Jews have always been a very clean people. We were so hygienic that when plague struck our gentile neighbors, we were often spared the worst of it. This led to us being blamed for the plague as happened when Black Death struck Europe in the 14th Century. Where did the Jewish value of cleanliness come from long before society around us had any concept of proper hygiene?
A fascinating discussion about Jewish hygiene long before we had any understanding of bacteria viruses or modern biology.