(Leviticus 15:1- 15:33)
Jehovah told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel the following instructions: "Any man who has an unnatural emission of fluid from his penis is ritually impure. The emission is impure whether his organ is dripping with it or is experiencing a blockage because of it. The bed on which he has lain is impure and so is any place he has sat. If you touch the bed on which such a person has lain, or any place where he sat, you must wash your clothes and bath yourself; you will remain ritually impure until evening. And if you touch the man with the emission, or if he spits upon you, you must also wash your clothes and bath; you will remain ritually impure until evening. Any saddle or blanket on which the man has sat during riding will be impure. If you touch anything that has been under him or if the man touches you without first rinsing his hands, you must wash your clothes and bathe; you will be ritually impure until evening. Any earthenware vessel he has touched must be smashed and any wooden utensil he has used must be rinsed with water.
"When the person who has had the emission has recovered, he must devote 7 days to his ritual purification. Afterwards, he must wash his clothes and bath himself in fresh water so that he may be ritually pure. On the eighth day he must take two turtledoves or young pigeons and present them to the priest at the Sacrificial Altar in front of the entrance to the Tabernacle Sanctum. The priest will sacrifice them, one as a sin offering, the other as a burnt offering. By this means he will complete the ceremony of purification for the bodily discharge and obtain for the man atonement with Jehovah.
"Whenever a man has an discharge of semen, he must bathe his entire body; he will remain ritually impure until evening. Anything of cloth or leather with semen on it should be washed and will be impure until evening. If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman, resulting in an ejaculation, they must both bathe; both will remain impure until evening.
"When a woman experiences a flow of menstrual blood, she will remain ritually impure for 7 seven days. Anyone who touches her during the time of her menstrual period will be ritually impure until evening. Anything the woman lies upon or sits on will be impure. If you touch her bed or anything she has sat upon, you must wash your clothes and bathe. Whether you have touched her bed or something she has sat upon, you will remain impure until evening. If a man has sexual intercourse with her, then her ritual impurity of her menstrual period is transferred to him; he will be ritually impure for 7 days and any bed upon which he lies will become impure.
"If a woman suffers a flow of blood unrelated to her menstrual period or if the blood flow of menstruation continues beyond the normal time of her period, she will be considered ritually impure. As with her menstrual period, she will be impure so long as the discharge continues. And as with her period, any bed she lies upon or place she sits will be impure. If you touch these things, you, too, will become impure. You must then wash your clothes and bathe; you will be ritually impure until evening.
"When a woman's flow of blood ceases, she must wait 7 days, after which she will be ritually pure. On the eighth day she must take two turtledoves or young pigeons and present them to the priest at the Sacrificial Altar in front of the entrance to the Tabernacle Sanctum. The priest will sacrifice them, one as a sin offering, the other as a burnt offering. By this means he will complete the ceremony of purification for the impure flow of blood and obtain for the woman atonement with Jehovah.
"You must therefore protect the people of Israel from ritual impurity, for they will die, anyone defiling with impurity my Tabernacle, which stands in their midst.
"These are the regulations concerning persons with bodily discharges -- a man who become impure because of an emission of semen, a woman during her menstrual period, any man or woman with genital emissions, and a man who has had sexual relations with a woman who is ritually impure.”
Notes
1. Although many Bible translations are (perhaps understandably) vague and euphemistic in describing the first-mentioned “bodily discharge,” what is meant here is an emission of fluid from the penis most likely caused by gonorrhea, an STD with a long history. (Syphillis, on the other hand, was not known in the Old World until 1494, traditionally and still widely believed to have been brought to Europe by Columbus’ sailors.)
2. Ritual impurity after intercourse and during the menstrual period would be common and natural. Impurity, it can be concluded, would not always be the result of imprudent behavior or physical affliction. Any person would, at various times, be deemed impure. It would seem that someone who was sexual active would be ritually impure most of the time.
