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Birth and “the walking dead,” aka lepers. The two couldn’t be more different different. The first brings life into the world, and the latter is a mark of life that is headed out of the world. Yet in human body’s sometimes gross processes of fostering the new, we see similarities with the indeed gross processes that unravel the body, making it waste away.
The Torah readings תזריע Tazria (“she will conceive,” Leviticus 12–13) and מְּצֹרָע Metzora (“leper,” Leviticus 14–15) weave a thread of Heaven’s wisdom between the realms of life and death, showing us in stark imagery how Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) indeed is making this happen: “The last enemy that will be abolished is death” (1Corinthians 15:26–27 NASB).
Overview of Tazria-Metzora
- Lessons from human reproduction
- Birth
- Cycles and emissions
- S’eit, sapachat, & baheret (lepers)
- Examples
- Moses demonstrates Who gives leprosy
- Miriam acts presumptuously
- Uzziah acts presumptuously
- Naaman and Gehazi switch places
- Lepers of Samaria save the city
- Leper worships Messiah
- Cleansing
- Examples
Lessons from human reproduction
Lev. 12:2-5: Note that the first week for males and the first two weeks for females are separated out from the balance of the purification time period. It is common to combine all the time specified into one continuous value (40 days and 80 days respectively). The Torah separates the time this way in order to show how to apply instructions in Leviticus 15.
Lev 15:20-23: Applies for first week or two weeks after birth (male versus female).
Lev 12:4: Remaining time period, she is to continue to not touch sacred things or enter the Sanctuary.
Lev. 15:24: However, not everything she touches in unclean anymore (unlike the first week or two weeks). She is still not to know her husband during the remaining time period.
Lev. 12:6-8: Why a sin offering and atonement? Anything connected to an unusual (uncommon or infrequent) blood flow is attached to a loss of blood (life is in the blood). The Torah appears to connect child birth to this uncommon category (unlike menstrual cycles which are considered common).
Lev. 15:28-30: We see similar offerings for abnormal discharges (male or female) as we do for childbirth. Therefore it may be reasonable to believe that unusual blood flow (miscarriages, disease/infections, extended menstrual cycles) are viewed similarly to giving birth.
Lev. 15:31-33: It is clear from the text, that menstrual and seminal flows are separate from the abnormal discharges. The cleansing process for seminal or menstrual flows is indicated by washing the clothing/bedding and body in water and they remain unclean until evening.
Lessons from ‘lepers’
Leviticus 13-14 discuss “leprosy” and cleansing the “leper.” The specific disease descriptions given are difficult to reconcile with most modern known diseases. Therefore, I will discuss the nature of how the disease was used by Yehovah in different examples.
Ex. 4:6-7: Yehovah shows Moses (and later the Israelites) who has power over life/death giving and healing leprosy. In this example, we see that Yehovah can decide when and where to use leprosy (a very fearful disease). It is important to note that Pharaoh was the one to receive this death (death of the right-hand, or Son). Pharaoh is known his arrogance/presumptuousness/unbelief, aka “hard heart.”
Num. 12:1-16: Miriam & Aaron lift themselves up to be judge over Moses and gossip over his wife.
Num. 12:9-16: We see Yehovah using “leprosy” as a correction tool for Miriam & Aaron lowering Moses and raising themselves up as equal or greater to him.
2Chron. 26:16-21: Uzziah lifted himself up to be equal to the priests.
2Kings 5:1-19: Naaman was brought very low before his leprosy was removed from him (wash in a small muddy river). After Naaman humbled himself to baptize in the Jordan River seven times, he believes in the One True God.
Naaman seems to have prior knowledge of Yehovah’s laws (making an altar from special soil, Ex. 20:4-6).
Luke 4:27: Naaman received a rich reward for his faith, to be commended by Messiah for recognizing Elisha as a prophet and Yehovah as God.
2Kings 5:20-27: Gehazi raised himself above his master, Elisha, and received the “leprosy” that was removed from Naaman.
2Kings 6:24-7:20: Lepers save the city. Royal Guard is hard hearted (2Kings 7:1-2). Lepers see they are the lowest of value and have nothing to loose (2Kings 7:3-4).
2King 7:5-7: Lepers were “raised up” by Syrians and perceived as chariots and horses.
2Kings 7:8-10: Lepers fear Yehovah and inform the city,
2 Kings 7:26-20: The Syrian guard with the hard heart dies by the hand of the city that was saved by the lepers who should have “died.” A reversal of the sentence.
Luke 17:11-19: Lepers plead for mercy, but only one foreigner humbles himself before Yehovah and Messiah.
Meaning of the leper examples
We can see through the examples that leprosy is used for multiple applications. One is for humbling one who lifted himself up in his own eyes and lowering another. The other application is related in that the humbled leper redeems himself by lowering himself and raising others as more valuable.
Cleansing the ‘leper’ or ‘leprous’ house
The details of the instructions are connected to the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, Passover, priesthood, Nazarite vow and baptism.
Lev. 14:4-9: Bird, hyssop, cedar and scarlet yarn are baptized in bloody spring water seven times.
Lev. 14:5: Bird elements are similar to the two goats at Yom Kippur. Also, there is a tradition for Yom Kippur regarding the bloody (red) cord (yarn) turning white once the goat is sent off into the wilderness.
Lev. 14:4-7: Note the elements used from Passover are included: cedar wood (doorpost), hyssop, earthenware vessel and sprinkle seven times the one cleansed.
Lev. 14:14-18: Priesthood consecration elements also have parallels: blood and oil on the lobe of right ear, thumb of the right hand and big toe of the right foot.
Lev. 14:8-9: The shaving off all hair and being in, but still separate from the community is similar to the Nazarite vow. Once completed, the vow requires shaving again, just like the leper before fully returning to the community.
Baptism
The priest baptizes in the bloody spring water the elements used for cleaning the leper seven times. Naaman also was baptized in the Jordan River seven times to clean his leprosy. This connects the solution for Naaman to the Torah, even though he did not follow the direct instructions. Therefore, we can conclude that baptizm with humility (a lowly river) is also connected to cleansing to some degree.