Two Forms of Evil — Issur and Tumah, Prohibited and Ritually Impure

There are two types of evil manifestations:1 that which the Torah declares to be “prohibited” and that which the Torah declares to be “ritually impure.” These are the two categories known respectively as issur and tumah.

For example, non-kosher, i.e., prohibited, food items are termed issur, while tumah pertains to all matters that are ritually impure. An example would be the tumah of a corpse.2 An individual who touches a corpse or is under the same roof as a corpse becomes ritually impure.


Issur Is Logical Tumah Is Illogical

There is a major difference between issur and tumah.

One can logically understand the reason for most prohibited matters. Their negative impact on the person is quite obvious.

Prohibited foods, for example,3 harm both body4 and soul, 5 as the food that a person eats becomes one with the person himself. Prohibited foods are thus not only injurious to one’s physical wellbeing but to one’s spiritual health as well.

Birds that are permitted for, or prohibited from, consumption serve as an excellent example.

The Torah prohibits the consumption of birds of prey, e.g., an eagle, hawk, vulture and the like, for eating birds of prey fosters an inclination towards cruelty and brutality.6

Birds that do not prey on others, such as chickens, ducks, geese and the like, are permitted to be eaten.

Ritual impurity, however, is not logical at all, as human intellect is not capable of understanding its harmfulness.

For example, the tumah of a corpse: Man is incapable of understanding why he becomes ritually impure when he finds himself under the same roof as a corpse. After all, there was absolutely no contact between the corpse and himself, and no microbes or germs or anything physically tangible was transferred. Nevertheless, he is deemed ritually impure.

Tumah is, in the words of the Midrash,7 entirely “a decree that I have decreed, a ruling that I have ruled,” without basis in human logic. Thus Rambam states:8 “Matters of ritual impurity and ritual purity are Divine decrees and are not matters subject to human determination. They are in the category of suprarational edicts.”


Tumah Is Generated Even by Touch; Issur by Ingestion

There is another essential difference between issur and tumah.

Prohibited foods are ingested by the person, entering his innards. They are digested, absorbed and become part of the person himself; the “blood and flesh of one’s own flesh.”

The person’s relationship to tumah, however, is merely external, for even if the person merely touches a ritually impure object and does not ingest it, he still becomes ritually impure. This is particularly observable regarding the impurity of “being under the same roof,” where the person need not even come into contact with the object for him to become ritually impure.

Thus, with regard to issur, the evil enters the person, while with regard to tumah, the evil envelops him.

The two aspects of tumah (their incomprehensibility and their envelopment of the person), and the two aspects of issur (their comprehensibility and their internality), are each mutually dependent.

Since prohibited foods are ingested, one can readily observe their negative effects on the person, and one’s intellect can readily apprehend the reason for their prohibition.

Since tumah, however, only comes into peripheral contact with the individual and does not permeate his being, it will not have a palpable and discernable effect. Man’s intellect is thus incapable of apprehending its inherent evil.


Tumah — The Encompassing Level of Evil; Issur — Only Through Ingestion

The above correlates with the corresponding sources and levels of evil in issur and tumah.

Kabbalah and Chassidus explain9 that the source of the evil of tumah is in the “encompassing level,” the makkif of the forces of evil, forces that are beyond comprehension, while issur emanates from the “internal level,” the pnimi of the forces of evil.

Since tumah derives from an “encompassing level” of evil, it therefore affects the person in an encompassing and surrounding manner. Because it does not permeate the person’s being, the person finds it incomprehensible. Issur, however, emanates from the “internal level” of the forces of evil and consequently affects man’s inner being. It is therefore comprehensible to him.10


Which Is Worse: Tumah or Issur?

While issur and tumah each possess an aspect of evil that is more intense than that possessed by the other, taken as a whole, the evil of tumah is more severe than that of issur.

The severity of issur lies in the fact that the evil penetrates the individual, with his energies and dispositions being changed from good to evil as a result. Thus, when one ingests prohibited food, for example, this food will devastate and destroy his fine character traits and change his very nature and disposition.

Tumah, however, does not permeate his inner being, and therefore will not devastate and destroy his character as will prohibited foods.

On the other hand, tumah possesses a tremendous negative aspect.

