CHAPTER 14
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "This shall be the instruction in regard to the leper [m'tzora'] on the day of his ritual purification: he shall be brought to the priest [cohen].
Leper: About this skin disease which differs from the leprosy we know today, Rabbi Mordecai Kamenetzy writes: "The discoloration of skin does not necessarily reflect a chemical impropriety or a nutritional deficiency. It is a heavenly sign of a spiritual flaw, primarily … a disease that afflicts a gossip. The one in question must go to the cohen (priest) who instructs him in the proper procedure to rid himself of both the blemish and the improper behavior that caused its appearance." Cohen literally means "one who officiates". The reason one has been placed outside the camp was because this skin disease revealed that one had not properly recognized his place under authority. It is a reminder of Adam and Chawwah’s sin, which got them put outside His first “camp”. There is a high price to pay if one arrogantly chooses where he really has no choice. No minimum amount of time is given for which the m'tzora' needs to stay outside the camp, because some people respond quickly to the need to repent, while others continue to find excuses to be bitter about the “unfairness” of this situation. The purpose of being there is not an exercise in embarrassment, but so that he might be taught and become clean. Those put outside the camp are vulnerable, but if they look after each other, this is a step toward their cure. (2 Kings 7) He has already been examined several times before being put outside, because he did not examine himself well enough. Undoubtedly he has now been examining his lesions every day to see whether they have been clearing up. This is the day he starts to remove his uncleanness, though it, too, will be an extensive process.
3. "And the cohen shall go out to the outside of the camp, and the cohen shall inspect [him], and if the plague of leprosy [tzara'ath] is indeed healed in the metzora',
How can the leper who is banished outside the camp (later, the city) come to the cohen? He did not stay very far from the protection of the gate, but could not come in while in this state. The cohen, who does not normally leave the holy precinct, mercifully comes just outside to meet him.
4. "then the cohen shall [give the] command that two live birds which are clean, [some] cedar wood, crimson scarlet, and hyssop be brought for him who is to be ritually purified.
Give the command: Up to this point, the cohen performed the duties himself; now he is delegating, in part because he would not directly touch the m'tzora' himself. "Clean": This would seem redundant, because no ritually unclean animal is ever to be slaughtered in the Temple. But the m'tzora', being unclean himself, needed the extra reminder that his substitute could not be in the same condition as himself, but, like a kinsman redeemer, had to have at least one foot on solid ground to be able to pull him out of his condition. "Twin" birds (see v. 6), cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop are the same elements used in sanctifying the ashes of a red heifer (Numbers 19:6) which was the only way the high priest could be set apart in order to begin making others holy--for everyone, even the priests, started out in the same spiritual condition that the leper symbolizes. Scarlet thread was one of the gifts requested from the Egyptians (Exodus 25). It was made from the crushed bodies of a worm. Though not kosher to eat, this worm is a fine example of selflessness, because the mother attaches herself to a tree to shield her young when they are born, and she never again leaves the spot. When the Temple stood, YHWH’s people were called “living stones” which are to be built together into His dwelling place. At the time Moshe gave this command, the Dwelling Place was a tent, but one of its coverings was made entirely of wool dyed with this crimson scarlet. So the use of this component might serve the same purpose—to remind the m'tzora' that he is just one part of a larger dwelling, and not the only consideration, for he acted on his own personal ambition alone. Hyssop is a plant with many healing properties; it is sometimes used to treat nervous exhaustion, infections (as a natural antibiotic), overwork, anxiety, and to make one alert again. It both readily absorbs liquids and readily gives it back out--a wonderful picture of the type of Torah students we should be. It would be ideal for dipping in the blood and spattering it. It is what was used to "paint" the Passover lamb's blood on the doors in Egypt. The stick may be to attach the hyssop and possibly other components so that the priest can carry out these orders without touching the person directly and thus becoming ritually defiled for a day himself. These same items (with a feather substituted for the live birds), possibly since they are involved in getting rid of a particular sin, later came to be used in the ritual of getting the last leaven out of our houses before Passover.
5. "Then the cohen shall [give the] command that one of the birds be slaughtered in an earthen vessel, over running water,
Running water: literally “living water”—not susceptible to ritual impurity itself (11:36), and the type of water required (by tradition) in a ritual immersion site.
6. "and [that the] living bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet, and the hyssop be taken and dipped (the living bird included) in the blood of the slaughtered bird, over the running water.
The two birds (and, according to the Mishnah, as identical as possible, like the two goats at Yom haKippurim) both represent the one bringing the offering: blood (atonement as well as dying to our selfishness) is required, but then he is set free from that selfishness (v. 7). The text does not specify wool dyed with scarlet, so it may simply be that some dye was put in this mixture to make the bird continue to appear bright red after it dries, because blood alone, when dried, would end up much darker.
7. "Then he must spatter it seven times on the one who is to be ritually purified from his leprosy, then he can pronounce him ritually clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
David prays, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51) In this context (which has strong Passover overtones after David took a "single lamb" that had been raised in the household of another and reaped the Passover plague of the death of his firstborn by Uriah's wife), he asks YHWH to cleanse his innermost, hidden parts--again, as a dove's feather is used to sweep the hidden leaven onto a cedar wood spoon at Passover. Let loose: like the scapegoat at Yom Kippur, but possibly for a different purpose. Yeshua sent his “Body” into the world (which he said the field represents--Matt. 13:38), since Efrayim was scattered there, intermingled with the nations and needing to be brought back. The pronunciation here is the completion only of the first “wash cycle”, just as when Yeshua healed some lepers, he told them to go and follow the rest of these instructions and offer the gifts Moshe prescribed as a testimony. (Mat. 8) He could heal, but it was not his job to pronounce someone clean; only the priest can do that. Instead he gave the command, “Be cleansed.” Only the one in the process of healing can complete that task. The former m'tzora' is now “clean” on one level, but being healed is not enough; there is still a process to undergo before he can be fully integrated back into the community, which is the real goal of his cleansing:
8. "Then the one who is to be ‘cleansed’ must launder his garments, shave [off] all his hair, and wash himself with water; then he will be ‘clean’. After that, he may enter the camp, but must live on the outside of his tent for seven days.
He is allowed back into the camp for protection from enemies or predators, but the congregation does not receive from him yet. The tent is one's own place or station within the community--his gifting, which is to be used for the whole. But since he was punished for wanting someone else's place, for a time he is not allowed to even utilize his own gifts. He may not be intimate with his wife yet, because at this stage he might still render anyone who touches him unclean. With all his hair shaved off, it is easy to see if the leprosy comes back. He would undoubtedly not be left completely exposed to rain or snow, but might have been housed in a special tent with others in the same situation as he. During the daytime, the sides of the tent would be rolled up to allow air flow, so he would not be hidden away. People who might not have noticed that he was gone from the camp, especially if it was only for a short time, would now be able to see that he had been a metzora'. He is thus publicly shamed after his selfish actions, but there is additional time given to think about what he has done wrong; if he gets the point, YHWH will fully remove the plague from him. The m'tzora' now loses all his hair--a picture of removing the particular aspect of self that ruled over us. During our current waiting period of growth and sanctification, we have to remain faithful until the kingdom comes. Then there will be an even greater putting away of self:
9. "But on the seventh day, what must take place is that he will shave all his hair--[from] his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. That's right, he shall shave [off] every hair. Then he shall launder his cloak and wash his flesh with water; then he will be ‘clean'.
