Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

That an impure person not enter the entire Temple: That any impure person is prevented from entering the entire Temple — the likeness of which in the [future] generations is all of the yard from Nikanor Gate and inwards, which is the beginning of the yard of the Israelites — as it is stated (Numbers 5:3), “and they will not render your camps impure” — meaning to say the camp of the Divine Presence. And the proof of this being among the negative commandments is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said in the Gemara (Makkot 14b), “One who enters the Temple while impure [is liable for excision], as both the punishment and the warning are written [in the Torah.] The punishment is written (Numbers 19:13) ‘the tabernacle of God he has defiled and he shall be cut off.’ The warning is written (Numbers 5:3) ‘and they will not render your camps impure.’” And they also said in the Mekhilta (Sifrei Zuta on Bamidbar 5:3), “‘Command the Children of Israel, and they shall send from the camp’ — [that is] a positive commandment. From where do we derive [the] negative commandment? Since it is written, ‘and they will not render your camps impure.’” And they said in Sifra (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Yoledet, Section 1:1), “Since it is stated (Leviticus 15:31), ‘And you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanliness[...],’ I might understand, whether from its midst or from its back,” meaning to say that one who approaches the Temple from its back while he is impure would be liable for excision; “it is, therefore, written in respect to a yoledet (a woman after childbirth) (Leviticus 12:4), ‘and into the sanctuary she shall not come,’” meaning to say the expression of coming is only about one who enters from the front. And there it is elucidated that the law of a yoledet and the other [cases of] impurity are the same regarding this.

I have written above in this Order on the first commandment (Sefer HaChinukh 362) what I have known from the roots of the commandment regarding the distancing of impurity. And I have also written some of the laws of the commandment.

But I will still inform you of a general principle regarding this matter: Everything that requires going into water by Torah writ and it is from the impurity that the Torah’s nazirite must shave [for its acquisition], is liable for excision for coming into the Temple if he goes in before immersion and the [end of the day]. But one who is impure from the impurity of a dead body, for which a nazirite does not shave — even though he is impure [with] an impurity [requiring] seven [days before being able to be pure] — is exempt [from excision] for coming into the Temple. And so [too,] one who touched vestments that touched a person who touched a dead body, or if he touched a person who touched vestments that touched a dead body — even though he is impure [on the] first [level] regarding impurity and to impart impurity to sanctified meat — behold, such a one is exempt for coming into the Temple. And these things are a law of Moshe from Sinai (halakhah le’Moshe miSinai). And even though he is exempt, they would give him lashes of rebellion. And all of the impurities for which a nazirite must shave about or not shave about are elucidated in Tractate Nazir. And one who throws impure vestments into the Temple — even if they were impure vestment that touched a dead body — is exempt from excision, but liable for lashes. As it is stated (Leviticus 17:16), “And if he does not wash and his flesh he does not bathe” — and we learned from the tradition (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 12:13) that for [failure to] bathe his body, he is punished by excision, but for [failure to] wash his clothes, he is lashed forty [times]. [This] and the rest of its details are elucidated in the first chapter of Shevuot and in Horayot and in Keritot and in [scattered] places in Zevachim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Admission into the Sanctuary 3:13, 17.)

And this commandment is practiced by males and females. And even at this time, one who enters there and is impure according to the guidelines that we wrote, will be liable for excision — since the holiness of God is upon it, even today when it is desolate. And [it is] like they, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Megillah 28a) from that which it is written (Leviticus 21:31), “and I will make your sanctuaries desolate,” as I wrote above in Acharei Mot (Sefer HaChinukh 184).