The “purity laws” of which YHWH is speaking here seem strange to modern ears, so most people do not know how to approach them. But they have proven to be strong tools with which to combat problem habits that hinder our growth or obscure our focus—things that keep us from moving close to YHWH in a sustainable way. These instructions are about putting ourselves in a different place so that we can approach YHWH. These are Kingdom things, so they seem oxymoronic to the Western mind: They are about coming near to Him, yet they seem to be more about being separate. This kind of purity is not something tangible or measurable with any physical litmus test. And “uncleanness” is not the same as sin, though it can often lead to sin. It is imperceptible to our senses, yet it is real because here it is in the Torah—not to mention in many other ancient religions. If it so permeated the ancient world, there must be something to it—although most ancient religions worshipped rocks, too. But YHWH, too, devotes much space to assuring purity or remedying impurity, so it has everything to do with anyone who seeks to be in covenant with Him today. As with a mortgage, we cannot change the terms just because much time has passed since it was agreed to. Again, the context is about having YHWH, whom we betrayed, move back into our midst so we can live in His presence. He has told us what type of dwelling place He wants; now He tells us how to relate to this place of His dwelling:
Vayiqra/Leviticus
CHAPTER 12
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, ‘If a woman has been sown with seed [tazria] and given birth to a male, then she shall become ritually impure for seven days, as in the days of the separation of her infirmity, she shall be ritually impure.
3. "‘Then on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
In Israel, only males are circumcised, but note that it is the woman’s responsibility to ensure that it takes place.
4. "‘And she shall remain in the blood of her cleansing for thirty-three days, and she shall not touch anything holy, nor shall she enter the sanctuary until the days of her cleansing are completed.
Not touch anything holy: She is relieved even of her responsibility to attend the festivals in the Temple, etc., without incurring guilt, so that she is able to give this time solely to the baby.
5. "‘But if she gives birth to a female, then she shall be ritually impure for two weeks, as in her separation, and she shall continue in the blood of her cleansing for sixty-six days.
6. "‘And when her days of cleansing are fulfilled for a son or daughter, she shall bring a year-old male lamb to serve as an ascending offering, and a young pigeon or turtledove to the priest at the door of the Tent of Appointment as a sin offering.
7. "‘And he shall bring it near into the presence of YHWH, and shall effect a covering for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the instruction regarding her who gives birth, whether to a male or a female.
8. "‘Now if her hand is unable to reach a lamb, then she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one to serve as an ascending [offering] and one as a sin offering, and the priest shall effect a covering over her, and she shall be cleansed.'"
What is going on here? Is there something dirty about having a baby? Not unless one is outdoors in the field! And we even see Yahshua’s mother, the “most favored among women”, bring this offering. (Luke 2:22ff) To understand this, we must understand the concept of ritual. A ritual is far bigger than merely a religious or social custom. It is akin to what is habitual, and indeed we do habitually fall into uncleanness. A ritual is something repeated—possibly every day, every year, every generation, or every time there is a birth or death. Athletes often have rituals that border on superstition: “I hit a home run when I wore these clothes, so I wear them during every baseball game.” Even those who do not claim to believe there is power in them still think something might go wrong if they neglect it. It is performed in order to affect something unseen. We cannot see ritual impurity (tumah) or purity (taharah), but we can do something—whether it is a particular action or just staying away from certain places--to bring us from one unseen state to the other. We may not look or smell any different. One might even have just stepped out of the bath, yet be ritually unclean, or be covered with mud, yet be “clean”. Nothing appears to change, but it does. Things we do physically can affect unseen realities. Yahshua was so in touch with it that he could sense when someone “unclean” had touched him. (Mark 5:30) We could just leave it at that the level of ritual and think it is enough to be obedient, but it can be understood, and there is something we can learn from it.
CHAPTER 13
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying,
2. "If a person has a swelling-up, a scab, a bright spot on the [bare] skin of his flesh, and it becomes in the skin of his body [like] the plague of leprosy [tzara'ath], then he shall be brought in to Aharon the priest, or to one of his sons the priests.
