Lutz Doering
pie. One may ask, of course, why Second Passover, for those unable to purify
in a timely way, is not mentioned in Jubilees,^20 but I would urge some cau
tion here: the absence of certain issues may primarily be motivated by liter
ary concerns; Jubilees does not cover every legal detail. Surely, we should not
infer that Jubilees dispenses with "ritual" purity for Passover — the double
reference in Jub 49:9 suggests otherwise.
- Second tithe becomes impure after one year. According to Jub 32:10-14,
second tithe is to be eaten in the temple within one year of its specific "sea
sons" (i.e., firstfruits) for "seed," wine, and oil. V. 13 states that anything left
beyond its respective season ("grows old") is to be viewed as "contaminated"
(se'uba); "it is to be burned up because it has become impure" (rekusa). This
is a different type of purity rule than the ones discussed so far, but it is "rit
ual" in nature. We know about distinct firstfruit festivals for wheat, wine,
and oil from 4Q251 frg. 9 (olim 5) and from nQTa 43:4-10.^21 The continua
tion in nQTa 43 :11-12 also provides a parallel to Jubilees' rule on second tithe,
although its unfitness is expressed by a form of ttfTp, here: "to be for
feited."^22 In contrast to rabbinic halakah,^23 Jubilees and nQTa insist on con
sumption of the second tithe "year by year," as specified in Deut 14:22. The
"impurity" (or "forfeiture") of any leftover tithe apparently results from its
missing its proper time, as well as from the mixture between old and new it
implies. - The problem of corpse impurity and the role of the sanctuary for "rit
ual" purity in Jubilees. Somewhat perplexing is the lack of concern for corpse
impurity in the story of Abraham's death and burial in Jub 23:1-7: Jacob is ly
ing in his grandfather's bosom, unaware that he has just passed away, then
realizing he is dead (w. 2-3); even Isaac, rushing to the scene, "fell on his fa
ther's face, cried, and kissed him" (v. 4). However, we need to recall that Jubi
lees closely follows the perspective of the angelic discourse (i.e., at Mount Si- - See the paper by Stephane Saulnier, "Jub 49:1-14 and the Second Passover: How
(and Why) to Do Away with an Unwanted Festival," Hen 31, no. 1 (2009). - Cf. J. M. Baumgarten, "4Q Halakah", the Law of Hadash, and the Pentecontad Cal
endar," JJS 27 (1976): 36-46. However, whereas these texts clearly assume a pentecontad festi
val sequence (cf. nQTa 18-23; 4Q^25 J 9 4-6), there is no such indication in Jubilees. For Jubi
lees' peculiar calendrical agenda, see further the chapter in this volume by Jonathan Ben-
Dov, "Tradition and Innovation in the Calendar of Jubilees." - J. Maier, Die Tempelrolle vom Toten Meer und das "Neue Jerusalem," 3rd ed. (Mu
nich: E. Reinhardt, 1997), 176: "als Heiliges verfallen, tabuisiert, daher auch fur anderweitige
Verwendung unrein," referring to Deut 22:9. - Allowing storage up to three years (m. Maaser Sheni 5:6) and prescribing "poor
tithe" every third year instead (m. Avot 5:9).