After sexual contact, what is required for both partners to do according to the text?

• A. They shall fast for three days.
• B. They shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening.
• C. They shall recite a purification prayer.
• D. They shall isolate themselves for seven days.

Answer: (B)

Ritual purity after sexual contact requires both partners to bathe themselves in water and remain unclean until the evening. The text treats sexual activity as creating ceremonial impurity, and the specified remedy is washing with water and waiting until sunset to be considered clean again. This shows impurity here is a ceremonial state rather than a moral judgment, with cleansing completed only after the day ends. The other options don’t match what the text prescribes for this situation.