This is the second “wash cycle”. Hair (sa'ar) in Hebrew stems from a root meaning "dread"; the hair stands up when one is very afraid. So part of the process of an unclean (selfish) person's healing is removing all his fear and the insecurities that misdirect his path. It is also the surrender of his egotism, and symbolizes a complete break with the past. (Hirsch) Beard: his authority is taken away, because he wanted someone else's authority, and this is why he was struck with the leprosy. The Hebrew word for "cloak" (beged) has the connotation of "treachery" and "deceit", as it often does in English, because clothes are a "cover-up", only used because of Adam and Chawwah's sin. These, too, must be cleansed so that they are only used for the right reasons. Having to live outside the tent, exposed and accountable to all, is the same procedure followed when a Nazir (who takes a special vow of holiness) finishes his time of separation. (Numbers 6:18) One was set apart for a particular task, the other because of his selfishness. Now both are restored to being ordinary citizens. The path to cleansing is to become more like a Nazir—making a greater commitment to the Kingdom, having seen where one was lacking and therefore readier to do something specific about it.
10. "Then on the eighth day, he shall select two male lambs--perfect ones--and one ewe a year old, [also] a perfect one, and three tenths [of a measure] of flour mixed with oil, as well as one log of oil [as] a grain offering.
Psychologists say it takes 21 days to change a habit, and that is pretty close to the length of this whole process, especially if there was doubt as to the diagnosis at first. Three-tenths of a measure: estimated to be about 6 quarts. Log: A unit of liquid measure equivalent to approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of a liter (roughly one pint). Being purified is an expensive task, and it must be repeated at higher levels since there are things in us that need changing but which we cannot yet see. Eighth day: symbolic of the finalization of what has been accomplished during the seven days so it can be rendered permanent.
11. "Then the cohen who is ritually purifying the one who is to be ‘cleansed' shall stand with them before YHWH at the entryway to the Tent of Appointment.
12. "And the cohen shall take one of the male lambs and bring it near along with the log of oil as a guilt offering, and wave them as a wave offering before YHWH.
13. "And he shall slaughter the lamb in the place where he had slaughtered the sin offering and the ascending [burnt] offering—in a set-apart place, because, [just] like the sin offering, the guilt offering is for the priest; it is most holy.
The guilt offering is brought because of a misuse of something set apart by YHWH—which includes how we treat the rest of Israel, a whole people whom He has set apart for Himself. Most holy: i.e., it can only be eaten by certain select people in particular places.
14. "Then the cohen shall take [some] of the blood of the guilt offering, and the cohen shall put [it] on the tip of the right ear of the one who is to be ritually purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot.
The repentant m’tzora’ is not only restored, but greatly elevated--to a place of service. This is exactly the same procedure used to consecrate the priesthood (8:23; Exodus 29:20). The most holy and the repentant sinner are on the very same ground before YHWH (because the same blood needed to be applied to both) and equal members of the same community. The priest serves in the sanctuary; the m’tzora’ returns to his own tent, symbolic of the camp to which he is again attached. He sanctifies his ear for listening, his hand for doing holy deeds, and his foot for a holy walk [lifestyle]. A priest is the servant of all--the most highly exalted, higher even than the nazir, but if we respond with the same kind of commitment after our time outside the camp, it has truly accomplished its purpose. The m’tzora’s downfall was desiring inordinate power, so the priest demonstrates to him what true authority means. (Rom. 12:3ff) Imagine the psychological lift this would bring him after the guilt and depression that had to result from being separated from the community and out from under its protection. "He who is forgiven much loves much" (Luke 7:47), so even the former leper can become the greatest in the kingdom.
15. "Then the cohen shall take [some] from the log of oil and pour it into the cohen's left palm,
Left palm: a symbol of the evil inclination being used by his better one, because his leprosy has taught him what not to be; thus it made him better.
16. "and the cohen shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left palm, and with his finger [he] shall sprinkle the oil seven times before YHWH.
17. "And the rest of the oil that is in his palm, the cohen shall put on the lobe of the right ear of the one who is to be ritually purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
18. "And [any] oil that remains on the palm of the cohen he shall place on the head of the one who is to be ritually purified. Thus the cohen shall effect a covering over him before YHWH.
This completes the third “wash cycle”. There is a way out, but each level costs him more than the previous—which should be a deterrent to allowing ourselves to get ourselves into such a mess to begin with. Oil: symbolic of another honor: great exaltation for those who thus humble themselves, confess, and submit to the prescribed treatment, for oil is used for the anointing of a king, who is given the unique privilege of searching out what YHWH has hidden (Prov. 25:2), as well as (and more primarily) the priest, who makes the final rulings for all Israel (Mal. 2:7; Deut. 17:8-12).
19. "Then the cohen shall make a sin offering, and make atonement for one who is to be ritually purified from his uncleanness. And afterwards he shall slaughter the ascending offering,
The sin offering deals with how one violated the Torah. The ascending offering is to recognize what we have done, certify that we have done something about it, and recognize YHWH as King over every aspect of life so we can rise back out of our error. Note the order. YHWH is more concerned that we deal with how we misused the unity of Israel even before we deal with breaking one of His commandments. This is how seriously He takes the way we treat one another.
20. "And the cohen shall offer the ascending offering and the grain offering on the altar; thus the cohen shall make atonement for him, and he shall be ritually purified.
Now his purification and restoration to the community is complete. This may seem excessive, but how many times must we overcome our selfishness before we are truly selfless?
21. "Now if he is poor and his hand is not able to reach [this], then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering, to be waved, to make atonement for himself and one tenth part of flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and a log of oil,
Hand is not able to reach: I.e., he has no way to acquire this, whether due to the cost or not knowing where to get it. The main point is not so much what he brings as that he brings what he can. On the other hand, we could always claim we could not afford something, so there is a limit to how we can define “reach”, because if we are allowed to decide how much is enough, our own priorities are likely to take precedence. There is a difference between “Will I be able to do this and still eat today?” and “Can I do this and still have savings in the bank?” Even if one truly cannot bring a lot, he is expected to not bring too little. So two turtledoves alone will not do; if we are able to sell one or more of our possessions to procure it, it is indeed within our reach. YHWH has a special mercy for the truly poor, but the lamb can never be missing from a guilt offering-- even if the reason we sinned was that we were "victimized" and "could not avoid it". Even if we have not had work for a long time, having been outside the camp, we must find a way to procure one, no matter what else we have to sacrifice to do so. It is never as costly as it would be to remain selfish, because then we never get back into the camp. The more we put it off and keep seeking self, the more debt we amass, and eventually it will become too high to ever repay.
22. "and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever his hand is able to reach; one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
Whichever: One type of bird or the other may have been more available in some locations than in others, or the price may have been very different.
23. "And he shall bring them to the cohen at the entryway to the Tent of Appointment on the eighth day for his purification.
24. "Then the cohen shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the cohen shall wave them as a wave offering before YHWH;
Wave: swing to and fro, in the case of the lamb, to highlight what one is doing for those who witness it.
25. "Then he shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering, and the cohen shall take [some] of the blood of the guilt offering, and shall put [it] on the lobe of the right ear of the one who is to be ritually purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot.
26. "And the cohen shall pour the oil on the cohen's left palm,
27. "And with his right finger the cohen shall sprinkle [some] of the oil which is on his left palm seven times before YHWH.
28. "And the cohen shall put some of the oil that is on his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one who is to be ritually purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot, at the [same] place where the blood of the guilt offering [is].
29. "And the rest of the oil that is on the cohen's palm he shall place on the head of the one who is to be ritually purified in order to make atonement for him before YHWH.
30. "Then he shall offer one of the turtledoves or pigeons--whichever his hand can reach--
31. "one of whatever his hand has been able to reach he shall [use as] a sin offering, and the other as an ascending offering, in addition to the food offering. Thus the cohen shall effect a covering for one who is to be ritually purified before YHWH.
32. "This is the instruction regarding him in whom [there is] a mark of tzara'ath, whose hand could not reach his purification."
33. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying,
34. "When you enter the land of Kanaan, which I am giving to you as a [heritable] possession, and [find that] I have placed the mark of tzara'ath in a house in the land of your possession,
"House-leprosy": a "gift" from YHWH that comes with the territory of His blessing. While one might have inherited the house from the Kanaanites, this leprosy was not in the house as the result of something they did. It is a supernatural occurrence—something YHWH does to teach us something. A Midrash says the house-leprosy is sent first as a warning that one is in danger of being struck by bodily leprosy as well. Normally anything made of stone is considered ritually clean. But stones in a house are different--they are individual components of a larger picture.
35. "and the owner of the house shall come and report to the cohen [priest], ‘It appears to me [that there is something] like a plague in the house',
The process only works if the one in charge of the house
confesses that there is something wrong.
36. "then the cohen shall give the order, and they shall
clear out the house before the cohen comes in so that
everything that is in the house will not becoming ritually
defiled, and afterwards the cohen shall come in to inspect
the house.
He is given the benefit of the doubt until the proof is produced. Nothing in the house becomes unclean until the priest declares it so, highlighting the fact that ritual defilement is not a physical thing, but something deeper, from a place where the cohen has authority. The Midrash says this is about the person who refuses to lend to his neighbor because he "doesn't have enough" (in direct violation of Deut. 15:7-11; compare Prov. 3:28). When his possessions are placed out in the open and everyone, including the one he declined to help, can see how much he really has, his closed-heartedness becomes evident to all.
37. "And he shall look at the mark, and if the mark is indeed in the walls of the house with hollow depressions, [either] pale greenish-yellow or reddish, which are visibly deeper than the wall-surface,
Hollow depressions: or "ingrained streaks"--something acidic is eating away at the stone itself. This corresponds with the tzara'ath that is "deeper than the skin" (13:4). Here one is given over to his selfishness. He wanted to act on his own, so he is put in a place where he can be as selfish as he wants--by himself:
38. "Then the cohen shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shall close up the house for seven days.
39. "Then the cohen shall return on the seventh day, and look [at it]. And if the mark has indeed spread in the walls of the house,
40. "then the cohen shall command that they remove the stones which have the mark in them, and throw them into a ritually-impure place outside the city.
The removed stones are like the branches that are cut out of the olive tree and replaced by engrafted ones, so that the tree itself may be preserved. (Romans 11) A ritually-impure place: one that has not been cleaned up for a set-apart purpose, but is left in its natural state—“ground you would not eat off”—or even cordoned off like a biohazard zone, and this will only make it more so.
41. "Then he shall have the house scraped from inside and on every side, and they shall dump the debris that they have scraped off outside the city at a ritually impure place.
The whole house needs to be cleaned out. It is put in a place where men should not go, so they will not be defiled by it.
42. "And they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and bring different mortar and plaster the house.
Plaster: coat or overlay.
43. "Now if the mark returns and breaks out in the house after he has removed the stones, and after he has scraped the house, and after it has been plastered,
44. "then the cohen shall come and inspect [it], and behold, if the plague has [continued to] spread in the house, it is an active tzara'ath in the house; it is unclean.
Active: malignant, corroding, prickly, or irritating. This parallels a heresy that is established as a doctrine, like Marcion's (which said the Elohim of the Jews was not the same as that of Christians) and Constantine's (which cast a Gentile, even pagan, slant on YHWH), which thus infected the whole house.
45. "Then he shall tear down the house--its stones, its timbers, and all the mortar of the house--and he shall carry them outside the city to a ritually unclean place.
Plastering over is only allowed once. A fruitless tree is given a second try, but is cut down if it does not produce when conditions are optimized. (Luke 13:8) The "house" in which the disease has already spread too far will "have its candlestick removed" (Rev. 2:5) This is the price one has to pay for not taking care of his neighbor. On the other hand, the Kanaanites were famous for hiding their wealth within their walls, so if one obeys this command even when it would seem to portend his ruin, he may find some and be blessed by being able to build a bigger and better house, in addition to being able to help his needy neighbor!
46. "And whoever goes into the house on any of the days [when] he has closed it up shall be ritually defiled until the evening,
Just being in a selfish household renders us defiled as well. The term for “tear down” in verse 45 actually indicates that it is a breaking out, to be done from within. Yeshua said not one stone of the Temple would remain on top of another. (Mark 13:2) He was alluding directly to the “leprosy” that was eating away at His Father’s House. By tradition, the Temple was destroyed not because Babylon or Rome had developed new weaponry, but because brother hated brother without cause. It was broken down from the inside. Everyone wanted to argue with his neighbor rather than listening to YHWH’s spokesmen. The first stage of this process began while Yeshua was there and he cleansed it of merchants at least twice. After he went unheeded, for the next 40 years, the scarlet cord did not turn white at Ym haKippurim as it had in previous years to indicate YHWH’s acceptance of the offerings. Indeed, for centuries after this, it was indeed off limits to us. But on a deeper level, we are called the Temple of YHWH. (1 Cor. 3:16) As long as there are things among YHWH’s people that are not from YHWH, there is tzara’ath in His House.
47. "and whoever lies down inside the house shall launder his clothes; whoever eats in the house must launder his clothes.
Lying down and eating are pictures of intimacy and fellowship. (YHWH requires eating at His festivals and sacrifices.) Clothes: a picture of our works, which must be cleaned up for having been intimately involved with a defiled house. Sometimes there might be no choice but to stay inside a defiled house, if there is no other protection, but there is a price to pay for it.
48. "But if the cohen shall indeed come in and inspect [it], and, behold, the mark has not spread in the house after the house has been plastered, then the cohen shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague has been healed.
Our testing time is almost up, and lo and behold, we are uncovering the foundations of the house and finding it still intact. YHWH promised to leave a remnant, and He was faithful to do so. It is time to rebuild, not selfishly this time, and not according to our own plans (Yirmiyahu 18:12), but seeking each other’s well-being. Even if it is rebuilt, a divided House cannot stand. We are called “living stones”. (1 Kefa 2:5) Even if only a few get out of place, the house will fall.
49. "And he shall select two birds for the ritual purifying of the house, along with cedar wood, scarlet [thread], and hyssop,
Even if nothing is wrong with the house anymore, he does not just leave it alone, because it was once plagued, and so a ceremony must officially change its status.
50. "and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthen vessel over running [living] water,
51. "and he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the living bird, and shall dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the running water, and shall sprinkle [it] on the house seven times.
Can the various components in overcoming this problem be correlated with the different aspects listed in Revelation 12:11?
52. "Thus he shall ritually cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet [thread],
53. "and he must send away the living bird outside of the city into the open field; thus [he] can atone for the house, and it shall be ritually clean.
This is the same ceremony done for the person who is cleansed of tzara’ath:
54. "This is the instruction in regard to every mark of tzara'ath or skin eruption,
55. "as well as for tzara'ath of a garment, or of a house,
56. "and for a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot.
There is a reason for all of these instructions which goes beyond mere epidemiology:
57. "To teach [you] when it is ritually defiled and when it is ritually pure, this is the instruction regarding tzara'ath."
When: literally, the day of… We were born in a day of uncleanness (selfishness), but we are entering a new day in which healing is possible-- the Sabbath millennium, the Kingdom that brings selfishness to a halt with a rod of iron. The order of the wording is important: we must know what to avoid before we learn what to embrace. If we identify what is selfish in ourselves, we can lay a foundation for unselfishness by doing the opposite.
CHAPTER 15
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying,
Usually only Moshe is addressed, but Aharon is now in a position of authority, so YHWH speaks to them both. Moshe represents the civil law aspect of Torah—how we treat our neighbors. Aharon has become the representative of “religious” law—how we relate to YHWH and behave in His presence. What follows is given to both of them, showing that it affects both aspects of Torah society.
2. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, and tell them, ‘When there is a discharge from any man’s flesh, he is ritually unclean because of his flow.
