[Avodah] Why is the tooth different from all other body parts

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Wolberg quoted a Gemara about tumah:
>  The exceptions to this rule are the teeth, hair and fingernails
> and toenails that have become detached from the corpse.

and then asked:
> Does anyone know WHY the detached tooth doesn't cause impurity?

I was unaware of this halacha until you posted it, so I really have no authority here, but just from the other examples -- hair, fingernails, toenails -- here is my guess: All these are body parts which normally become detached from the body after some amount of time, so I suppose they are not really considered human enough to be m'tamay, at least not after they've been detached from the corpse.

I freely admit that hair and nails are detached FAR more frequently than teeth are, but still, I can't think of any other body part which is ever detached at all. (Except for maybe tiny bits of skin after an injury. And here's an interesting question: Suppose feces comes out of the corpse: Is it m'tamay? My guess is that it would not be, but that this is so obvious that the gemara did not bother to list it with the teeth, hair and nails.)

Another possiblity is that even prior to the person's death, these body parts are not considered alive, and so without any cessation of life in those parts, questions of tumah don't even begin. My understanding of modern medical science is that teeth are much more alive than hair or nails, but I can see how Chazal might not have seen it that way.

Akiva Miller
_____________________________________________________________
Click for free home mortgage rates from top companies. 
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3m36j8867VbVu6EJvNIuLlp3hDh7iw2tqXfeWJWbbBQuJHlg/?count=1234567890