Impure people must not enter the Temple

Holiness – קְדֻשָּׁה

• Rambam teaches that holiness requires purity of place and person. Entry of the impure into the Mikdash compromises its sanctity, for Hashem’s Presence dwells only in a space kept wholly distinct from impurity.

Temple – בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ

• Rashi (Num. 5:2) emphasizes that the Temple is Hashem’s dwelling. Impure entry is forbidden to preserve its status as a house of awe, not a place treated like ordinary ground.

Purity – טָהֳרָה

• Sefer HaChinuch explains that the mitzvah trains Israel to prepare spiritually and physically before approaching Hashem. Purity reflects readiness and mindfulness in Divine service.

Impurity from the dead – טֻמְאַת מֵת

• Talmud (Pesachim 67a) rules that entry while defiled by death incurs the most severe penalty, karet. This highlights the deep separation required between the impurity of death and the dwelling of the Divine Presence.

Zav / Zavah / Yoledet – זוֹב / זוֹבָה / יוֹלֶדֶת

• Torah law excludes those experiencing bodily emissions or post-childbirth impurity. Their exclusion underscores that holiness demands stability and purification before entry.

Leprosy laws – מְּצוֹרָע

• Metzora’im are barred from the Mikdash entirely, showing that visible impurity cannot coexist with holiness until purification is complete.

Reverence – יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם

• Ramban stresses that awe is cultivated by restricting access. Knowing one cannot enter while impure deepens respect for Hashem’s house.

Justice – צֶדֶק

• The prohibition applies equally to all people — kohen, Levite, or Israelite. This equality shows that Hashem’s justice is universal: all must respect the sanctity of His dwelling.

Bein Adam L’Makom – בֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם

• This mitzvah embodies Israel’s covenant with Hashem: His Presence rests among them only when they approach in purity and reverence, never in defilement.