This form of “uncleanness” comes out in physical manifestations. "Leprosy": not the same specific flesh-devouring disease that bears this name today (also known as Hansen’s Disease after the man who identified its cause), but a skin ailment more like psoriasis, yet it was not this either. The symptoms were just like several normal, common occurrences, until they took on specific characteristics for which the priests had to watch, because they were signs of something deeper:
3. "Then the priest shall examine the mark in the [bare] skin of the flesh, and if the hair within the marked [area] has turned white, and the plague is, in appearance, deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of tzara'ath, and the priest must inspect him and pronounce him ritually impure.
It seems strange that skin irritations are important in the Torah. This shows that while the literal commands are to be followed, we also need to look at what is behind them. This is more than just an insect bite or dry skin. The fact that it is more than skin-deep means it is more than just a surface blemish, though any of these should alert us to the need to examine ourselves to make sure that is all it is. One would come to the priest to determine whether it came from a deeper cause. He is the only one who can diagnose it, after examining the facts. He is not a doctor who treats the symptoms. He had the difficult job of sending some people outside of the camp if the diagnosis was positive. The cure can come from nowhere else, because these physical manifestations had spiritual rather than physical causes. Rabbi Avraham Fischer summarizes it as “a punishment for a sinful behavior, especially one that affects social cohesiveness, like slander.” In the three Biblical incidents in which someone was stricken with the disease, it punished the sin of being unsatisfied with what YHWH has created oneself to be, and defying those whom He has put in the coveted positions: when Miryam spoke against Moshe (Num. 12:10); when Elisha's servant Gehazi was greedy for the wealth Naaman offered, and misrepresented his authority (2 Kings 5:20ff); and when King Uzziyah tried to usurp the priests' position (2 Chron. 26:16ff). The root words for the three symptoms listed in v. 1—lifting up, attachment, and shining brightness-- signal us to especially beware of the threat of inward uncleanness, and ask those called to be our spiritual leaders to test our motives. Indeed, we are specifically told that Uzziyah’s heart was “lifted up”, precipitating the sin that earned him this plague. Attachment to the wrong things takes us away from concern for the community, and when we are in a position of bright personal glory, we should be especially suspicious that this temptation lurks nearby. Thus what tzara’ath is about is selfishness. That is what all ritual uncleanness pictures. The first place this term “plague” (striking) was used was in Gen. 3:3, where Chawwah told the serpent more than what YHWH is recorded as having actually said: “You shall not eat of the fruit of this tree, nor even TOUCH it.” This was probably a “fence” that Adam himself added to the command to keep her one step away from disobeying the actual command, and as such it was a righteous thing to do, for it would have proven to be wise advice had she heeded it. But this word therefore shows us that this plague is linked all the way back to the first sin in the Garden, in which Chawwah wanted to usurp even YHWH’s position, let alone her husband’s, doing things the way she saw fit rather than according to YHWH’s instruction—the “way that seems right but ends in death”. Turned white: It looks pure! But the man whose name was “white” (Lavan) turned out to only favor Yaaqov because of how he could benefit him. Skin is part of the curse; it diminished the light with which Adam and Chawwah had been clothed, because their refusal to take responsibility and seek a remedy for their disobedience had already dimmed their reflection of YHWH. Only our eyes and fingernails are left to remind us now of what we were and what we want to get back to. But this “bright spot” that comes from a deeper place means that some of Adam and Chawwah’s rebellion is showing through. The root meanings of the words “deeper than the skin of the flesh” show us another angle: “[If] it appears more profound than the bare Gospel”. Anything beyond the simple message that Yahshua brought comes from the “flesh”. His synopsis of the true Gospel in Mat. 10 can be summarized, “Lost sheep of the House of Israel! It is now within your power to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth by returning to the Torah. Repent!” Only those who confess this and work toward its becoming a physical reality will be part of his assembly. He even included “cleansing lepers” as one of the signs that his disciples should use to herald its coming. (10:8) He told us not to go in the ways of the Gentiles, but go into worthy households (not street corners) and present this news; if they do not accept the fact that Israel can return, shake the dust (a picture of the descendants of Avraham) off your feet, telling them, “It’s clear you are not one of Avraham’s children; I’m sorry I wasted your time.” That life is about preparation for death is a selfish, Egyptian “gospel”; the Torah is about life. Anything deeper comes from the flesh, and will keep manifesting itself until we submit to the priest’s ruling. Nor must we let his message swell up by making men’s morality a prerequisite for participation in the Kingdom or turning Yahshua into YHWH, since mankind’s original shortcoming was seeking to be equal to YHWH, and Yahshua specifically rejected this temptation. (Phil. 2:6) Do not make him appear guilty of the sin he came to repair! That, too, is tzara’ath.