3. One can imagine social complications ensuing from concerns about ritual purity. A man might visit another's house. He is invited to sit down. But the guest would need to be cautious in order to maintain his ritual purity. Would he tell his host, "Yes, thank you, but, you know, your wife seemed a bit out of sorts today. Is she possibly having her period now? And if so, did she sit in this chair you offer me." And one would hesitate visiting anyone who was sick for fear of becoming ritually impure. One can’t help but thinking that this emphasis on ritual purity would have a very chilling effect on whatever the practice of medicine consisted of at the time.
4. The enforcement of ritual purity is to make certain that no one and nothing impure ever violates the Tabernacle. The punishment is death. It is not spelled out how this occurs. Does the impure violator of the Tabernacle suddenly die of a heart attack? Is he struck down by lightning or consumed by the roaring flames of the altar fire? Or does he waste away days later? This is a frightful thing, considering that one might very easily become ritually impure without knowing it, sitting in the wrong place, drinking from the wrong cup, touching the wrong person. Would not the Hebrew community be consumed by paranoia and fear, each person safeguarding his purity?
5. I might present a theory to explain the origin of the concept of ritual purity (which is not exclusive to the Hebrews, but is nearly universal among primitive religions). It is this. If extraterrestrial beings came to earth and had intercourse with human beings, they would be accepted by the earth men as gods and temples would be build to honor and worship them. The temples might also be places where the extraterrestrial beings might physically visit their worshipers. But the "gods" would need to be wary of the humans. They could easily protect themselves physically with weapons and defenses, but might not so easily guard themselves from the germs that humans could carry. Therefore, they might insist that they be approached only by healthy worshipers and those who had bathed and washed their clothes. The reason behind ritual purity might, therefore, be hygienic after all, even if the ancients did not understand it as such.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Treatment of Dwellings Contaminated with Tzaraath
(Leviticus 14:33 - 14: 57)
Jehovah then told Moses and Aaron: "When you arrive to settle in the land of Canaan, which I am bestowing upon you as a possession, I may cause some of your dwellings to become contaminated with tzaraath. In such cases, the owner should go to the priest and report, 'There is some kind of mold contamination in my house!' Before the priest inspects the house, it must be emptied so that nothing remains in it that could be deemed ritually impure. The priest will then enter the house, make his inspection, and examine the mold contamination. If there are greenish or reddish spots in the mold and the contamination seems to go deeper than the surface of the wall, the priest should leave the house, seal the door, and quarantine the house for 7 days. The priest should return on the seventh day and re-inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, he should order the affected stones of the wall removed and dumped in a ritually impure area outside of town. He should have the inside walls of the house scraped, with the scrapings similarly disposed of. New stones should be set to replace the contaminated ones that were removed and the house re-plastered.
"If the mold reappears after the stones have been replaced and the walls scraped and re-plastered, then the priest must return and re-inspect the house. If the mold has spread throughout the house, then the house has been contaminated with tzaraath and is ritually impure. The priest must order the house to be torn down, with all its stones, timbers, and plaster dumped in a ritually impure place outside of town. Anyone who has entered the house while it was closed up will be ritually impure until evening. And anyone who has slept or has eaten in the house must wash his clothes.
"If, however, the priest makes his inspection after the house has been re-plastered and finds that the mold has not reappeared, he may pronounce the house ritually pure, for the tzaraath is clearly gone. Then, to purify the house, the priest should take two birds, a length of cedar wood, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch. He should sacrifice one of the birds over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water. Then he should dip the cedar wood, the scarlet ribbon, the hyssop branch, and the live bird into the blood of the sacrificed bird and into the fresh water. The house should be sprinkled with this blood and water seven times. With the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop branch, and the scarlet ribbon the house will thus be purified. (The live bird will then be released in an open field outside of town.) Through this ceremony the priest will obtain atonement for the house and it will thereafter be ritually pure.
"These comprise the instructions for dealing with the varied incidences of tzaraath, whether it manifests itself as mold in cloth or on the walls of a dwelling, or as sores, rashes, swelling or discolored areas on the skin. These are the procedures for determining whether skin diseases and molds are ritually impure or not. These are the regulations concerning tzaraath."