In ancient Israel, this is where a child’s education in the Torah would begin at around age 3. Leviticus Rabbah therefore says, “Let the pure study the laws of purity.” (7:3) The purity laws are an allegory of how our condition affects those around us. Ritual purity (taharah) is a picture of selflessness (not total self-negation or devaluation, or we would be in no position to take care of our fellows, but being committed to one’s neighbor as much as to oneself); ritual impurity (tum’ah) pictures selfishness. YHWH does not want His Land defiled. But even in the Land today, until there is a red heifer slaughtered to sanctify the priesthood, we can never be ritually clean, but adhering as closely to them as we can now not only helps us understand many things YHWH wants to teach us; it is a preparation for the day when we will again need to follow them strictly. They cannot be learned overnight, but by the time our exile is over we must master them. Discharge: oozing or "running issue" (Hirsch)--something organic, not a normal issue like sweat, a runny nose, or bleeding from a wound. This already sounds very distasteful, so we can be sure there is something deeper that we must learn from it. The Hebrew term is zuv. At root it means “to flow freely” or overflow, like a river that has no boundaries and thus runs where it should not. If what exudes from us is from our "flesh"—the metaphor for our fallen natural strength that lacks the whole image of YHWH—its free flow is bound to be impure. Yeshua said it was what comes out of a man's mouth that defiles him, so these are especially pictures of an uncontrolled free flow of one's tongue. "Where words are many, sin is not lacking." (Prov. 10:19)
3. "‘And this will be [the nature of] his ritual uncleanness, whether his flesh runs with his discharge, or whether his body has been stopped up from his discharge, it is his uncleanness;
Whether it comes spewing out or just causes a swelling (like a boil or pus-filled pimple) because it has come to the surface but not come out, there is something hidden beneath the flesh that we or others will eventually encounter. Either way it causes trouble, so it must be dealt with it. This physical ailment is not nearly as harmful as what it pictures: spreading things to people who have no reason to know. As the posters read during World War II, “Loose lips sink ships.” There are many things inside of us—knowledge, secrets, pride, guilt, love, hate, selfishness, or selflessness. They will be manifested in our speech or actions if we “express ourselves”. Sometimes it can be as beautiful as poetry, but we also have much in us that is very disappointing and has no profit whatsoever. “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge properly, but the mouth of fools gushes forth folly.” (Prov. 15:2) Being stopped up could be a picture of anger that festers beneath the surface, or of failing to give a rebuke when it is called for. It stops the flow of communication with YHWH or our brothers. Even if we think it will not be a problem, we must examine what is building up inside of us and ask whether it will build up or tear down those among whom we live. What does not come out can still infect others. There is a time to bring witness against others to the courts, but more often what we hold against others is only damaging. One remedy to this problem is to ask ourselves whether we can simply answer "yes" or "no" without excuses and qualifications. (Mat. 5:37)
4. "‘every bed on which he who has a discharge lies shall be ritually unclean, and anything on which he may sit will be [ritually] unclean.
If you are closely connected with someone with such attitudes, you will “pick them up” also.
5. "‘Thus anyone who touches his bed shall launder his clothes, and shall bathe with water, and shall be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
6. "‘And anyone who sits on anything on which the one who has the discharge has sat must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and shall be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
Unlike the bed (v. 5), touching the chair on which one sat does not make one unclean; in this case one must actually sit where he sat—a picture of taking the same position he took. (Contrast verse 22.)
7. "‘And whoever touches the flesh of him who has the discharge must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and shall be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
Merely brushing by his clothing would apparently not be enough to render one unclean in this case.
8. "‘And if the one who has the issue should spit on someone who is ritually pure, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and shall be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
Spit: the only time in scripture the term for this particular kind of spitting is used. It may simply mean his saliva comes in contact with the person, but someone who wants to shame us also wants to get close enough to do us harm, so we must put up shields of holiness to stay away from such influences, for even indirect encounters with them can affect the whole nation of Israel. If a selfish person so insults one who is not selfish, it makes him think of himself as well, and they are now in the same condition. (Gibor)
9. "‘And any saddle in which the one with the discharge rides shall be unclean,
One might not even see the person and become unclean because of him. You might be the one who carries the blankets that were under his saddle when he stops to lodge for the night! Rachel used this principle as a way to keep her father from finding his household idols. (Gen. 31:35; compare v. 22 below.) Even what this person leaves behind (such as a rumor, which usually becomes more and more poisonous as it spreads) can put another person in the same state as the perpetrator. It is also quite easy to leave a bad attitude behind even when you leave a room, and affect many people.
10. "‘or whoever touches anything that was under him will be [ritually] unclean until the evening, and whoever picks them up must launder his clothes, bathe in water, and be [ritually] unclean until evening.
The discharge is more likely to get on one’s clothes if one picks up the item than if he merely touches it.
11. "‘And whomever the one with the discharge touches (if he has not rinsed off his hands with water) must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.
What emanates from us is powerful and contagious. We must examine what is building up just below the surface and identify what is getting “under our skin” so we can prevent it from gushing out onto others. So what is the solution? Such a simple act as rinsing one’s hands can cancel the spread of the disease! Not even using soap, for the purpose here is not necessarily physical benefit, but to know YHWH better, though the two usually work together. Free-flowing water can nullify the free flow of this oozing uncleanness. Water depicts the Torah, and our hands picture our works. By letting the Torah govern all that we do, we can dam up the flow and prevent spiritual impurity from spreading. While someone may need to help us drain off the “pus” by listening to us vent what has been pent up inside us, there is no reason to let it spew all over everyone. We are sons of laughter (it is our ancestor Yitzhaq’s name), so humor has a large place in our house, but not at our brothers’ expense. The righteous man chooses his words carefully. (Prov. 10:20) He does not just speak whatever comes to mind or what flows from his emotions. Many matches can be made from one tree, but one match can destroy thousands of trees. The one whose flesh oozes uncleanness spreads his bad influence to whomever he affects. Rinsing our hands is also an idiom for repenting of our day-to-day errors and the unavoidable influences in our world. (See Exodus 30:21.)
12. "‘And the earthen vessel that the one with the discharge touches must be broken, but any wooden vessel [that he touches] must be washed off with water.
The porous vessel can absorb the corruption and it becomes part of it; anything it touches can thus be defiled. Wood absorbs much more slowly. Some things cannot be cleaned but must be destroyed. Others must be isolated. This is a picture of putting oneself in a position where he cannot contain whatever infection someone else has given him, whether through gossip or simply through a hurtful reaction to his circumstances. The tree planted by water is a symbol of the righteous, for he stays close to where the defilement can be washed off quickly before it has time to sink in.
13. "‘And when the one with a discharge is cleansed from his flow, then he shall count for himself seven days for his ritual purification, and launder his clothes and bathe his flesh in running water, and he shall be clean.
Again the restoration is a process. He is clean, yet not yet clean. He must be free from the discharge for seven consecutive days before he can be pronounced clean by the officiating priest, and there is more that he must do to get to that point. He must enter into the things this ritual pictures and rearrange his life to actually become selfless. A major change must be made in the flow that comes from within us. Learning to control our tongues will not take place overnight; one act of selflessness at a time is what will get us there. But as in the Temple, where one enters the sanctity of the next court as soon as he enters the gate that leads to it, once we have entered into the commitment to change, we are counted as having accomplished it. Yet we are still on the road; we still have to accomplish it. To be a Hebrew means to be one who crosses over. Tell someone that you have entered into the process. A true friend will hold your feet to the fire.
14. "‘Then on the eighth day he shall select for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before YHWH at the entryway of the Tent of Appointment, and give them to the cohen.
15.
"‘And the cohen shall offer them--one as a sin offering, and the other as an ascending offering. Thus the cohen shall effect a covering for him before YHWH because of his discharge.'"
