occasion of the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). According to Lev. 16:28, the sin-offerings brought to atone for the sins of the whole community on the Atonement Day have the effect of causing impurity not to the officiating priest, but to the priest who carries out the carcase of the sacrificed animal for burning. But in rabbinic doctrine (M. Parah, 8:3), this is also true of all the sin-offerings whose remains are burnt outside (Lev.4:12, 21, 26) i.e. sin-offerings of a public nature: the priest who burns the remains of the animal becomes impure, even though he is required to burn them in ‘a clean place’ outside the camp (Lev.4:12).