09-01-2007, 09:47 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-24-2011, 07:13 PM by Director Michael.)
To explain this in a simple and straightforward way:
On a scriptural basis, ALL of the Torah's many laws of ritual "purity" ("taharah" in Hebrew) apply only to Jews. A Gentile woman does not become scripturally impure due to her menstruation, so this is not an issue at all. The spiritual "impurity" ("tumah" in Hebrew) that is decreed by G-d upon Jews due to certain physical circumstances serves to restrict them from entering the precincts of the Holy Temple, or eating from the holy Temple sacrifices, until they undergo some specific purification procedure.
Gentiles do not become spiritually impure from menstruation, and there is no sin involved for them if they engage in relations during that condition.
The act of relations during the "niddah" impurity was mentioned along with the categories of forbidden sexual partners to teach the Jews that for them, G-d considers these as two categories of Jewish sins which are on a par. Furthermore, once a Jewish woman menstruates, she remains continuously in the "niddah impurity" with no time limit, even after her menstruation (bleeding) ends, and marital relations remain forbidden under the very same commandment until such time as she undergoes the Jewish ritual purification procedure.
(Note that the very act of marital relations always renders both the Jewish man and the Jewish woman spiritually impure, with a different category of tumah.)
On the other hand, the act of relations during the menstruation (bleeding) itself is a repulsive type of behavior. Jews are commanded in general to be "holy," which includes refraining from engaging in repulsive acts. There is no such commandment upon Gentiles, but it is a good thing to aspire to, and the Noahides who do may benefit in their own sense of self-respect and also in their health and in their marital harmony.
The basic reason that G-d commanded the Jews to remove the Canaanites from the Land of Israel is because they were steeped in idolatry, not because of the repulsiveness of other particular actions which were not violations of the seven Noahide Commandments.
On a scriptural basis, ALL of the Torah's many laws of ritual "purity" ("taharah" in Hebrew) apply only to Jews. A Gentile woman does not become scripturally impure due to her menstruation, so this is not an issue at all. The spiritual "impurity" ("tumah" in Hebrew) that is decreed by G-d upon Jews due to certain physical circumstances serves to restrict them from entering the precincts of the Holy Temple, or eating from the holy Temple sacrifices, until they undergo some specific purification procedure.
Gentiles do not become spiritually impure from menstruation, and there is no sin involved for them if they engage in relations during that condition.
The act of relations during the "niddah" impurity was mentioned along with the categories of forbidden sexual partners to teach the Jews that for them, G-d considers these as two categories of Jewish sins which are on a par. Furthermore, once a Jewish woman menstruates, she remains continuously in the "niddah impurity" with no time limit, even after her menstruation (bleeding) ends, and marital relations remain forbidden under the very same commandment until such time as she undergoes the Jewish ritual purification procedure.
(Note that the very act of marital relations always renders both the Jewish man and the Jewish woman spiritually impure, with a different category of tumah.)
On the other hand, the act of relations during the menstruation (bleeding) itself is a repulsive type of behavior. Jews are commanded in general to be "holy," which includes refraining from engaging in repulsive acts. There is no such commandment upon Gentiles, but it is a good thing to aspire to, and the Noahides who do may benefit in their own sense of self-respect and also in their health and in their marital harmony.
The basic reason that G-d commanded the Jews to remove the Canaanites from the Land of Israel is because they were steeped in idolatry, not because of the repulsiveness of other particular actions which were not violations of the seven Noahide Commandments.