Tumas Meis
14. Para aduma ashes. The only way to become tahor from tumas meis is by getting sprinkled with spring water mixed with ashes of a para aduma on the third and seventh day of one’s tumah. Then, the person goes to the mikvah and waits for sunset. Today, everyone, including Kohanim, is assumed to be tamei meis (שו''ת חת''ס יו''ד סי' ש''מ אות א' ד''ה טומאה נמשכת ), and we cannot become tahor with the ashes of a para aduma today. Thus, there is no way today for people with tumas meis to enter the area of the Azara [by force of an issur d’oraisa] or the Ezras Nashim and Cheil [by force of an issur d’rabanan].
Tumah Due to Bodily Emissions
15. Various tumos. There are many halachos about becoming tahor from tumos due to bodily emissions, i.e., zav, zava, nidda, yoledes (כלים פ''א מ''ח ), baal keri (גמ' פסחים דף ס''ז ע''ב, חסדי דוד פיה''א לתוספתא כלים עמ' י', משנה למלך ביה הבחירה פ''ו ט''ו, פאת השלחן ג' י''א, מנחת חינוך מצ' תקס''ה ), and poletes (מנחת חינוך מצ' ק''פ, ומסתפק במצ' קפ''א ). These people require a tahara process to allow them to go to a spot on Har HaBayis that definitely does not have the kedusha category of the Azara (see above, 10). As we mentioned, even after tahara, it is assur to enter the area of the Azara itself, because we are all tamei meis, which requires ashes of the para aduma for tahara (above, 14).
16. Tahara process. Since the tahara process is complex, involving serious halachos, most of which are not relevant in practice on a day-to-day basis – unlike in the time of the Beis HaMikdash, when everyone lived with hilchos tumah v’tahara deeply involved in their lives – most people today are not familiar with the halachos and their details. Some tumos require seven clean days, some require tevila in a spring specifically, and as tevilos d’oraisa, all of them require chafifa and immense preperation. Hence, it is very difficult to rely on the tahara the average person does to enter Har HaBayis, as people easily err and leave out small details of the tahara process. We spoke with some of them, and they did not know anything about the proper tahara process; they toiveled the same way people toivel in the morning before Shacharis, which does not usually suffice for a tevila d’oraisa for the area of the Beis HaMikdash.
17. T’vul yom. Also, for some tumos, even if one toiveled properly, he still has the status of a t’vul yom until sunset of that day, and there are some areas on Har HaBayis where a t’vul yom may not enter. They are certainly not careful about this.
18. Tamei clothing. Also, one may not enter the area of the Azara itself with tamei clothing or items (אבני נזר יו''ד סי' תנ''ב, מנ''ח מ' שס''ג ). Har HaBayis is subject to a machlokes Tannaim (תוספתא סוף פ''א כלים ). These people are certainly not careful to purify their clothing, some of which have the status of being tamei (מו''ר בעל שבט הקהתי ).
19. Women. Tahara for a woman is much more complicated than for a man. All poskim hold women may not go onto Har HaBayis, even to the areas where a man may go if he is meticulous about tahara. This also proves that the people who go up to Har HaBayis do not care in the slightest about caution for halacha and safeguarding the Torah, as they also encourage women to go up, in complete opposition to the Torah and the Chachomim.
