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Parashah 28: M'tzora ·Person afflicted with tzara'at· 14:1-15:33
14
Read with Parashah 27 in regular years; in leap years, read separately
1 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 2 * Lev 14:2 (Lev 14:1-20) (#3.217): Directions for the cleansing of a leper (ritual)
Note: This ritual is to be done with the offerings of cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet wool, two birds, and spring water. The complete ritual is described in (v1-20) (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213) “This shall be the Torah ·Teaching· of † Ch. 14 in Judaism, Leprosy is Tzara'at: The Rabbis teach that the Hebrew word metzora ·person afflicted with tzara'at· is a contraction of the words motzi rah which means ·one who spreads slander·. This chapter is as much about slander as it is about the disease of tzara'at.
The “treatment” or punishment for such a person was being outcast for a period of time. During this time of isolation, the metzorah could reflect on the damage done by his or her words. Once the condition had been cured, the metzorah then offered a sacrifice which included two birds; one bird to slaughter and one bird to set free. Rashi says that God wanted the metzorah to sacrifice birds in order to remind the person about the sin of chattering like a bird.
In Midrash Shocher Tov it reads, “The damage done by evil talk is compared to the piercing, irreparable destruction of an arrow. Why is the tongue compared to an arrow? An arrow cannot be called back once it has been shot, even if the marksman wishes to do so. Just as the victim does not know about it until it actually reaches him, so the effects of evil talk are not felt until the arrows of a wicked person pierce him.” the ‡ MP: Only God can heal leprosy; really this is not Hansen’s disease but a divine-origin disease called tzara'at in Hebrew. Only God can afflict and only God can remove. Messiah has the authority of God to preform healing works that only God alone can accomplish such as healing disabilities. Examples: God applies the disease at will: (Ex 4:5-8; Num 12:10, 2 Kings 5:27); God only can heal the disease as He wills (Num 12:13-15; 2 Kings 5:1-8,5:14-15). (Luke 17:14) refers to (Lev 14:1-9). (Matt 11:5; Mark 1:40-44; Luke 5:12-14, 17:12-14 (11-19)) leper in the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, § Quoted in Matt 8:4; Luke 5:14; full context is all of (Lev 14) 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp.The priest shall examine * Quoted in Mark 1:44 him, † According to Mishnah Nega'im 2:2 people who see white, leprous-like spots on their skin should not inspect themselves to determine whether they have a case of tzara'at. Rather, they should have a cohen ·priest· perform the inspection for them. This is because most of us are quite incapable of seeing our own faults. and behold, if the plague of tzara'at is healed in the leper, 4 then the priest shall enjoin them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. 5 The priest shall enjoin them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7 He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the tzara'at seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.
8 “He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days. 9 ‡ Lev 14:9 (Lev 14:1-9) (#3.218): For the leper to shave all his hair upon being cleansed (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213) It shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his body in water, then he shall be clean.
10 § Lev 14:10 (Lev 14:8-32, 14:2-8, 14:9, 14:10-20, 14:21-22, 14:23-32) (#3.219): T. People who are cleansed from their tzara'at ·leprosy· are to bring a sacrifice / R. People who are cleansed from their tzara'at ·leprosy· must bring an offering after going to the mikvah ·ritual washing, baptism· (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213) “On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without defect, and one ewe lamb a year old without defect, and three tenths of an ephah [three omers; 6.9 q; 6.6 L] of fine flour for a meal offering, mingled with oil, and one log [0.65 qt; 0.31 L] of oil. 11 The priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed, and those things, before Adonai , at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
12 “The priest shall take one of the male lambs, and offer him for a trespass offering, with the log [0.65 qt; 0.31 L] of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before Adonai . (LY:2) 13 He shall kill the male lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 The priest shall take some of the log [0.65 qt; 0.31 L] of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. 16 The priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Adonai . 17 The priest shall put some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering. 18 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Adonai .
19 “The priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering; 20 and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering on the altar. The priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
(RY:5, LY:3) 21 “If he is poor, and can’t afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth of an ephah [an omer; 2.3 q; 2.2 L] of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal offering, and one log [0.65 qt; 0.31 L] of oil; 22 and two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
23 “On the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, before Adonai . 24 The priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log [0.65 qt; 0.31 L] of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Adonai . 25 He shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering. The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 The priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand; 27 and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Adonai . 28 Then the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering. 29 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Adonai . 30 He shall offer one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to afford, 31 even such as he is able to afford, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meal offering. The priest shall make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before Adonai .”
32 This is the Torah ·Teaching· for him in whom is the plague of tzara'at, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.
(RY:6, LY:4) 33 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out] and to Aaron [Light-bringer], saying, 34 * Lev 14:34-35 (Lev 14:33-48, 14:49-53) (#3.220): The Cohen ·Priest· shall identify and declare a malignant tzara'at ·leprosy· on a house
Consider: In (Lev 14:34) God himself placed tzara'at ·leprosy· in some houses of Cannites while Israel was entering into Cannan. This shows us that tzara'at ·leprosy· can be caused by God and there is purpose for it existing, but why? (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213) “When you have come into the land of Canaan [Humbled], which I give to you for a possession, and I put a spreading tzara'at mildew in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘There seems to me to be some sort of plague in the house.’ 36 The priest shall enjoin that they empty the house, before the priest goes in to examine the plague, that all that is in the house not be made unclean. Afterward the priest shall go in to inspect the house. 37 He shall examine the plague; and behold, if the plague is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and it appears to be deeper than the wall; 38 then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days. 39 The priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the plague has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest shall enjoin that they take out the stones in which is the plague, and cast them into an unclean place outside of the city: 41 and he shall cause the inside of the house to be scraped all over, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scraped off, outside of the city into an unclean place. 42 They shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.
43 “If the plague comes again, and breaks out in the house, after he has taken out the stones, and after he has scraped the house, and after it was plastered; 44 then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive tzara'at mildew in the house. It is unclean. 45 He shall break down the house, its stones, and its timber, and all the house’s mortar. He shall carry them out of the city into an unclean place.
46 “Moreover he who goes into the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening. 47 He who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
48 “If the priest shall come in, and examine it, and behold, the plague has not spread in the house, after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 49 To cleanse the house he shall take two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. 50 He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 51 He shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, with the living bird, with the cedar wood, with the hyssop, and with the scarlet; 53 but he shall let the living bird go out of the city into the open field. So shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.”
(LY:5) 54 This is the Torah ·Teaching· for any plague of tzara'at, and for an itch, 55 and for the destructive tzara'at mildew of a garment, and for a house, 56 and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot; 57 to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean.
This is the Torah ·Teaching· of tzara'at.