"‘And the cohen shall offer them--one as a sin offering, and the other as an ascending offering. Thus the cohen shall effect a covering for him before YHWH because of his discharge.'"Even after one is clean, an offering must be brought, because if one does not control his tongue, it is inevitable that he will again “miss the target” (the meaning of “sin”). What comes gushing uncontrolledly out of us can easily make us lose our covering. We cannot sit where anyone else might sit, lest we defile him too. This effectively isolates us. We could argue that YHWH is our covering, but He has chosen to cover Israelites with other Israelites. There are twice as many commands about loving our neighbors as about loving Him. He is intangible; we can only be sure that we really love Him if we love one another. We could say, “He knows I would never do anything to hurt Him”, but if we are expressing our love for Him in ways He does not want, we are in fact hurting Him. The most powerful question we can ask ourselves is “Why am I doing/saying this?” Psalm 15 says the one who can live in YHWH’s presence is the person who speaks truth in his heart—i.e., is honest with himself, but his neighbor as well. When the process is complete, we can indeed receive our covering back.
16. "‘If a man's semen is emitted from him, he shall bathe all his flesh with water, and be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
Not only is semen unhygienic to touch; multiple deaths (of sperm) have occurred, and thus much potential human life “wasted”. Most ritually uncleanness is caused by contact with something dead. In this case, it does not say there will be any ritual consequence if others touch him, but parallel passages lead us to assume that if he is ritually unclean, he can make others that way as well. But the minimal consequence is that this man could not be in the holy precincts. In fact, in second Temple times there was a special gate by which a priest who had a nocturnal emission could exit after bathing, early in the morning before others came in and could be defiled by him.
17. "‘And any garment or any skin onto which the semen comes must be washed with water, and will be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
Skin: animal pelt or leather. Evening: literally, the mixing (of light and darkness)--the onset of a new day. (Gen. 1:5)
18. "‘And any woman with whom a man lies, giving her seed, must bathe in water and be ritually unclean until the evening.
Women often complain that their husbands go right back to their normal business after sexual relations. This is YHWH’s anticipation of women’s needs. He seems to be encouraging husband and wife to remain on and spend this time alone together, since they must both avoid contact with other people at this time.
19. "‘And when a woman experiences a discharge in her body which is a discharge of blood, she shall be kept apart [as impure] for seven days; whoever touches her shall be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
This is her normal menstrual period. Again there is a death of her egg, as well as the impurity of shed blood. A potential life has not come into being. But there is more emphasis on her being set apart to YHWH than on her being unclean per se. It is a time for her to focus on YHWH’s desires more directly than her husband’s. Touches her: if she is the one doing the touching, there might not be the same ritual effect. There is no consequence for her. The emphasis seems to be on learning the discipline of not touching what is off limits to us. Traditionally, this is limited to males who are of age, for requiring young children to stay away from their mother for seven days would be unrealistically burdensome. The man is normally the one who brings the offering to the altar for his family, so it matters more whether he is ritually clean than whether she is.
20. "‘And anything on which she lies during her time of being kept apart shall be [ritually] unclean; anything on which she sits shall also be unclean.
Here, there is no laundering of the things she sits on; they remain defiled only as long as she is. So this is not chiefly a physical spread of disease, but a picture of trying to meddle in things that have nothing to do with us, when YHWH has already given us enough roles to fulfill.
21. "‘And whoever touches what she lies on must launder his clothes and bathe in water, and will be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
22. "‘And whoever touches any article on which she has sat must launder his clothing and bathe [himself] in water, and shall be ritually unclean until the evening.
If we read this in the most liberal terms, this would refer to some of the physical discharge actually getting on his clothing (as in v. 24), but when it actually matters—when there is a sanctuary standing and there would be guilt if one entered wrongly (v. 31)—the most liberal reading might not be sufficient.
23. "‘And if he is on the bed or on the article on which she has sat, upon touching it he shall be ritually unclean until the evening.
24. "But if a man actually lies with her and her menstruous material gets on him, he shall be ritually unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies shall be ritually unclean.
Her impurity is transferred to him, but she has the worse consequence. Numerous studies have shown that pelvic endometriosis is more likely to develop by engaging in sexual relations during menstruation. (Onstott)
25. "‘Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood for an excessive number of days when it is not the time of her being kept apart, or if it flows beyond the time of her being kept apart, all the days of the flow of her impurity shall be just like the days of her being kept apart; it is her impurity.
An excessive number of days: traditionally at least three. This is not her normal menstrual period, or may refer to it extending longer than the norm. It could signify an early miscarriage of a child that she was not yet aware of. Thus this is like the seven-day purification required at the birth of a child.
26. "‘Every bed on which she lies on any of the days of her discharge shall be for her like the bed of her being kept apart, and everything on which she sits shall be [ritually] impure, just like the impurity of her time of being kept apart.
27. "‘And anyone who touches them shall be ritually unclean, and must wash his clothes with water, and shall be [ritually] unclean until the evening.
28. "‘But when she is cleansed from her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and then she shall be ritually pure,
After a woman's defilement is over and she comes back to her husband, it is like another wedding. It is analogous to the counting the seven weeks from the deliverance from Egypt to the wedding beneath Sinai at Shavuot. The death of the firstborn, and so many male Hebrews, in Egypt was an "unusual shedding of blood". So was the lamb's blood being placed on the doorpost. Seven days: Some have taken this to mean that every month the woman is to remain niddah (set apart) for two weeks every month. But this is for abnormal cases; normally it lasts only seven days. (See v. 19.) The second seven days begins only when the unusual flow stops, so the entire time of being separate could, in such cases, be longer than 14 days.
29. "‘and on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two sons of a pigeon, and bring them to the cohen--toward the entryway to the Tent of Appointment,
30. "and the cohen shall prepare the one as a sin offering, and the other as an ascending [offering]; thus the priest shall effect a covering over her before the face of YHWH because of the discharge of her impurity.
Ascending offering: or "as an elevation"--i.e., to symbolize her rising back out of a low place spiritually.
31. "‘This way you shall separate the descendants of Israel from their impurity, so they may not die in their impurity due to defiling My dwelling-place which is in their midst.
The teaching behind each of the laws of separation from defilement is that we need to be careful about the condition of our hearts, since we do not want to become the kind of people He no longer wants to live among. He is a king, and will not stand for filth and squalor in His home. What have we put in His home that will disgust Him? And when we have become clean again, have we replaced the filth with something positive? (Mat. 12:45) The time for our exile to end is drawing closer by the day, and we do not have time to waste waiting outside the camp to be cleansed. We need to keep self under control before it reaches these proportions. Get help if you need to, because it is not only your own relationship with YHWH that is at stake, but the welfare of all of Israel. We have to ask why we did or said what we did, and what would be the most profitable thing to say--so that we can dwell with YHWH. Anything else is a kind of death. Whether the boundaries are placed by the Torah or just common sense, we need to enforce them, even if it means taking medication that will keep us from acting a certain way. We especially need to examine our motivations: Why must I do this my own way? Because I do not trust YHWH or the authority He has placed over me?
32. "‘This is the instruction in regard to what flows and [the one] from which copulation seed comes forth by which [one can] be defiled,
33. "‘and in regard to her who is weakened by her time of being kept apart and the one issuing forth his flow--for male or female, or for a man who lies with a woman who is ritually impure.
TORAH PORTION
M'tzora'
(Leviticus 14-15)
INTRODUCTION: While the previous portion deals with the identification of the problem, this one deals with the procedure for rehabilitating the one who has gone through the proper process of remedying it. It then moves on a different type of tzara’ath—one that affects the house, and both the pre-exilic prophets (while the first Temple still stood) and Yeshua and those who succeeded him during the days of the second Temple’s destruction, had much to say about this on a grander scale—regarding both a House that could be remedied and one that had to be fully dismantled because the abuses that went on within it. The latter part of the portion deals with bodily discharges and how they also affect other people’s hygiene and interrupt their normal lives. This has many deeper applications to what we allow to freely flow out of ourselves in one way or another, and how this can contaminate the spiritual lives of those on whom we “spill” this messiness of heart. But it also deals with the remedies for the physical problem, and gives us clues as to how to deal with the moral recovery that our indiscretions of word and deed will necessitate both in ourselves and others.
