Day 4: Leviticus 13:55-14:20 (Study Notes)
Parsha Tazria-Metzora: Day 4
(Leviticus 13:55-14:20)
(Leviticus 13:55-58)
Moshe Rabbeinu declares that if after washing in water and remaining in isolation for the second seven day separation period the affection in the cloth:
Has not changed and has not spread: the cloth is unclean. Even though the red and green affliction did not spread, there is also no healing nor fading. Since the affected area did not improve, the entire cloth must be consumed by fire. The diagnosis is “Fret”
The affection faded (and did not spread—assumed): the cloth is pronounced clean .
For the “healed” clean cloth, the affected area must be torn out from the rest of the cloth. If after the affected part is torn out, the affection returns, the priest declare a “wild growth” and the cloth is unclean. The item must be consumed by fire.
If after the first and second washings, isolation periods, and tearing out of the affected area the affection disappears, THEN the article of clothing or skin will be washed a third time and will be pronounced clean.
Theses laws of leprosy in people and affections in cloth and hides provides a picture of how Hashem handles uncleanliness among His people. If the uncleanliness in a person is due to sin, we will know the affection came as curse when the leprosy is incurable (as is declared in Deuteronomy 27-28, which discusses blessings and curses that result from keeping and not keeping mitzvot respectively).
While it may be difficult to tell if you are suffering from a curse due to sin or a test of faith, the determining factor is if your affliction heals. Even if healing is long delayed, you are not suffering a curse, but a test of faith, much like Job or Jacob, who died with a limp and gimp hip—though unhealed at death, his injury was not due to sin but was the result of wrestling with Hashem and man.
Hashem approved Jacob’s faith, so Hashem touched his hip while wrestling with men. Though Jacob came out limping, he was given the new name Israel—and so began the start of Hashem’s beloved nation. In the world to come, Jacob’s hip might well be healed, since his suffering was a result of testing his faith, not sin—we will have to wait and see how Hashem will work His wonders.
Sometimes, temporay afflictions come as a punishment, but in the end, they are cured: denoting an acceptance of one’s teshuvah by Hashem—for such a case, we can consider Miriam’s 7 day affliction with leprosy. The fact that her leprosy healed after a single seven day period of isolation tells us she was not under a curse for sin. Rather, she faced a warning not to continue in sin.
Like Miriam, when Hashem’s people perform teshuvah, we are fully forgiven after we offer the acceptable (and required sacrifice). Without teshuvah, however, the curse (here leprosy) becomes incurable. This incurable nature can be understood by examining all of the nations to whom Hashem proclaims, “your wound is incurable “—I.e. the level of depravity and sin is beyond healing. The only cure is to be consumed in the flames of Hashem’s wrath when He chooses to act in perfect justice.
With Am Yisrael, Hashem has a bit more patience, and shows a bit more chesed.
To understand this concept we can consider Isaiah. In chapter 1, Hashem commands Isaiah not to call the people to teshuvah because the sin of the nation had become too great. Hashem declared, chastisement must be meted out in order for repentance to be drawn out and forgiveness granted.
Part of the declared chastisement was exile from Zion, Jerusalem, and the land of Israel. Like the piece of affected cloth, the people would be torn out of the land for a time. If we think of the number of exiles we can understand that we are in the stage of the third washing period.
Assyrian exile
Babylonian exile.
Roman exile (the current exile)
Given the fact that we are in the third phase of washing, if we Jews remain faithful in this final exile, and the affection of sin does not reappear , then:
We Jews will be pronounced clean
The temple will be rebuilt
A stream will flow from the temple
We will wash in the Ophel Mykveh and be clean eternally.
If we are unfaithful in exile and turn to worship false gods, then, like the piece of cloth with the affliction removed, Zion will be pronounced unclean and the cut out piece will face the same fate as the ungodly nations whose wounds are incurable.
While this is possible for the entire nation of Israel, it is only possible in theory. For, Hashem has promised to always always leave a remnant of His Jewish people. If not for our sake, then for His glory’s sake and the sake of the globe.
Blessings only come to the earth when Hashem’s Torah is kept. Torah was only given to the Jews, thus Jews only can keep Torah. Keeping Torah is the only way to blessing.
Thus, if every Jew is removed from earth, all blessings die with us. If even only a single Jew remains then blessings can continue, but only if the Jew follows Torah completely.
I know some readers who follow a god who was supposedly a Jewish son may be thinking—that describes our god! See, all Jews can die, and we’ll take over as Hashem’s elect people and nation. WRONG. For, there are innumerable ways in which the false gods broke Torah and in no wise do they even come close to fulfilling it. The death of one on a tree proved he was an abomination to Hashem and Torah, not its fulfillment.