Notes
1. We hear of another form of tzaraath, that of mold or mildew contaminating dwellings. (How absurd seem the many translations that refer to this as "leprosy.") This is referencing a problem that does not yet exist, for the Israelites are still dwelling in tents at the supposed time that Jehovah makes these communications to Moses and Aaron and lays out these instructions. Jehovah, if not omniscient, is at least prescient, although he gives the impression that the tzaraath contaminates houses according to his will. Is tzaraath, even of the house mold variety, some sort of divine punishment inflicted upon the unholy? Should sinners mend their ways for fear their bedroom walls might become moldy?
2. One assumes that Canaan, even in ancient times, enjoyed a fairly arid climate. It seems strange then that mold (or mildew), which thrive on moisture, would be so major a problem in homes that structures would have to be torn down because of it. (I have concluded that mold is a more likely contaminant than mildew and is probably what is referred to.)
3. The stone walls of dwelling would probably have been stuccoed on the outside and plastered on the inside, but there is really no difference between traditional plaster and stucco (basically lime, sand, and water -- Portland cement and gypsum plaster are fairly recent refinements).
4. It is interesting that something like mold on the basement walls should be considered to be under the purview of a priest. But it should be remembered that the ancients, except for a few Greek philosophers, believed that all that happened in the world was due to supernatural agencies. Religion, therefore, touched everything. (In contrast, most people today believe that everything happens through natural agencies, a view that is just as inaccurate and that results in just as many errors of understanding.)
Jehovah then told Moses and Aaron: "When you arrive to settle in the land of Canaan, which I am bestowing upon you as a possession, I may cause some of your dwellings to become contaminated with tzaraath. In such cases, the owner should go to the priest and report, 'There is some kind of mold contamination in my house!' Before the priest inspects the house, it must be emptied so that nothing remains in it that could be deemed ritually impure. The priest will then enter the house, make his inspection, and examine the mold contamination. If there are greenish or reddish spots in the mold and the contamination seems to go deeper than the surface of the wall, the priest should leave the house, seal the door, and quarantine the house for 7 days. The priest should return on the seventh day and re-inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, he should order the affected stones of the wall removed and dumped in a ritually impure area outside of town. He should have the inside walls of the house scraped, with the scrapings similarly disposed of. New stones should be set to replace the contaminated ones that were removed and the house re-plastered.
"If the mold reappears after the stones have been replaced and the walls scraped and re-plastered, then the priest must return and re-inspect the house. If the mold has spread throughout the house, then the house has been contaminated with tzaraath and is ritually impure. The priest must order the house to be torn down, with all its stones, timbers, and plaster dumped in a ritually impure place outside of town. Anyone who has entered the house while it was closed up will be ritually impure until evening. And anyone who has slept or has eaten in the house must wash his clothes.
"If, however, the priest makes his inspection after the house has been re-plastered and finds that the mold has not reappeared, he may pronounce the house ritually pure, for the tzaraath is clearly gone. Then, to purify the house, the priest should take two birds, a length of cedar wood, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch. He should sacrifice one of the birds over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water. Then he should dip the cedar wood, the scarlet ribbon, the hyssop branch, and the live bird into the blood of the sacrificed bird and into the fresh water. The house should be sprinkled with this blood and water seven times. With the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop branch, and the scarlet ribbon the house will thus be purified. (The live bird will then be released in an open field outside of town.) Through this ceremony the priest will obtain atonement for the house and it will thereafter be ritually pure.
"These comprise the instructions for dealing with the varied incidences of tzaraath, whether it manifests itself as mold in cloth or on the walls of a dwelling, or as sores, rashes, swelling or discolored areas on the skin. These are the procedures for determining whether skin diseases and molds are ritually impure or not. These are the regulations concerning tzaraath."
Notes
1. We hear of another form of tzaraath, that of mold or mildew contaminating dwellings. (How absurd seem the many translations that refer to this as "leprosy.") This is referencing a problem that does not yet exist, for the Israelites are still dwelling in tents at the supposed time that Jehovah makes these communications to Moses and Aaron and lays out these instructions. Jehovah, if not omniscient, is at least prescient, although he gives the impression that the tzaraath contaminates houses according to his will. Is tzaraath, even of the house mold variety, some sort of divine punishment inflicted upon the unholy? Should sinners mend their ways for fear their bedroom walls might become moldy?
