קומראן והאיסיים: שישה תחומי טומאה וטהרה

The author identifies the obsessive observance of their peculiar purity laws as the most important element in Essenism. These laws, compounded by a belief in double predestination, created a broad gap between the Essenes and their Jewish brethren, to say nothing of the rest of the world. As compared to the purity laws observed by practically every human society, and certainly by normative Judaism (i.e., pharisaic, rabbinic), the Essene laws were extremely stringent, absolute, and supererogatory. Several dozen such laws, all of which are more stringent than the similar rabbinic ones, can be enumerated. By way of example, Essene law places draconic limitations on the permissible means of saving life on the Sabbath: no ropes or ladders could be used. The definitions of purity and impurity presented here are broader than the ones current in Dead Sea Scrolls research. The author submits that the Essenes regarded any breach of their halakha as causing defilement. Various purity laws adhered to by the Essenes are reviewed here, grouped according to six categories: bed, table, body, space, time, and means of purification.