Since the source of this evil is much stronger and potent, deriving as it does from the “encompassing level” of the forces of evil, its ultimate effect on the person will be more deeply and acutely rooted in his psyche. It is thus much harder to rid himself of this form of evil.

In order to rid oneself of this “encompassing level” of evil, the person must marshal the most potent forces of his “encompassing level” of holiness. Only then can he successfully battle this insidious degree of evil and vanquish it. Clearly, this is much more difficult to achieve.

Since issur, however, only affects man’s revealed traits and nature, a person can much more easily vanquish it by just using his more accessible and revealed soul powers of holiness.11


Revealed Evil and Hidden Evil

In order to understand this in a more concrete manner, we will use an example of two types of evil that are prevalent in our world — revealed evil and concealed evil.

There is a form of evil that is obviously and patently evil and damaging. There is, however, a form of evil that masks itself in the cloak of righteousness, but deep within it there lurks true evil and destruction.

Which of the two is worse?

Superficially, it would seem that the blatant and transparent degree of evil is worse — it is so obviously and blatantly evil that one cannot even come in contact with it without being damaged. The concealed evil, by contrast, which appears on the surface to be good, is at least approachable without incurring damage.

In truth, the degree of concealed evil is very much worse than the state of revealed evil, for the following reason:

One can easily be alert to revealed evil and keep away from it, as all are aware of its potential danger and the damage it can wreak. However, concealed evil that gives the appearance of something decent and harmless entices people to come into contact with it, causing them untold harm and damage in the end.

Moreover, regarding the degree of evil itself, concealed evil contains much more malevolence than does revealed evil.

Concealed evil is so corrupt that its very roots and foundations are rotten and vile. It is therefore all the more dangerous as it may instigate unspeakable and absolutely horrendous acts of evil.

Revealed evil, however, is only evil in relation to the external aspects of intellect and emotion, but deep down, in the depths of the soul, the person remains pure and unsullied. Therefore the damage it can cause is more limited and much less dangerous than the degree of hidden evil, which is rotten to the core.

The above applies equally to the difference between issur and tumah.

As all are aware of the damage that issur causes, that non-kosher food causes the person unhealthy traits, everyone therefore understands that this is something from which they must distance themselves. Since the damage caused by tumah, however, is not at all discernible, people are not so careful about keeping their distance from it.

Additionally, issur only damages the external aspects of man so the damage is thus contained and limited and can easily be remedied. Tumah, however, seeps into the person’s core soul powers, inflicting much more severe damage and making it extremely difficult to rectify this tremendous degree of damage and destruction.


One Witness Suffices for Issur, Two Are Needed for Tumah

According to the above, we will understand why different laws apply to issur and tumah.

If one witness testifies that something is kosher and not prohibited, this is considered ample testimony — “One witness suffices for matters of issur.”12 Ritual purity and impurity, however, require the testimony of two witnesses — two witnesses must attest that the object is ritually pure.13

Why is this so?

The function of the witnesses is to determine and recognize that the item is ritually pure and not impure. Therefore, with regard to tumah, where the evil is deeply rooted and well hidden, two witnesses are required to examine the manner most scrupulously and determine whether or not the evil exists on a veiled level.

With issur, however, since this degree of evil is on the surface and easily discernable, the discernment of even one witness suffices to determine that the matter is pure and untainted, containing no issur.

There is an additional important difference between the testimony of two witnesses and the testimony of one:

The testimony of two witnesses must be offered before a court, but it is the court’s verdict that determines the ruling, for only a court — not witnesses — can deliver a verdict. Thus, the court uses the two witnesses merely to verify the authenticity of the matter, but the matter itself is adjudicated by them.14

However, with regard to the testimony of the single witness (in those instances where the testimony of a single witness suffices), it is not necessarily associated with a ruling of the court. The testimony of this single witness is accepted even if he does not testify before a court, for the power to issue a ruling emanates from the witness himself.

We are thus confronted with a seemingly absurd situation.

When only one witness testifies, we rely entirely on his testimony alone. However, when we have the much stronger testimony of two witnesses who corroborate each other’s statements, we do not rely on them, but rely rather on the court’s ruling that resulted from their testimony.

The reason for this has everything to do with the effect of evil.