Furthermore, Hashem has promised a remnant that will overflow Zion with Jews gathered in during the final exile, so we can be certain that the single-Jew remnant theory is debunked.
Thus, we Jews in exile must remain faithful to Hashem and Torah in exile. If we are humble enough to let the exile refine us like gold, then like gold, Hashem will smelt away our dross and leave only that which is holy and wholly pleasing to Him. We will be well prepared to meet our Ishi and King, Hashem. We will in no wise yet be perfect, but with faithfulness, our Ishi will still gather us home.
(Leviticus 14:1-32) “The Ritual for the Leper at The Time He is to Be Cleansed”
Just like the ingathered Jews from exile who will be washed and pronounced eternally clean, there is a proclaimed process for the leper who is the be cleansed after he or she has healed.
(Leviticus 14:3)
When a leper is healed from his or her leprosy, the priest must be notified. The leper must not leave the place outside the city walls, the priest must go to the Leper who is to be cleansed and examine the leper to ensure he or she is healed and is truly cleansed and healed.
(Leviticus 14:4)
If the priest determines that healing has occurred, the priest will order:
Two live, clean birds—does not specifically say they must be pigeons or doves, just clean birds. Rashi notes that these clean birds are not only living, but capable of continuing life. Such birds are capable of being inflicted with the same leprosy that the leper has healed from.
Cedar wood—Rashi notes that it is a branch of cedar wood, not a tree. The cedar is often used in the Tanakh to picture the strong and lofty nations. There is a difference between a cedar that is self-planted and the one that is planted by Hashem. The self-planted cedar can become self exalted. The cedar planted by Hashem is promised to start from a branch that’s lopped off a mighty tree. This branch will be planted by Hashem and grow into a godly, godfearing nation under whose branches other nations will come to reside. (Ezekiel 17:22-24). In the case of the cleansed leper, the cedar branch indicates Hashem’s approval for the new beginning of the person cleansed from leprosy.
“Crimson stuff”—according to Rashi, this is wool that has been dyed red. This red dye comes from a worm. According to Rashi, this dyed red wool represents the leper becoming humble and lowly like a worm.
Hyssop—used form cleansing in Tanakh. If we think of David in Psalm 51:7, he pleads “purge me with hyssop and I will be made white as snow”.
(Leviticus 14:5-7)
The items are to be brought to the priest in the leper encampment. THEN:
One of the birds will be slaughtered over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water. —this is reminiscent of the cow that is to be slaughtered in a stream when a dead body is found and no one knows who the murderer is. The ritual of slaughtering the animal over a body of fresh indicates, “I wash my (the nation of Israel) hands clean of the guilt of the dead body.” With the leper, such a slaughter washes the priest’s hands clean for possibly coming into contact with an unclean item in the leper camp. (Deuteronomy 21:1-9; it is a blood guilt offering).
The priest will take the second live bird, the cedar wood, the crimson stuff (wool died red), and the hyssop and dip them all together in the blood-saturated fresh water from the first bird.
From the dipped items, the blood-soaked water is to be sprinkled on the cleansed person 7 times—this sprinkling ritual much resembles the sprinkling of blood on the curtain for communal sin offerings, or the sprinkling on Aaron and his sons’ garments to consecrate them, or the sprinkling of blood on Yom Kippur. All of these sprinklings of blood act to cleanse.
The second live bird is to be set free into open country.—this is much like the live goat that is set free on Yom Kippur, which we will learn about Leviticus 16. This live bird being set free also resembles the dove that Noah set free after the flood. The dove brought back a green branch, indicating the flood waters had receded and Noah and his family could exit the ark. Both “freedoms” indicate sin is expiated and forgiven. It is time to begin anew. The same can be said of the person cleansed of his or her leprosy.
(Leviticus 14:8)
After the sacrifices and sprinkling of blood, the cleansed person must:
Wash his or her clothes.
Shave all of their body hair.
Bathe in water.
THEN the person will be pronounced clean. He or she may reenter the Israelite camp. Once inside the camp, the cleansed person must remain outside his tent for seven days—he is to sleep and dwell outside under the stars.
In the wilderness, the tent was the Sukkah—the promised refuge for the Israelites that indicated Hashem intended to settle down and dwell among them. Like Jacob’s sukkahs for his animals after he met with Esau, the sukkahs were built in the wilderness for Hashem’s flock.