4. "But if the bright spot--the white place--that [which is] in the skin of his body--does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall quarantine the plague for seven days.
Quarantine: Sometimes we must submit to personal inconveniences for the sake of the whole community, even if the examinee came on his own volition, for contact with what is unclean will make others unclean. If it is still a “maybe”, the waiting period is an important factor in the process of sorting the clean from the unclean. If the character flaw runs "deeper than the flesh", it is to be dealt with in a different manner. If it "rolls off one's back" and does not adhere, it will not have a lasting effect; one member being confined for just seven days will teach the others to work harder to make up for his being temporarily gone. One must be very brave to make such a pronunciation, since it will change someone’s life so drastically, so he must therefore be fully convinced that his understanding is accurate. But if there is any doubt, one must err on the side of caution rather than following one’s natural inclination to not make such “waves”. As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is a life not worth living.” The Torah is the mirror by which we must look at ourselves, even if tzara’ath turns out to not be present.
5. "‘Then the priest shall inspect him on the seventh day, and if the spot indeed appears to him to have stabilized, and has not spread throughout the skin, then the priest shall quarantine him for seven more days,
It took bravery to confess and expose oneself to this long period of testing so that the rest of the camp could remain pure. One cannot be part of the community as long as the signs of selfishness are on him.
6. "then the priest shall inspect him again on the seventh day, and behold, if the spot has faded and has not spread through the skin, the priest shall pronounce him ritually pure [clean]; it is [only] a lesion. He shall wash out his clothes, then be ritually pure.
Sometimes the scabs, scars, or swellings have no connection to an underlying selfishness. In this case the problem proves to be only “skin deep”. But note that though this only looks like selfishness, and is not really large enough to cause trouble, one must still prove that the suspicion has no basis, and in the process of spending 14 days in solitary confinement with nothing else to do but ponder whether this emanates from a deeper problem, though one might not find this particular sin in himself, he will certainly find some negative things within his heart from which he needs to be purified. Such times of silent reflection are a blessing, not a curse, if they are effective in helping us examine and root out what is rising up in us, what we are wrongly attached to, or where too much of Adam and Chawwah are showing through. Search the Scriptures and pray during this time, for sure, but do not use that as an excuse to neglect the honest self-examination that asks the hard questions so that what you find can be dealt with. You will also identify strengths that you have which you can use to help someone else. The Hebrew word for clothes here is from a root word meaning “treachery” or “deceit”, which also needs to be washed away from us.
7. "But if the lesion spreads very far in the skin after he has been inspected by the priest, he must be inspected a second time by the priest.
Like leaven, selfishness tends to spread and affect others if given the occasion. When discovered it must be dealt with decisively on the spreading edge, and its effects minimized.
8. "And the priest shall look, and if the lesion has indeed spread throughout the skin, the priest shall pronounce him ritually unclean; it is tzara'ath.
9. "When the mark of tzara'ath is on a person, he shall be brought in to the priest,
Here, someone else notices the problem and, with all due respect depending on his position, brings him to the priestly authority for inspection. If it was a king, only a prophet or priest would have the right to bring him. In any case, if you know someone threatens the purity of the congregation, do not wait for him to confess it himself; you report it, with the proper witnesses and protecting the other’s dignity, never with gossip or ridicule, but with the goal of restoring them. The ideal would be that if one merely points it out to him, he would judge himself, but if not, you must see him through the process. If you are a leader, sometimes it is necessary to expose people in front of the whole congregation or walk away from those who completely reject correction, as an example so others can avoid the defilement. Yet while others can point out your selfishness, only you can do something about it.
10. "and the priest shall look, and if there is indeed a white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and tender, raw flesh is in the swelling,
Tender, raw: both words stem from the word for "alive"—i.e., the “quick”. The condition of one's flesh is easy to judge in this case because it is right at the surface. Whenever “live flesh” shows up, there is impurity.
