“This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days.
—Numbers 19:14

This is kind of beautiful. The point of the cleanliness laws is not to avoid uncleanliness at all costs. To be unclean is not a failure. In fact, in these verses it seems like to become unclean is the obedient, loving thing to do. Impurity is not something to be avoided at all costs and to focus your entire life around, but to be acknowledged clearly and addressed appropriately. I can’t imagine that the more obedient response here would be to leave the body rotting in the tent.

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