The Carcases of Clean Beasts Render Unclean Whoever Touches Them (Leviticus 11:39-40).
“And if any beast, of which you may eat, die; he who touches its carcase shall be unclean until the even. And he who eats its carcase shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even, he also who carries the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.”
Even the carcasses of clean animals that have died are unclean. They have then left their proper sphere. Death makes them unclean. For death is finally at the root of all uncleanness. Elsewhere the differing kinds of death are mentioned. For example when the animal had been torn in the field by a carnivorous beast (Exodus 22:31), it should be cast to the wild dogs gathered outside the camp. It was likely to be infected. But when it had died a natural death, or had been carried off by disease (Deuteronomy 14:21) it could be sold to ‘aliens'. This latter may be partly because of the prohibition against eating blood. But all death is to be avoided. And to touch it is to be made unclean until the evening. And to eat it or to carry it requires that their clothes be washed in water, (they could not eat them without the preparations involving their touching their clothes). Then all are unclean until the evening.
As the dead animal might well be dead because of disease, or may have had time to begin to decay, or may already have been attacked by scavengers and vermin, this was clearly a wise provision. But such carcasses could be sold for food to non-Israelites who were not effected by the regulations for ritual uncleanness. They were not bound by the Law. These would not like to see them being wasted and might well beg to be allowed to eat them. Eating meat was a comparatively rare treat, and they would get them on the cheap. But the stipulation clearly expects that even some Israelites will remove these dead carcasses, and eat them, although it is to be seen as not worthy of one who belongs to God. The truly pure in Israel would not do so. The penalty is a short period of uncleanness which would not concern the less devout, although if disease was there the ‘penalty' might turn out to be greater. It is different with ‘abominations'. They are not to be touched at all.