Stop it from Spreading!
The discussion continues about the m’tzora’, from which this portion derives its title—the so-called “leper” (for lack of a better English term, as it is challenging to translate; it refers specifically to one suffering from the skin disease tzara’ath). But it goes on to discuss other types of uncleanness. They clearly involve physical contamination, requiring quarantines of varying degrees, and what appears to be an antiseptic treatment (Lev. 14:5-7), washing with water (15:11), and even fresh air and ventilation (14:8). But they also come with a price to pay (14:10, 11)—adjusted to fit one’s economic condition, but always required, and presented not to a doctor but to an officiator at the sanctuary, reminding us that YHWH is ultimately the one affected most adversely by this breach in respect for those in positions higher than our own.
This tells us that these seemingly-tedious rules all can teach us deeper lessons about the condition of our metaphorical “hearts”. Like the human version of tzara’ath, the form that shows up in a house is directly put there by YHWH. (14:34) Only He knows what goes on inside a house, just as only He can truly look on the heart and know what we both deserve and need. He begins by mercifully only requiring the removal and replacement of minor components, in hopes that it will be enough to rid ourselves of the things most obviously affected by the problem. But if the cause proves to have gone further, the whole thing has to be dismantled—the “not one stone left on another” alluded to by Yeshua when he spoke as a prophet addressing the ills that ended in the destruction of the most significant House in Israel. (Matithyahu 24:2) The rabbis say the reason we lost that House was the baseless hatred of brother for brother.
The more minor forms of uncleanness seen in chapter 15 can teach us how to address those individual “stones” and prevent the problem from reaching such epic proportions.
At one stage in my growth I was led to follow them as fully as possible, and I can vouch for the fact that these intricacies can certainly put a burden on those around us. But that is just the point. While the intricacies of these logistics only have life-and-death significance when the sanctuary itself is standing (15:31), and while the restrictions may be less difficult if we read them as limited to touching only a seat or a bed that actually has tangible discharge on it (considering 15:7-10 and 15:23), they still interrupt the normal flow of life and inconvenience many other people, just as our “messy” attitudes make the life of those around us much less enjoyable than they could easily be if we would only stanch the flow of unwholesome words.
And they spread. One who is unclean from one type of bodily discharge can also affect others by his saliva. (15:8) Spitting on someone is an idiom for despising or severely reprimanding him (Num. 12:14; Deut. 25:9), and it may show the analogy of what this is all about most clearly. If someone insults us, we become very defensive, and often end up throwing the same thing back at him. See how contagious these things really are?
It may go as far as trying to prove that we are not only more right but also otherwise superior to the offender, which is the seed of the very comparison that caused people to be sentenced to the “super-uncleanness”—the full-blown tzara’ath. This is borne out by the fact that, while the types of discharge that are the inevitable part of the life cycle (15:16-19) have no particular penalty except for those who violate the added privacy the sufferer is given (15:24), the cleansing for some of the more advanced forms of impurity require the same steps (15:13) as the m’tzora’ had to take in his restoration (14:5-7).
So even if there is no Temple or Tabernacle right now, it is a worthwhile exercise to try to follow these rules now, not just to practice for the day when they will really matter, but so we will learn to stop and think about just how easily the things that come from within us can affect others—and take extra precautions to ensure that they indeed do not spread. Then we will have learned these lessons.
Note that one who has rinsed his hands with water—taken deliberate steps to apply the Torah to his actions—does NOT have the same effect on others as the one who just carries on as if there was nothing abnormal on him, in disregard for the purity of those around him. (15:11)
And when the time comes for restoration after the receding of a disease apparently precipitated by envy and arrogance, the community takes the initiative in rapprochement (Lev. 14:3). The official appointed by YHWH Himself goes out to the one who has been excluded at the earliest possible moment, in hopes that he is indeed ready to be brought back into not just protection but fellowship.
The sin offerings are also accompanied by an “ascending”. (14:13, 22; 15:30) The subject of the corrective is brought to a higher level, maybe even than he was before he indulged in whatever led to his downfall. If we follow YHWH’s instructions correctly, He will see us as now separate from our uncleanness (15:31), so we should never remind one who truly repents that he was ever one and the same with his impurity.
Study Questions:
1. What other ceremony (hint: Numbers 19:4-8 if you must look) is very similar to the cleansing of the m’tzora’ (Leviticus 14:3-7)? What parallels exist in the purpose of this ceremony that warrant doing things the same way?
2. Can you think of more than one reason the m’tzora’ might be completely shaven before returning to the camp? (14:8- 9) Normally shaving one’s head and beard is discouraged or forbidden in Torah. (Lev. 21:5) What is the only other time such a ceremony is commanded in Israel? (Numbers 6:8-9, 18-19) What do you think are the connections between the two?
3. The next part of the ceremony (14:14-18) parallels yet another ceremony. (Exodus 29:20-21) What do you see as connections between the two types of people being marked as cleansed in this way? Both of these take place on an “eighth day”. Since the basic Scriptural cycle is seven days, what might the eighth day signify for both of these parties?
4. When Yeshua healed a m’tzora’ (Mat. 8:4 et al), he told him to do exactly what is commanded here. (Leviticus 14:2, 10, 21-22) What does this tell you about Yeshua’s relationship to the Torah? Does it conflict with anything you might have been told about him?
5. What pictures can you seen in “tzara’ath of a house”? (14:34-48) What other whole “house” was declared unclean? (Ezekiel 3:7-9)
6. What very special House had to be dismantled stone by stone (14:44-45) after many attempts to heal it? (Matithyahu 24:2)
7. What is an underlying purpose of these laws about tzara’ath that has many more applications? (14:57)
8. Is there more to “clean and unclean” than quarantining physical contamination? What other things that issue from the “flesh” (in the metaphorical sense) and are unclean (15:2) can you think of? (Consider Galatians 5:19-22) How might the two categories in 15:3 apply to those?
9. Might this issue and the attempts to keep it off other people apply also to “running at the mouth”? (Consider Proverbs 10:19; Ephesians 4:29.) If so, ask yourself how this might need to apply to you.
10. What makes the difference in whether a touch from an unclean person renders another person unclean? (15:11)
11. Why is it necessary to separate us from our uncleanness? (15:31) What do you think this means?
12. What is the most important setting in which the condition of being clean or unclean makes a practical difference? (15:31)
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
Have you ever been sent to your room without dinner because you were “mouthing off” to your parents or brothers or sisters, having a bad attitude? When you came back out, did you just get back into a conversation like normal, as if nothing had ever gone wrong? Or did you have to go through some steps (confessing that you were wrong, apologizing, asking forgiveness of both YHWH and the people you wronged, and some way of making up for how bad you had made everyone feel), before you could come back to the table?
If we do something wrong and YHWH has to send us “outside the camp” like we see in this Torah portion, there is also a long process of coming back to everyday life where everyone accepts you as a normal member of the community. Like someone who commits a crime, people are suspicious of you and you have to rebuild trust even when you have been given a second try. The person has to be checked and re-checked to be sure the disease is really gone, and he has to bring offerings—some of which are really expensive—to show how sorry he is and that he really wants YHWH to restore him and make him an even better person than before.
But when YHWH welcomes us back, He really is glad to have us back in His camp. Remember the prodigal son, whose father was so glad to see him because it was as if he had come back from being dead? He treated him like a king instead of the unworthy servant he had realized he was.