2. One assumes that Canaan, even in ancient times, enjoyed a fairly arid climate. It seems strange then that mold (or mildew), which thrive on moisture, would be so major a problem in homes that structures would have to be torn down because of it. (I have concluded that mold is a more likely contaminant than mildew and is probably what is referred to.)
3. The stone walls of dwelling would probably have been stuccoed on the outside and plastered on the inside, but there is really no difference between traditional plaster and stucco (basically lime, sand, and water -- Portland cement and gypsum plaster are fairly recent refinements).
4. It is interesting that something like mold on the basement walls should be considered to be under the purview of a priest. But it should be remembered that the ancients, except for a few Greek philosophers, believed that all that happened in the world was due to supernatural agencies. Religion, therefore, touched everything. (In contrast, most people today believe that everything happens through natural agencies, a view that is just as inaccurate and that results in just as many errors of understanding.)
Purification of Those Cured of Tzaraath
(Leviticus 14:1 - 14:32)
Jehovah instructed Moses further: "This is the procedure for those seeking ritual purification from tzaraath: One who has been healed of disease must be presented to a priest, who will examine him at a place outside of camp. If the person has indeed been healed of tzaraath, then the priest should order brought to him, on behalf of the one who is to be purified, the following items: two ritually pure live birds, a length of cedar wood, some scarlet yarn, and branches of hyssop. The priest will first order that one of the birds be sacrificed over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water. Then the live bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop branches should be dipped in the blood of the bird sacrificed over the fresh water. The priest will then sprinkle the blood of the dead bird seven times upon the person to be purified from tzaraath. He will then be pronounced ritually pure. (The live bird may be released into an open field.)
"The person to be purified will then wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and take a bath, to be declared ritually pure. He may then return to camp, but must remain outside his tent for a period of 7 days. On the seventh day, he must shave again, removing all the hair from his head, his beard, and eyebrows. He must wash his clothes and take a bath, to be ritually pure.
"On the eighth day he must get together two male lambs and a yearling ewe, all without defect, and for a grain offering, three tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil and a log of olive oil. The officiating priest will present the person seeking purification and the aforesaid offerings before Jehovah’s altar at the entrance to the Tabernacle Sanctum. The priest will take one the male lambs and the olive oil and present them as guilt offerings, raising and waving them above the Sacrificial Altar. He will slaughter the male lamb in the area before the Sanctum where guilt and burnt offerings are sacrificed. (As with a sin offering, the guilt offering, by divine right, belongs to the priest.) The priest will dab blood from the guilt offering on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person seeking purification. He will then pour some of the log of olive oil into the palm of his own left hand. He will dip his right forefinger into the oil and sprinkle it seven times before the altar. He will apply the oil from his palm over the blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be purified. The remaining oil in his palm the priest should use to anoint the head of the one seeking to be purified. Through this ritual and through the sin offering, the priest will seek atonement with Jehovah on behalf of the one cured of tzaraath and seeking purification. The priest will then slaughter the burnt offering and lay it upon the altar along with the grain offering. Atonement will thus be obtained for the one who has been purified.
"If, though, one is poor and cannot afford all these offerings, one may instead bring a single male lamb to be the guilt offering waved above the altar for atonement, a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for the grain offering, a log of oil, and two turtledoves or young pigeons, such as one may afford -- one for the sin offering and one for the burnt offering. On the eighth day of the purification ritual, one should bring them to the priest at the altar in front of the Tabernacle Sanctum. The priest will take the lamb and the olive oil and present them as guilt offerings, raising and waving them above the Sacrificial Altar. He will slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering and dab its blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person seeking purification. He will then pour some of the log of olive oil into the palm of his own left hand. He will dip his right forefinger into the oil and sprinkle it seven times before the altar. He will apply the oil from his palm over the blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be purified. The remaining oil in his palm the priest should use to anoint the head of the one seeking to be purified, in order that he may obtain atonement with Jehovah. Next, the priest will offer for sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons (whatever the person can afford), one being for the sin offering, the other for the burnt offering, along with the grain offering, all through which the priest will obtain atonement with Jehovah for one being purified. --- These are the instructions for one who has been cured of tzaraath but cannot afford the normally required offerings."
