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Form of ritual impurity in Judaism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Midras uncleanness (Hebrew: טומאת מדרס) is one of the forms of ritual impurity in Judaism which can be transmitted by either an object or person. The term may be translated as pressure uncleanness.[1]
A midras (lit. "trampled on" object) is an object that can be a carrier of ritual impurity. Common objects that could potentially become unclean, and become a such midras object, include a chair, sofa, mattress, and rug. A person who becomes unclean is categorized as a "father of uncleanliness".
The general concept of a midras, an object becoming a carrier for uncleanliness, is brought in the book of Leviticus, though the following verse does not employ the Hebrew term midras;
Anyone who touches his bed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
— Leviticus 15:5, NIV
According to Maimonides on Zavim 4:4, the midras object becomes unclean by a person who is a "father of uncleanliness" (such as a man with a seminal emission or a woman in the middle of menstruation) putting most of their body weight in one (or more) of five ways on the midras;
Once the midras becomes unclean, it transmits uncleanliness to clean persons or objects by one of seven ways;
The person or object who becomes unclean via the midras is categorized as a Rishon L'Tumah.
The purification of the midras object is accomplished by immersing the object in a mikveh bath (before sunset), and the subsequent elapse of sunset.
Objects that are not subject to becoming unclean as midras include;