The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/UANXwhnnXJc
Reading:
Leviticus 12:1-13:46
By
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
The
entire book of Leviticus is about how a person can draw near to God. In earlier
chapters, the offering system and the priesthood was established to provide
covering so that a person could draw near to God through the blood of the
offering and the mediation of the priesthood. But not just anyone could draw
near to God. This Torah portion focuses on aspects of the physical body that
makes a person ritually unclean or ritually unfit to draw near to God. As we
examine the situations that make a person ritually unfit, we will see that they
all have to do with mortality and death, what we might call the human
condition.
In
describing the physical conditions of a person who is or has become ritually
unfit, the Torah begins with the woman. This first condition is giving birth to
a male child.
Leviticus 12:1-4 NKJV 1 Then the LORD
spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a
woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven
days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3 'And on
the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 'She shall
then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not
touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification
are fulfilled.
This
doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. God commanded Adam and Eve, and after
the flood, Noah and his family, to multiply and fill the earth. That means that
women would have to give birth to children. So, why does childbirth make a
woman ritually unfit to approach God? And why do the laws for ritual purity
start with the situation of giving birth? It all goes back to Adam and Eve and
the Garden of Eden.
When
Eve was formed from Adam, he called her name Chavah because she was the
life-giver.
Genesis 3:20 NKJV 20 And Adam called
his wife's name Eve (Chavvah), because she was the mother of all living.
In
English, we use the name Eve, but her Hebrew name was really Chavvah. The name
Khaw-vah, number 2332 in Strong’s Concordance means life-giver. It is from the
root word, khaw-vah, number 2331 meaning to live. However, Adam and Eve’s sin
in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had consequences. One
of the consequences is that Chavvah would have pain in childbirth. The very act
of bringing life into the world brought pain.
In addition to that consequence, Chavvah became not only the life-giver,
but she is also the cause of death. When she and Adam ate of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, death was introduced into creation. Paul tells us
that death came through the sin of Adam.
Romans 5:14 NKJV 14 Nevertheless death
reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the
likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Even
as a new life is being celebrated, the reality is that that new life will face
death. First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club: Unrolling the Scroll comments on the
connection between ritual uncleanness and death and how it has to do with
childbirth.
Ritual unfitness is often associated
with death. The birth of a baby is a celebration of life. A woman who gives
birth to a baby begets life, but by the same token, she begets death. From the
moment a child is conceived, he begins his journey toward death.[i]
Our
God is a God of life. By His spoken word, creation came into being. By His own
breath, He breathed life into Adam. He planted the tree of life in the Garden
and gave Adam permission to eat from that tree. Those things that bear the
corruption of death cannot enter into the presence of God.
The
woman who gives birth to a son is unclean for seven days. Her uncleanness is
lifted just in time for her to participate in the circumcision of her son on
the eighth day! At the end of the seven days, the process of purification, or
making her ritually fit to enter the sanctuary, lasts another thirty-three
days. The entire process for the birth of male child takes forty days.
When
a woman gives birth to a female child, the period of uncleanness lasts fourteen
days, and the purification lasts sixty-six days. Everything is doubled for a
female child.
Leviticus 12:5 NKJV 5 'But if she
bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary
impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six
days.
A
female child, like the mother, is a life-giver. In an unbroken chain, life
flows from mother to daughter continuing through the generations. Giving birth
to a potential life-giver requires a doubling of the purification process. It
is almost as if the mother is undergoing the purification process for both
herself and her daughter.
The
rules for ritually fit or ritually unfit are interrupted by an extensive
detailing for the rules related to a skin condition called leprosy. Before
addressing the issue of leprosy, the additional rules for ritual purity include
bodily discharges related to the reproductive organs. Any unusual discharge
makes a person unclean. Also, as in the case of childbirth, regular sexual
relations between a husband and wife are good, but they make the person
unclean. So, being ritually unclean does not necessarily mean that a sin has
been committed; it only means that the person cannot enter the tabernacle and
participate in the offerings.
The
skin condition called leprosy is a physical manifestation of a sore on the skin
followed by a whitening of the hair on the skin. Unlike being ritually unclean
due to issues related to conceiving and bearing a child, this condition seems
to have a spiritual component.
Leviticus 13:1-3 NKJV 1 And the LORD
spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 "When a man has on the skin of his
body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his
body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to
one of his sons the priests. 3 "The priest shall examine the sore on the
skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore
appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the
priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean.