It was not wrong for him to see himself that way. He really did some very bad things, and he did have to get to that point before he recognized his need to turn around. The person who was put outside the camp with this skin disease had also tried to take someone else’s place, thinking he deserved better than that person, so he had to be brought lower and “put in his place” so he would recognize that YHWH had made the choice of who was in charge, just like He tells you to honor your father and mother. He really did need to pretty much come back crawling on his knees and begging to be let back in.
But part of the process of bringing him back is an interesting ritual of putting blood on his right earlobe, his right thumb, and his right big toe. That is pretty unusual, right? There are pictures in it of doing things the “right” way and improving our ability to hear (Sh’ma, Israel), and improving what we do (with our hands) and how we walk (a Hebrew figure of speech for how we live our lives).
But the most interesting thing that stands out about this strange ritual is that exactly the same thing was done when the priests were starting their work. In other words, YHWH is treating the sinful person who turns around in exactly the same way He treated the people who were the pictures of His perfection and holiness!
This was before there were any kings in Israel, and the priests were the highest and most important members of society. So it really is as if this lowly person is being treated like a king, because before YHWH, we are all in need of improvement, no matter how religious we are or are not. We all need some very special blood applied to us before we can be completely accepted, especially in YHWH’s most holy place.
And as long as somebody is climbing up the ladder to try to do better, it doesn’t matter if he is at the top or the bottom of the ladder; he is in the right place because he is moving up.
So if you see someone else doing wrong, when he decides to try to do better, don’t laugh at how he got caught, because remember, you could be just as guilty one day and you certainly wouldn’t want anyone doing that to you. Treat him like he deserved for what he did wrong, but welcome him back and show how glad you are that he has changed, so he won’t be discouraged and think it is too hard to even try to change. Treat him like the person he is trying to be, and he will get there.
The Renewal of M'TZORA'
We saw in the previous Torah portion, Thazria, and in the few accounts of someone actually being struck with this disease (Num. 12:10; 2 Chron. 26:20), that tzara’ath (“leprosy”) is something that YHWH Himself puts upon a person to reveal a problem that is hidden deep within him.
But that begs the question: If YHWH is the one who gave someone leprosy, what was Yeshua doing healing people with this disease? (See Mat. 10:8; 11:5; Luke 17:2, etc.) Was he undermining YHWH’s justice when he took away this disease?
No, for the Torah implies that the purpose of the “leprosy” was that those who had it should be cleansed—not just of the visible problem on the surface, but of the part “deeper than the skin” (Lev. 13:3), which was where the real problem lay. Yeshua himself said, “It’s not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick.” (Matithyahu 9:12)
And, to seal the evidence of his integrity in undoing this affliction as with many other afflictions, when he healed them, Yeshua told them very directly, “Go follow Moshe’s instructions for lepers who have been cleansed.” (Mat. 8:4) He was in no way opposed to anything Moshe said. (Mat. 5:17)
Moshe’s instructions in this regard are, indeed, a prophecy about Yeshua:
“The cohen shall go out to the outside of the camp, and the cohen shall inspect [him], and if the plague of leprosy [tzara'ath] is indeed healed in the m’tzora’, then the cohen shall [give the] command that two live birds which are clean, [some] cedar wood, crimson scarlet [yarn], and hyssop be brought for him who is to be ritually purified. Then the cohen shall [give the] command that one of the birds be slaughtered in an earthen vessel, over running water, and [that the] living bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet, and the hyssop be taken and dipped (the living bird included) in the blood of the slaughtered bird, over the running water. Then he shall spatter it seven times on the one who is to be ritually purified from his leprosy, then he shall pronounce him ritually clean, and let the living bird loose into the open field. Then the one who is to be ‘cleansed’ must launder his garments, shave [off] all his hair, and wash himself with water; then he will be ‘clean’. “ (Leviticus 14:3-9)
"Twin" birds (see v. 6), cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop are the same elements used in sanctifying the ashes of a red heifer (Numbers 19:6) which was the only way the high priest could be set apart in order to begin his holy service--for everyone, no matter how much more respectable on the surface, started out in the same spiritual condition that the leper symbolizes.
Everyone except one, who had to already have a foot on solid ground to start the process for the rest of the “kingdom of priests” that Israel is meant to become. (Exodus 19:6)
And all of these elements converge in Yeshua. A dove is one of the only two kinds of birds acceptable to slaughter to YHWH (Lev. 12:6; 14:22), so it would stand to reason that these birds could very well have been doves. The Holy Spirit was seen to descend on Yeshua like a dove (Mat. 3:16 et al). The cedar wood—one of the most durable kinds of wood in that region—was by some early traditions the wood from which at least some of the components of Yeshua’s crucifixion stake were made. A scarlet robe was put on him (Mat. 27:28) And when he was thirsty they offered him a sedative drink on hyssop (Yochanan 19:29), which would retain the liquid while being carried. (Hyssop and blood on wood also featured prominently in the first Passover [Ex. 12:2], the anniversary of which was when Yeshua was slaughtered as our “lamb”.) An earthen vessel symbolizes a mortal body (2 Cor. 4:7) and the blood in Yeshua’s mortal body, being unfallen blood, was essential for the cleansing of those who are defiled. (Romans 5:9) The one thus “washed” in his blood is set free (Yoch. 8:36), but is called to “wash his garments” (Rev. 7:14) if he wants the process to be complete, and as when the priests were inaugurated, shaving one’s head symbolizes becoming like a baby—“born again”. (Yochanan 3:3, 7; 1 Kefa/Peter 1:23) We are also washed with water by the Word [of YHWH]” (Ephesians 5:26).
All of the elements are there in the Renewed Covenant, in their spiritual form, prefigured by the physical ritual here.
The other part of this Torah portion clearly alluded to by Yeshua is the house with “leprous” stones that are not cleansed, in which case the whole house most be “broken down”. (14:34-47) The pre-eminent use of the term “House” in he Land of Canaan is for the one on the “Mountain of the House of YHWH” (Mikha 4:1). Twice Yeshua (the rightful king and therefore the one with the right to determine what went on in the Temple, per Yochanan 2:15; Mat. 21:2) came and cleansed this house—at Passover, the season for cleaning out the house (Ex. 12:15), but it would not remain cleansed, so he prophesied that this House would “be left desolate” (Mat. 23:38), “not one stone remaining on top of another”. (Mat. 24:2; Luke 19:44)
With my own eyes I have seen the sobering pile of stones, once part of the Temple, that are now piled up in a heap outside the wall of the Temple complex, just south of the Kotel (Western Wall prayer area)—the testimony to the veracity of Yeshua’s prophecy, showing that he is not a false prophet.
Therefore, as YHWH told Moshe, “Whoever does not heed My words, which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.“ (Deut. 18:19)
But Yeshua did not come to condemn, but to rescue. (Yochanan 3:17) Similar to the “lepers” that he cleansed, he also dealt with another type of defilement described in this portion:
“If a woman have an issue of her blood many days not in the time of her impurity, or if she have an issue beyond the time of her impurity; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her impurity: she is unclean.” (Lev. 15:25)
A woman who had such an “issue of blood” for 12 years (as long as the life of the girl Yeshua was on his way to raise from the dead) that no one else could heal came up and took hold of the tzitzith on the extremity of his garment. (Luke 8:43ff) She knew the Scripture well—that YHWH would put healing in the “wings” of one called the Sun of Righteousness (Mal’akhi 4:2). “Wings” is exactly what the corners of a garment on which the tzitzith is to be attached are called in Hebrew. And she found what she was looking for. The number 12 tips us off that she probably lived out the symbolism of the healing that all 12 tribes of Israel need. (Compare Yirmeyahu 17:14 and Revelation 22:2)
“Thus shall you separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they may not die in their uncleanness, when they defile My dwelling-place that is in their midst.” (Lev. 15:31)
And now one’s own body is another “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19), which we are not to defile, with a strong penalty. (1 Cor. 3:16-17) Let us ensure that the plague does not spread in this temple, so that the “House of Living Stones” (1 Kefa 2:5) will never need to be broken down, but instead continues to be a place where “spiritual offerings, acceptable to Elohim” (the main point) are brought to Him, as a “pleasing aroma”.