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*14:2 Lev 14:2 (Lev 14:1-20) (#3.217): Directions for the cleansing of a leper (ritual) Note: This ritual is to be done with the offerings of cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet wool, two birds, and spring water. The complete ritual is described in (v1-20) (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213)

†14:2 Ch. 14 in Judaism, Leprosy is Tzara'at: The Rabbis teach that the Hebrew word metzora ·person afflicted with tzara'at· is a contraction of the words motzi rah which means ·one who spreads slander·. This chapter is as much about slander as it is about the disease of tzara'at. The “treatment” or punishment for such a person was being outcast for a period of time. During this time of isolation, the metzorah could reflect on the damage done by his or her words. Once the condition had been cured, the metzorah then offered a sacrifice which included two birds; one bird to slaughter and one bird to set free. Rashi says that God wanted the metzorah to sacrifice birds in order to remind the person about the sin of chattering like a bird. In Midrash Shocher Tov it reads, “The damage done by evil talk is compared to the piercing, irreparable destruction of an arrow. Why is the tongue compared to an arrow? An arrow cannot be called back once it has been shot, even if the marksman wishes to do so. Just as the victim does not know about it until it actually reaches him, so the effects of evil talk are not felt until the arrows of a wicked person pierce him.”

‡14:2 MP: Only God can heal leprosy; really this is not Hansen’s disease but a divine-origin disease called tzara'at in Hebrew. Only God can afflict and only God can remove. Messiah has the authority of God to preform healing works that only God alone can accomplish such as healing disabilities. Examples: God applies the disease at will: (Ex 4:5-8; Num 12:10, 2 Kings 5:27); God only can heal the disease as He wills (Num 12:13-15; 2 Kings 5:1-8,5:14-15). (Luke 17:14) refers to (Lev 14:1-9). (Matt 11:5; Mark 1:40-44; Luke 5:12-14, 17:12-14 (11-19))

§14:2 Quoted in Matt 8:4; Luke 5:14; full context is all of (Lev 14)

*14:3 Quoted in Mark 1:44

†14:3 According to Mishnah Nega'im 2:2 people who see white, leprous-like spots on their skin should not inspect themselves to determine whether they have a case of tzara'at. Rather, they should have a cohen ·priest· perform the inspection for them. This is because most of us are quite incapable of seeing our own faults.

‡14:9 Lev 14:9 (Lev 14:1-9) (#3.218): For the leper to shave all his hair upon being cleansed (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213)

§14:10 Lev 14:10 (Lev 14:8-32, 14:2-8, 14:9, 14:10-20, 14:21-22, 14:23-32) (#3.219): T. People who are cleansed from their tzara'at ·leprosy· are to bring a sacrifice / R. People who are cleansed from their tzara'at ·leprosy· must bring an offering after going to the mikvah ·ritual washing, baptism· (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213)

*14:34 Lev 14:34-35 (Lev 14:33-48, 14:49-53) (#3.220): The Cohen ·Priest· shall identify and declare a malignant tzara'at ·leprosy· on a house Consider: In (Lev 14:34) God himself placed tzara'at ·leprosy· in some houses of Cannites while Israel was entering into Cannan. This shows us that tzara'at ·leprosy· can be caused by God and there is purpose for it existing, but why? (See more notes in Lev 13:33 OU213)

© 2016 Thomas Robinson