Similarly, with regard to Divine retribution as a whole, it is written: “Your evil will chastise you,” i.e., the suffering visited upon man is a natural consequence of sin. This principle also applies with regard to the punishment Chavah received, the niddah state. This punishment is a direct result of the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge. The evil created through the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge becomes the blood which renders a woman a niddah. Therefore the woman becomes ritually impure.
The Jewish people are “a holy nation”; and each individual is entirely good. This applies not only with regard to the G-dly soul, but also with regard to the animal soul. By nature, the animal soul has no desire for forbidden things. (On the contrary, its inherent desires focus only on things which are permitted.) Therefore as soon as bodily evil becomes a significant entity, a Jewish body cannot hold it within itself and discharges it.
Nevertheless, the very fact that evil exists within a Jewish body is a sign that something is lacking (the lack having been caused by the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge). Therefore the person is deemed impure.
The Ultimate Analogy
There is a debate among the Rabbis as to whether the prohibition against marital relations while a woman is in the niddah state is a side effect of her impure status or a separate prohibition. There is strong support for the second approach.
Man and woman, all the elements of their being, and all the laws applying to them, are a manifestation of the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people. For they, like every other entity in this world, are an echo of their spiritual source.
Extending the above analogy, the niddah state refers to Jews in a state of sin, when they are banished from their natural home. While in this state, there are aspects which relate to the concept of impurity. Nevertheless, with regard to establishing a connection with G-d — the fundamental desire of every Jew and the objective of his observance of the Torah and its mitzvos — the obstacle is not one of impurity, but rather a prohibition.
Distinctions Between Prohibitions and Impurity
The distinction between a prohibition and impurity can be explained as follows: Prohibitions guard against a type of evil that can be appreciated by mortal intellect or emotion. For example, forbidden foods dull the sensitivity of the heart and mind. Even when exceptions are allowed, e.g., a pregnant woman who smells the fragrance of forbidden food and is aroused, and is therefore granted permission to taste it, partaking of such food still imparts undesirable tendencies.