Sleeping under the stars means the cleansed leper was kept outside his place of Hashem’s refuge. But, he or she could look up at the stars and remember the promise Hashem made to Abraham: Hashem’s people will be “as numerous as the stars”. So, the cleansed person was under promise, even without the sukkah for seven days.
(Leviticus 14:9)
After the seven days of sleeping outside his tent, but inside the camp of Israel, the cleansed returnee must again:
Shave all of their body hair on his head: head, beard, eyebrows, etc. —this is like the command for the gentile woman who an Israeli army man finds attractive in war. If he wants to take her as his wife, she must shave all of her hair, sit in mourning for her parents house for 30 days, and then they can be wed. Here, the returned person whose leprosy is healed is treated as the outsider bride-to-be. The time of separation and mourning has well been completed, but the shaving of the head indicates Hashem’s purpose: though the beloved Israelite was separated for a while, like a goy, Hashem now intended to take His beloved Jew back as a bride—the re-entrance into one’s tent is like entering a marital hopah of and with Hashem.
Wash his or her clothes.
Bathe his or her body.
THEN the person will be pronounced clean.
(Leviticus 14:10)
On day eight after returning to the camp, the cleansed person will then offer additional sacrifices in the presence of Hashem. These offerings will be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting and presented to Hashem by the priest who performs the cleaning ritual in the leper colony. He or she will bring:
Two male lambs—one for a sin offering; one as a burnt offerings. Typically the sin offering is a female lamb (see Leviticus 5:5-6). A well-being offering can be a male lamb, as can a burnt offerings (Leviticus 1; Leviticus 4).
But, notice the log of oil that is to be offered along with the male lamb. As we learned previously, oil, when added to the sin offering of a poor man’s flour, provided a the fat that is turned to smoke for expiation of sin.
Here, the lamb stands more as the well-being offering. We know this because the offerings are waved before Hashem. This is only done for Thanksgiving well-being offerings. (See Leviticus 7:29-34).
So, it is the oil that is offered as the guilt offering, which is turned to smoke along with the burnt offerings of thanksgiving—the prescribed offering for the poorest of the poor, yet here, the leper provides his own oil in place of flour, and the burnt offering atop which the oil will turn to smoke for full expiation and forgiveness (see Leviticus 5).
The location of the slaughtering of the lamb also indicates a burnt offering: it is to be slaughtered at the North side of the burnt offering altar—the sacred area where burnt offerings and sin offerings of chieftains are slaughtered. (Leviticus 1:11)
1 female lamb—guilt offering for touching human uncleanliness (Leviticus 5).
3/10ths of choice flour with oil. (Meal offering).
Additional log of oil.
(Leviticus 14:14-20)
When the lamb is slaughtered, the blood is to be placed by the priest onto the cleansed person in a manner that is very similar to the placement of blood on Aaron and his sons (the priests) at the time of their ordination and consecration: (Leviticus 8:22-24)
On the ridge of the right ear
On the thumb of the right hand.
On the big toe of the right foot.
The priest is to do the same placements with the oil, putting the oil on top of the blood of the cleansed person.
As we mention in our studies of Leviticus 8, the blood cleanses and prepares the priest (here the cleansed person) much in the same manner as as the placement of blood on the horns of the altar cleanses the altar and prepares the altar for sacrifice. The oil anoints and consecrates—marking and setting the person apart as the bride to be of Hashem.
Then the priest must sprinkle some of the oil before the LORD with the finger of his right hand. Unlike blood that is sprinkled before Hashem seven times, as is done for a sin offerings of a priest or the community, here oil is sprinkled before Hashem.
This is similar to the consecration rituals of Leviticus 8, when oil consecrated the priests and Tabernacle during the priestly ordination. (Leviticus 8:10; 8:30). Also like the priestly ordination, the remaining oil is placed on the head of the cleansed person—anointing the clean person like a priest.
In the days of moshiach, all of Hashem’s people (male and female alike) will be called priests of Hashem. It is not hard to imagine that all of us will undergo a similar cleansing and anointing ceremony when our Ishi, Hashem, arrived and gathers in His bride.
(Leviticus 14:19)
After the anointing practices with both the blood and the oil, the priest then offers the sin offering and the meal offering. As we learned in Leviticus chapters 1-2, the sin offering must be placed on top of the burnt offering on the burnt alter. The parts of the sin offering that grant expiation and forgiveness of sin are the fat of the kidneys, the liver protuberance, and the fat around the entrails.
All of the above stated steps must be completed and then the person will be declared clean. His or her guilt will be fully expiated and fully forgiven. At that time, the person may fully reenter not only the community but his or her home as well.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Kimberly Davis