Leprosy
seems to start with swelling, a scab, or a bright spot of the skin which then becomes
“leprous” turning the hair on the sore white. Unfortunately, looking at the
Hebrew word “tsaw-rah’-ath,” number 6883, from which we get this word is not
helpful. It just means leprosy. The root word, “tsaw-rah,” number 6879 means to
scourge or be stricken with leprosy. We can get a slightly better idea of what
this physical condition is by looking at two cases where a description is
provided. The first situation is when God gave Moses signs to show to the
children of Israel that the LORD sent Moses. One of the signs was that Moses
was to put his hand in his robe. When he withdrew his hand, it was described as
“leprous, like snow.”
Exodus 4:6 NKJV 6 Furthermore the LORD
said to him, "Now put your hand in your bosom." And he put his hand
in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.
The
second situation is when God struck Miriam with leprosy and Aaron described her
skin as being “leprous, as snow.”
Numbers 12:10 MKJV 10 And the cloud
moved from the tabernacle. And behold! Miriam became leprous, as snow. And
Aaron looked on Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.
This
common description indicates that the hair on the skin turns white. By the way,
this is not the disease that we identify today as leprosy or Hansen’s disease. Hansen’s
disease doesn’t fit the definition of Biblical leprosy other than it starts as
a sore on the skin.
When
leprosy appears on the head or the beard, the hair turns yellow instead of
white.
Leviticus 13:29-30 MKJV 29 If a man or
woman has in them a plague on the head or the beard, 30 then the priest shall
see the plague. And behold, if it is in sight deeper than the skin, and a
yellow thin hair is in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a
dry scab, a leprosy on the head or beard.
Now
we know what it looks like, diagnosing it is the job of the priesthood. The
priests were given the task of discerning between the holy and unholy, and
between the clean and unclean. The Bible doesn’t provide any treatment for the
condition, it only provides a means of recognizing it and a ritual for
purification after the condition has gone away.
So,
what is this condition of “biblical leprosy?” We need to look to the Bible for
understanding. In the case of God striking Miriam with leprosy, the reason is
stated outright. Miriam was slandering Moses.
Numbers 12:1-2 MKJV 1 And Miriam and
Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had taken. For
he had taken a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, Has the LORD indeed spoken only
by Moses? Has He not also spoken by us? And the LORD heard.
Miriam
and Aaron apparently tried to usurp Moses’ position with God. They maligned his
character and thought they were better than Moses. The LORD overshadowed Miriam
and apparently the hair on her skin became white. Aaron goes on to say that it
is as if her skin has the skin of a stillborn baby.
Numbers 12:12 MKJV 12 Let her not be
like one dead, of whom the flesh is half gone when he comes out of his mother's
womb.
With
Miriam, it’s clear that God inflicted her with leprosy because of her evil
speech.
In
another situation, God struck King Uzziah with leprosy because, in his pride,
he usurped the role of the priesthood and attempted to offer incense on the
altar.
2 Chronicles 26:16 MKJV 16 But when he
was strong, his heart was lifted up to ruin. For he sinned against the LORD his
God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of
incense.
When
the priests tried to stop him, Uzziah spoke in anger to the priests and God
struck him with leprosy.
2 Chronicles 26:19-20 MKJV 19 And
Uzziah was angry. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he
was angry with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the
priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah
the chief priest, and all the priests, looked on him. And, behold, he was
leprous in his forehead! And they thrust him out from there. Yes, he himself
hurried to go out also, because the LORD had stricken him.
From
these two cases, it seems that pride followed by slanderous or angry speech
leads to leprosy. If that is the case, why was Moses given the sign of making
his hand leprous and then making it go away as a means of convincing the
children of Israel that God had sent Him? Moses’ hand turning leprous may have
been a sign that God was going to send plagues on Egypt because of how they
treated the children of Israel. The book of Exodus opens with Pharaoh’s
decision to treat the children of Israel with shrewdness or guile.
Exodus 1:8-10 NKJV 8 Now there arose a
new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people,
"Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;
10 "come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it
happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against
us, and so go up out of the land."
The
children of Israel had been welcomed into Egypt and granted lands to live in.
However, this new Pharaoh took them into slavery. He, in essence, violated the
agreement made between Joseph and the earlier Pharaoh. God doesn’t like it when
a person changes the conditions of an agreement.
The
Jewish sages associate leprosy with the sin of slander. The Stone Edition
Chumash explains.