With regard to matters of issur, the damage is merely external, while internally it is “kosher.” Therefore, even if the person himself is personally affected by the issur, he is permitted to testify, for the person’s inner aspect is assumed to be authentic and above board.

With regard to tumah, however, the damage and harm is deeper and more internal. There, we cannot rely merely on the words of the witnesses themselves; we use the special power of a court to receive full assurance that the matter is indeed satisfactory, with no degree of tumah lurking in the hidden depths.


Issur Affects Everyone, Tumah Primarily Affects Kohanim

There is yet another difference in Jewish law between tumah and issur.

Tumah possesses parameters and constraints regarding when and whether it still exists, for tumah mainly applied during the time of the Beis HaMikdash and then, too, primarily to kohanim (with regard to specific forms of tumah).

However, issur possesses no such restrictions and limitations. It exists and applies at all times, even in times of exile, and is applicable to all Jews, whether a particular individual is a Kohen, Levi or Yisrael, and equally to men, women and children. As such, they are all forbidden at all times to eat food that is assur.

Here, too, the reason for this is a result of the essential difference between tumah and issur.

Since the impact of tumah operates only on a higher plane and nothing happens at all on an external level, therefore, the general public is not forbidden to eat their food in a state of ritual impurity. The prohibition of tumah extends by and large to higher and loftier ranks and orders, such as the Beis HaMikdash and kohanim.

Issur, by contrast, which impacts the external and revealed levels, is something that is felt by all, and one immediately feels the harm and damage that it has done. For this reason, it is prohibited to all.


Niddah — Issur Only Affects The Jew Externally

Regarding the state of niddah, there is a profound and lengthy discussion in the writings of our later Sages whether niddah is considered issur or tumah. The conclusion is that although niddah is generally referred to as the “tumah of niddah,” it is actually in the category of issur and not of tumah.15

This is to say that the evil aspect of niddah only affects the revealed and external soul powers, but the internal and concealed levels of the soul remain pure and untainted.

The proof of the matter is gleanedfrom the number of witnesses required.

As mentioned, tumah requires two witnesses, while issur suffices with one. With regard to niddah, the law states that one witness is sufficient.16 Niddah is thus connected to issur and not to tumah.


A Sin Only Impacts The Peripheral Level

To understand why the tumah of niddah only acts in a manner of issur, i.e., its impact is merely external, we must return to the meaning of the blood of the niddah.

The possibility of the ritual impurity of niddah began only after Adam and Chava committed the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. Before that time there was no such thing as the blood of the niddah.

The reason this was so:

An “excess of blood” means that there is all too much fervor and ardor in one’s physical and corporeal matters. Such a state of affairs inevitably leads to coldness and indifference to spiritual matters and holiness, a lack of interest in Torah and mitzvos. Such behavior ultimately leads the person to sin.

All sins debase and contaminate the individual. However, this only affects his outer level, his body and revealed soul powers, as well as his thought, speech and action. They have absolutely no impact, however, on the inner and intrinsic aspect of the Jew, which is always and under all circumstances attached to G‑d. Thus the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya17 that the Divine soul remains one with G‑d — “it remains faithful to Him” — even while the person sins.

The taint of niddah is therefore termed issur, as the spiritual contamination that results from the person’s overabundant enthusiasm for corporeal matters, his icy indifference to spirituality, and his committing of sins merely impacts the external aspects of the Jew. His inner powers and his true spiritual dimension remain unsullied, pure and holy. Thus it is termed issur: that which only affects the external level and does not taint the higher and more internal powers.


A Jew Naturally Casts Out the Negative Aspects

The purity and wholesomeness of the Jew’s essence finds particular expression in niddah.

The untoward aspect of niddah, the overabundance and excess of blood, is cast outward. This is not accomplished with the assistance of outside forces but by the body itself, which, by its very nature, rejects and expels the excessive blood.

In his innermost being, a Jew’s body remains pure and holy. It is for this reason that it ultimately expels and casts out all the external negative forces and influences, as they are abhorrent to his very being.

Essentially, this is the meaning of issur (when compared to tumah): Since the loftier levels of the Jew remain pure and holy, they naturally cast out that which is untoward; that which is not holy and pure.