Full Rehabilitation
We finally get to the end of the m’tzora’ (“leper”)’s ailment—when he is cleansed. (Lev. 14:2) But he can’t get to that point on his own, without submitting to the authority of one whom YHWH has set up to judge in this matter. (14:3) And he can’t return to normal life without a heavy set of expenses and actions that may be designed to humble him, since, after all, the sin that earned him the “leprosy” (tzara’ath) was one of arrogantly overstepping his proper place. (See last commentary on Tazria’.)
But for this to be truly humbling rather than humiliating is the fine line that must be navigated by the one in charge. It behooves the authority to be sure he has the right attitude, not condescending or self-righteous. (Remember, Aharon himself—who was the ancestor of every high priest thereafter--had a very bad mark on his past and yet YHWH rehabilitated him completely; he is to pass this same restoration on to the one he is responsible to judge.) This applies in a broader context too:
“Brothers, if a person is overtaken in a moral lapse, let those of you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, being watchful in regard to yourself, recognizing that you, too, could be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the Messiah’s command.” (Galatians 6:1-2)
The priest is supposed to be the most spiritual, and he himself is the one designated to go and be the first to seek out the “leper” where he is—outside the camp, which, would have been a dangerous place in a siege. (2 Kings 7) When he gets to come back into the safety of the community, after successfully completing his initial “probation” period, the one being rehabilitated is never to be reminded of what he once had been. Yeshua even warned that YHWH would not forgive us “if you do not each, from the heart, forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Mat. 18:35)
He drew out of a self-righteous man the admission that the more one is forgiven, the more he will love (Luke 7:41-47), and said that one who thinks he does not need to be forgiven much does not appreciate the Forgiver nearly as much as the one who recognizes how badly he needs what YHWH is eager to give.
In fact, part of this ritual of restoration includes several of the very same things (14:8, 14) that were part of the ceremony of setting the priests themselves apart to serve in YHWH’s sanctuary. (8:7, 23-24, 33) So there is an integral connection between them. The parallel can go both ways. Yes, it is a reminder to the priest that he, too, is fallible (and if Miryam could warrant this disease, her brother could, too, under the same circumstances). But also, when the m’tzora’ is brought back in, it is not to the lowest place in the community, but to as full a citizenship in Israel as any priest had. He is even anointed! (14:29)
There are lesser forms of impurity in which “his flesh oozes with his discharge, or… is stopped up from his discharge.” (15:3) One might think that if it is scabbing over, he is no longer contagious, but scabs can still hide a lot of suppressed contaminant. Metaphorically, if there is “toxicity” in our hearts, even if not yet manifested in any direct words or actions, it is bound to influence the way we treat others. The underlying attitudes or motives with which we are dealing can still flare up and affect those near us.
But as we heard so often in the recent pandemic, one with an impurity is free to touch others with much less ill effect if he has at least rinsed his hands with water. (15:11) What is that a picture of spiritually? We are made both holy and pure “by the washing of water by the word” [of YHWH]. (Ephesians 5:26) Hands are figurative of actions, and hands occupied with loving our neighbors as ourselves (a summary of half of the Torah) are far less likely to be involved in spreading the infectious selfishness the ritual uncleanness symbolizes.
Deliberately deciding to stem this flow is a huge first step toward restoration.
Look All the Way
into the Facts
Do you think that if you lived among the prophets of old, it would be easier to trust YHWH’s promises? Modern folk, in their “time-ism”, often think people were less “scientific” in ancient epochs when not as much was set in stone, as if it was easier to believe in miracles back then, but humans evolved beyond such credulity. That may have been true in some pagan cultures, but Moshe found the burning bush as contradictory to the laws of nature as anyone schooled in modern science does. And “there’s nothing new under the sun.” (Qoh./Eccles. 1:9)
This week’s haftarah shows that even in Biblical times—right in Israel--there were already outspoken skeptics of YHWH’s Word:
“Elisha said, ‘Listen to the word of YHWH! This is what YHWH says…’ But the third [officer], on whose hand the king leaned, answered the man of Elohim and said, ‘[Even if] YHWH were to make lattices in the sky, could this thing come about?’” (2 Kings 7:2)
Neither his high position as confidant of the king nor his privilege of hearing directly from YHWH’s spokesman, seem to have made it any easier for him to trust YHWH to be able to do what seemed as impossible then as it does now. And we all know how quickly our ancestors who saw YHWH part the sea fell back into doubting Him. So think twice before you imagine that the proverbial “grass” is greener somewhere else.
Paul says ignorance is not so much “primitive” as it is the result of willful rejection of the truth about our responsibilities to YHWH because one finds it inconvenient: “Though they thus knew about Elohim, they did not honor Him … nor were they grateful, but became futile in their reasoning, and their heart, failing to discriminate [truth from error], became darkened. Though asserting their ‘wisdom’, they became foolish, trading the glory of the incorruptible Elohim for an image resembling perishable man—and then [the likeness] of birds, four-footed animals, and even reptiles!“ (Romans 1:18ff)
They sank lower and lower. There is arguable evidence that some ancient societies were far more advanced than ours. The Dark Ages came not before knowledge was found, but after great libraries were destroyed by short-sighted conquerors. Men “devolve” rather than “evolve” when left to their own preferences. Dr. Custance found that those who most often became “cave men” were those banned from their societies (forced to fend for themselves instead of benefitting from the pooled wisdom of the community).
But the outcasts in this week's haftarah (m’tzoroth like the Torah portion describes, only this time their untouchability was divinely sanctioned) turned out to be the ones with more knowledge to share, once they realized the position they were now in. Maybe they had nothing left to lose (7:4), but often that’s when this kind of heroic daring—and unselfishness--kicks in. It relates quite well to the enigmatic pronouncement in portion Tazria’:
“If the tzara'ath breaks out abundantly throughout the skin, and… covers all of the skin of the plagued [person], from his head all the way to his feet, … the cohen shall inspect [him], and if the tzara'ath has in fact concealed all of his flesh, he shall pronounce the plagued [one] clean. It has all turned white; he is ritually pure.” (Lev. 13:12-13)
It’s counterintuitive: once this disease that results from wanting a position you are not given (2 Kings 5:20-27; 15:1-5) spreads throughout your whole body and you become thoroughly impure, you are suddenly declared clean! It may be because the flesh (with all that represents) is concealed—covered over—so it’s no longer a threat to others.
It reminds me of Yeshua’s parable (or is it a historical composite?) of “the Pharisee and the Publican”. (No, not REpublican; a tax collector!) Ken Medema put the story in a modern setting in his classic ballad, “Mr. Simon”. One claimed to have his religious act together, while the other would not even dare to “lift his eyes to heaven”, but only cried, “O Elohim, be merciful me, a sinner!” Yeshua reveals, “This man, rather than the other, went down to his house justified.” (Luke 18:14) Medema ends his version, “One left slightly wrinkled; the other left reborn.”
In another upending of our upside-down way of looking at things, Paul said, “When I am weak, then I am strong”, for YHWH’s strength is most fully shown to be more than adequate when we are at our weakest. (2 Cor. 12:8-10) So "the race is not always won by the strong", as men see strength. Our circumstances are not a handicap if we are allied with YHWH. If He says we can defeat the giants, it is because “their protection has been taken from them”. (Num. 14:0)
When we look all the way into the facts, we find that YHWH has anticipated our fears and already weakened them, and it’s really us the giants fear. (Josh. 2:9-11) So dare to venture into the enemy’s camp and see what YHWH has already done, for a fact that no one knows does no one any good.
New Commentary
See the special haftarah in Mal'akhi 3 (and 4 in some Bibles).
