In Jewish religious law, there is a category of specific Jewish purity laws, defining what is ritually impure or pure: αΉum'ah and αΉaharah are the state of being ritually "impure" and "pure", respectively. The Hebrew noun αΉum'ah, meaning "impurity", describes a state of ritual impurity. A person or object which contracts αΉum'ah is said to be αΉamΓ©, and thereby unsuited for certain holy activities and uses until undergoing predefined purification actions that usually include the elapse of a specified time period.