108 - המצווה הק"ח שציוונו בדיני מי נידה, המטהרים באופן מסוים ומטמאים באופן מסוים

The 108th Mitzvah

The 108th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the laws of the waters of a niddah, which purify in a certain manner and render impure in a certain manner, as will be explained in the laws of this mitzvah.

Know that these thirteen types of impurity, whose enumeration has preceded, are:

1) The impurity of a carcass,

2) The impurity of creeping creatures,

3) The impurity of foods,

4) The impurity of a niddah,

5) The impurity of a woman who has given birth,

6) The impurity of a person with tzaraas,

7) The impurity of a garment with tzaraas,

8) The impurity of a house with tzaraas,

9) The impurity of a zav,

10) The impurity of a zavah,

11) The impurity of semen,

12) The impurity of a corpse,

13) The impurity of the waters of a niddah.

Their purification—each one of them—is specified in the Torah.

And in each of these mitzvos, there are many verses, laws, and conditions, as is written in the parshiyos: "Vayehi bayom hashemini," "Isha ki sazria," "Zos tiheyeh," and "Vayikchu eilecha parah adumah."

These four parshiyos include all the verses that pertain to these impurities.

However, the laws of all these types and the halachos of each type among them—the order of Taharos includes all of this.

Some of these types have tractates dedicated to them: Maseches Taharos, Maseches Machshirin, and Maseches Uktzin—these three tractates include only the impurity of foods, and were composed for that purpose. If a law regarding other impurities happens to appear in them, it is only incidental.

Similarly, Maseches Niddah includes all the laws of the mitzvos of the impurity of a niddah, a zavah, and a woman who has given birth.

In Maseches Kerisos, there is also a section of the laws of the impurity of a woman who has given birth.

Maseches Negaim includes all the laws of the afflictions of a person, a garment, and a house.

Maseches Zavim includes all the laws of a zav, a zavah, and semen.

Maseches Ohalos includes all the laws of the impurity of a corpse.

Maseches Parah includes the laws of the waters of a niddah, for impurifying and for purifying.

But the impurity of a carcass and the impurity of a creeping creature do not have tractates dedicated to them; rather, their laws are scattered in various places in this order, most of them in Maseches Keilim and Taharos.

And many questions of this kind are also discussed in Maseches Eduyos.

And we have already explained this entire order, that is, the order of Taharos. Meaning, there is no need to consult any other book with it regarding any matter of impurity and purity.