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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
spe<ial pitcher and basin, lioth usually of silver, are
used.
Levites, in consequence, often have on their
tombstones la vers as heraldic symbols of their Levitic
descent.
ItMiLiofiUAriiY: For older authorities see MeCllnUwiJ and
Hamburger, ncah)ic)ikli>i>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
—
—
(
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- 