11. "it is a dormant tzara'ath in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not quarantine him, because he is [already] ritually impure.
Dormant: or festering. This is simply a flaring up of what was once kept at bay; the source and motive are already known, since it has been judged once already. It comes back later when one’s guard is down, seemingly with no warning. One may have made confession outwardly, but had not cut deeply enough to remove the whole problem, and it keeps coming back--usually at the worst times. There is no need to examine it in detail again. This should have been dealt with long ago.
12. "But if the tzara'ath breaks out abundantly throughout the skin, and the tzara'ath covers all of the skin of the plagued [person], from his head all the way to his feet--whatever is visible to the priest's eyes--
13. "then the priest 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.
This seems backwards; how is he now suddenly clean, when if it was only partially present he was unclean? At this point no flesh is showing, being scabbed over. The striking has had its intended, instructive effect rather than causing us to simply pity ourselves. He looks dead. If one listens to it and "comes to the end of himself", having “no flesh left”, having hit bottom so hard that the only way to go is up, he dies to self. If every time we had a spot or irritation on our skin we would consider where we might be selfish or rebellious, the repair would come all the sooner, and we can become more like the original Adam and the stroke will be a wake-up call, a corrective prodding back toward the right direction, rather than a punishment. Every blemish can therefore be seen as a gift, for each time we examine ourselves we can overcome another imperfection.
14. "(while on the day [in which] raw flesh appears in him, he is unclean.
Appears: or "is seen"--i.e. as soon as it affects others. One is unclean as soon as he stops dying to self. Our experience is so inconsistent—back and forth, on-again, off-again. Our flesh can come back to life when we get back into our old routines after having “mountaintop spiritual experiences” in which we have gotten more into synchronization with YHWH and His community. Then it is “back to square one”.
…
23. "However, if the bright spot has remained as it was and not spread, it is the scar of the inflammation; the priest shall declare him clean.
As it was: literally, "in its place". Though we taste the effects of selfishness, if we are able to discipline ourselves well enough by staying in our place in the community of Israel, the potentially-evil results can be restrained and no harm come from it to others.
…
28. "But if the bright spot remains in its place, not spreading throughout the skin, but is somewhat faint, it is a swelling of the scar, and the priest shall declare him clean, because it is a scab from the burn.
Swelling of the scar: or "dignity/exaltation/excellency/loftiness of the burn-mark (or brand)." Scars elevate us if we learn from the times we are chastised. They remind us not to repeat our errors.
…
39. "after the priest has [already] inspected it, but the bright spots in the skin of their flesh are [only] a dull white, it is a pale eruption that breaks out from the skin; he is clean.
The impurities of what we take in come out in the skin. Tzara’ath is manifested physically, but its cause is not physical; it has to be examined to know what the cause is.
…
45. "And the leper who has the spot on him shall [go around with] his garments torn and his head uncovered, and he shall cover his upper lip and call out, "Unclean! Unclean!"
Torn garments are also signs of mourning and repentance. This would catch everyone’s attention and show them that he is confessing and remorseful, and this is the way healing can come. YHWH looks with special compassion on mourners. In the Temple they had a more visible position so they could indeed be comforted.
46. "And during the days that the spot is on him, he is ritually impure; he shall live in isolation. He is unclean; he must dwell outside the camp.
Selfishness is rewarded with its own logical conclusion: becoming solitary and being cast out of the community that he did not think he wanted to be a part of. Outside the camp, one was more vulnerable to enemy attack. Isolation: The one thing YHWH said was not right about His creation was a man being alone. (Gen. 2:18) So this is the worst thing that can befall someone; it is a “primal curse”. The priest cannot cure this, but puts him in a position where he has to look at himself and ask where he really stands: Is he on the outside or the inside? What is it that makes him feel alone, though he is in the midst of a community? A bitter attitude? A lack of trust? Give it another try; don’t let the past keep you permanently leprous. If we train ourselves and get our flesh back in order, the seven days of inspection can have a positive result.
Commentary on
Parashat Tazria
Understanding
the
Purity Laws
