448. Physical and Ritual Cleanliness

Tefillin, Mezuzah v’Sefer Torah 10:7

One may not engage in marital relations in a room with a sefer Torah until he removes it, separates from it by using a partition that is at least ten handbreadths high (about 30 inches), or places the Torah in a case and then places that in a second case that is not designated to hold a Torah. If a case is intended to hold a sefer Torah, then even ten such cases one inside the next would be considered like a single case. All this is when no other room is available. If another room is available, one may not engage in marital relations until he removes the sefer Torah.

Tefillin, Mezuzah v’Sefer Torah 10:8

Words of Torah are not susceptible to ritual impurity. Therefore, an impure people, including but not limited to menstruant women and non-Jews, may hold sifrei Torah and read them. This applies only when one's hands are physically clean. If a person’s hands are physically dirty, he must wash them before handling the Torah.