Notes
1. Three-tenths of an ephah would be a little more than 6 quarts. A log is equivalent to two-thirds of a pints.
2. Save that they be dipped into the blood of the sacrificed bird, it is not explained what is done with, or the significance of the length of cedar wood, the scarlet thread, or the hyssop branches in the ritual, although one may assume the hyssop branches are used to sprinkle the blood about. Maybe the thread is used to bind the birds. The cedar wood -- ?
3. The person who is cured of tzaraath and is being purified may return to camp, but he can't sleep in his tent for 7 days. Does he sleep on the ground outside his tent? One hopes the nights weren't too cold or a good sleeping bag was available.
4. The text is unclear as to whether the bird is be slaughtered over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water (as I have rendered it) or over running water above the vessel (as is the most common translation). It is hard to visualize where the running could come from since the sacrifice was to be made at the Sacrificial Altar in front of the Tabernacle Sanctum. There wasn’t a tap handy. Water, of course, could be poured, but the sacrificed bird is described as being over the earthenware vessel, and if water were poured out of it upon the bird, it would be below the vessel.
5. Shaving all the hair from one’s body was a common rite of purification in ancient religions. The Egyptian priests regularly did so, and perhaps this custom was acquired by the Hebrews during their sojourn in Egypt.
6. The bathing and washing of clothes to restore ritual purity reminds the modern reader of our washing to disinfect and prevent disease. No ancient people, though, had any concept of illness being caused by micro-organisms. Some peoples, such as bath-crazy Greeks and Romans, may have regarded bathing as being beneficial to health, but if they believed it prevented disease, they wouldn’t have known why. And their custom of bathing, as a public function, seemed intended more for recreational and social than sanitary purposes.
7. The repeated reference to turtledoves or young pigeons reflects a stipulation that the birds be rather small. The turtledove (streptopelia colombidae), native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, is a small species of the dove family, measuring as little as 8 inches. Most pigeons are larger, but a young pigeon, presumably smaller than an adult, would be of comparable size to a turtle dove.
8. Those who can't afford the usual sacrificial offerings are given a pass of sorts, but they still have to come up with a lamb, some flour, and a couple of pigeons. If the person suffering from tzaraath is forced to live alone outside of camp, how would he be possessed of any wealth? Would others tend the flocks he once owned or hold his possessions in trust? And if one could not afford even the reduced rates, would he be deprived of purification altogether? Would a wealthier member of the community pay the fare for him, or did the priests ever do work pro bono?
Jehovah instructed Moses further: "This is the procedure for those seeking ritual purification from tzaraath: One who has been healed of disease must be presented to a priest, who will examine him at a place outside of camp. If the person has indeed been healed of tzaraath, then the priest should order brought to him, on behalf of the one who is to be purified, the following items: two ritually pure live birds, a length of cedar wood, some scarlet yarn, and branches of hyssop. The priest will first order that one of the birds be sacrificed over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water. Then the live bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop branches should be dipped in the blood of the bird sacrificed over the fresh water. The priest will then sprinkle the blood of the dead bird seven times upon the person to be purified from tzaraath. He will then be pronounced ritually pure. (The live bird may be released into an open field.)
"The person to be purified will then wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and take a bath, to be declared ritually pure. He may then return to camp, but must remain outside his tent for a period of 7 days. On the seventh day, he must shave again, removing all the hair from his head, his beard, and eyebrows. He must wash his clothes and take a bath, to be ritually pure.
"On the eighth day he must get together two male lambs and a yearling ewe, all without defect, and for a grain offering, three tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil and a log of olive oil. The officiating priest will present the person seeking purification and the aforesaid offerings before Jehovah’s altar at the entrance to the Tabernacle Sanctum. The priest will take one the male lambs and the olive oil and present them as guilt offerings, raising and waving them above the Sacrificial Altar. He will slaughter the male lamb in the area before the Sanctum where guilt and burnt offerings are sacrificed. (As with a sin offering, the guilt offering, by divine right, belongs to the priest.) The priest will dab blood from the guilt offering on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person seeking purification. He will then pour some of the log of olive oil into the palm of his own left hand. He will dip his right forefinger into the oil and sprinkle it seven times before the altar. He will apply the oil from his palm over the blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be purified. The remaining oil in his palm the priest should use to anoint the head of the one seeking to be purified. Through this ritual and through the sin offering, the priest will seek atonement with Jehovah on behalf of the one cured of tzaraath and seeking purification. The priest will then slaughter the burnt offering and lay it upon the altar along with the grain offering. Atonement will thus be obtained for the one who has been purified.