Clearly, as the sages teach, tzaraas
is not a bodily disease, but the physical manifestation of a spiritual malaise,
a punishment designed to show the malefactor that he must mend his ways. The
primary cause of tzaraas is the sin of slander.[ii]
The
commentary lists the sins of bloodshed, false oaths, sexual immorality, pride,
robbery, and selfishness as other causes for leprosy. Because leprosy is a
spiritual disease involving others, the leper must declare that he is unclean
and is taken outside the camp.
Leviticus 13:45-46 NKJV 45 "Now
the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and
he shall cover his mustache, and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' 46 "He shall be
unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and
he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.
The
leper is to act as if he is in mourning. Tearing the clothes, uncovering the
head, and covering his lips are all part of the mourning ritual of that day.
The
leper is to declare his state of uncleanness whenever anyone approaches him.
The uncleanness of leprosy is contagious in that anyone who touches the leper
becomes unclean. The leper is essentially isolated and separated from the camp.
This includes separation from God who dwelt in the middle of the camp.
Isaiah 59:2-3 NKJV 2 But your
iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face
from you, So that He will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has
muttered perversity.
Yeshua
warns that evil speech comes from an evil heart and that every word will be
judged.
Matthew 12:35-37 NKJV 35 "A good
man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil
man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 "But I say to
you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the
day of judgment. 37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your
words you will be condemned."
James,
the brother of Yeshua warns against the damage that careless words may cause.
James 3:6 NKJV 6 And the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it
defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on
fire by hell.
Paul
tells us to speak words that encourage and build up another person.
Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV 31 Let all
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with
all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
During
the time of Yeshua, He performed many miracles as a sign that He was sent from
God. When John the Baptist sent his followers to ask if Yeshua was the Messiah,
Yeshua described some of His miracles.
Luke 7:22 KJV 22 Then Jesus answering
said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard;
how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
Notice
that the sick are healed, but that the lepers are cleansed. Yeshua didn’t heal
the lepers, He cleansed them. We see this in the interchange with the first
recorded instance of Yeshua cleansing a leper.
Matthew 8:2-4 NKJV 2 And behold, a
leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can
make me clean." 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying,
"I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4
And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show
yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony
to them."
The
leper came to Yeshua in humility and recognition that He was the Messiah. His
repentance for any slander or evil speech is implied in His true testimony
about Yeshua. Yeshua apparently made the symptoms go away while at the same
time making Him clean. These are actually separate events. A person cannot be
declared ritually clean until after the symptoms have gone away. The actual
process of being cleansed takes seven days. Yeshua, as the Son of God, declared
that the leper was already ritually clean. However, He instructed the man to
report to the priest and undergo the ritual process of becoming clean.
At
the end of James’ lengthy discussion of the dangers of the tongue, he provides
the remedy to lament, weep, and mourn just like the leper was to mourn.
James 4:7-10 NKJV 7 Therefore submit
to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He
will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,
you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He will lift you up.
Ritual
impurity is among those things that prevent us from coming into the presence of
God. Some of these things are the natural result of Adam’s sin which brought
death into this world. Leprosy, however, as a physical manifestation of an
inward spiritual condition, and can only be dealt with by repentance and a new
heart. It is only when we turn away from the evil thoughts of our minds and
turn to Yeshua, the one who cleans us and gives us a new heart, that we have
ritual purity to enter God’s presence.
Study
Questions:
2.
What evidence is there that leprosy is a
spiritual condition as opposed to a strictly physical condition?
3.
The process of restoring a person to
ritual purity after recovering from leprosy is similar to the ordination
ceremony for Aaron and his sons. What are those similarities? What do these
similarities imply about the seriousness of leprosy?
General
Portion Questions
4.
Not only can a person contract leprosy,
but so can a garment and a house. How is this a further indicator that leprosy
is a spiritual condition?
5.
If being ritually unclean did not allow a
person to participate in temple worship practices, what is the consequence
today, if any, when there is not temple?
6.
What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in
this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?
©
2023 Moed Ministries International All rights reserved.
[i] Torah
Club: Unrolling the Scroll. D. Thomas Lancaster. Editors: Boaz Michael, D.
Thomas Lancaster, Seth Dralle. First Fruits of Zion. ©2007, 2014, 2016, 2017 D. T.
Lancaster. Page 456.
[ii] The
Sone Edition Chumash. General Editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir
Zlotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©1998, 2000. Page 210.