"If, though, one is poor and cannot afford all these offerings, one may instead bring a single male lamb to be the guilt offering waved above the altar for atonement, a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for the grain offering, a log of oil, and two turtledoves or young pigeons, such as one may afford -- one for the sin offering and one for the burnt offering. On the eighth day of the purification ritual, one should bring them to the priest at the altar in front of the Tabernacle Sanctum. The priest will take the lamb and the olive oil and present them as guilt offerings, raising and waving them above the Sacrificial Altar. He will slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering and dab its blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person seeking purification. He will then pour some of the log of olive oil into the palm of his own left hand. He will dip his right forefinger into the oil and sprinkle it seven times before the altar. He will apply the oil from his palm over the blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be purified. The remaining oil in his palm the priest should use to anoint the head of the one seeking to be purified, in order that he may obtain atonement with Jehovah. Next, the priest will offer for sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons (whatever the person can afford), one being for the sin offering, the other for the burnt offering, along with the grain offering, all through which the priest will obtain atonement with Jehovah for one being purified. --- These are the instructions for one who has been cured of tzaraath but cannot afford the normally required offerings."
Notes
1. Three-tenths of an ephah would be a little more than 6 quarts. A log is equivalent to two-thirds of a pints.
2. Save that they be dipped into the blood of the sacrificed bird, it is not explained what is done with, or the significance of the length of cedar wood, the scarlet thread, or the hyssop branches in the ritual, although one may assume the hyssop branches are used to sprinkle the blood about. Maybe the thread is used to bind the birds. The cedar wood -- ?
3. The person who is cured of tzaraath and is being purified may return to camp, but he can't sleep in his tent for 7 days. Does he sleep on the ground outside his tent? One hopes the nights weren't too cold or a good sleeping bag was available.
4. The text is unclear as to whether the bird is be slaughtered over an earthenware vessel filled with fresh water (as I have rendered it) or over running water above the vessel (as is the most common translation). It is hard to visualize where the running could come from since the sacrifice was to be made at the Sacrificial Altar in front of the Tabernacle Sanctum. There wasn’t a tap handy. Water, of course, could be poured, but the sacrificed bird is described as being over the earthenware vessel, and if water were poured out of it upon the bird, it would be below the vessel.
5. Shaving all the hair from one’s body was a common rite of purification in ancient religions. The Egyptian priests regularly did so, and perhaps this custom was acquired by the Hebrews during their sojourn in Egypt.
6. The bathing and washing of clothes to restore ritual purity reminds the modern reader of our washing to disinfect and prevent disease. No ancient people, though, had any concept of illness being caused by micro-organisms. Some peoples, such as bath-crazy Greeks and Romans, may have regarded bathing as being beneficial to health, but if they believed it prevented disease, they wouldn’t have known why. And their custom of bathing, as a public function, seemed intended more for recreational and social than sanitary purposes.
7. The repeated reference to turtledoves or young pigeons reflects a stipulation that the birds be rather small. The turtledove (streptopelia colombidae), native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, is a small species of the dove family, measuring as little as 8 inches. Most pigeons are larger, but a young pigeon, presumably smaller than an adult, would be of comparable size to a turtle dove.
8. Those who can't afford the usual sacrificial offerings are given a pass of sorts, but they still have to come up with a lamb, some flour, and a couple of pigeons. If the person suffering from tzaraath is forced to live alone outside of camp, how would he be possessed of any wealth? Would others tend the flocks he once owned or hold his possessions in trust? And if one could not afford even the reduced rates, would he be deprived of purification altogether? Would a wealthier member of the community pay the fare for him, or did the priests ever do work pro bono?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)