(Book of Numbers 12:1 - 12:15)
While they were staying at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on account of his Arabian wife, (for Moses had indeed married a woman from Arabia). They declared, "Has Jehovah spoken exclusively through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us as well?"
Jehovah heard them. (Moses himself was a singularly humble man, more so than anyone in the world.) Immediately, Jehovah called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and told them, "Go out to the Tabernacle, the three of you!" And so they went to the Tabernacle. Jehovah descended in a pillar of cloud that settled before the entrance to the Sanctum. He summoned Aaron and Miriam, who stepped forward.
He said to them, "Now listen to what I have to say! When there are prophets among you, I, Jehovah, make myself known to them through visions; I speak to them in dreams. This is not true of my servant Moses, for he is the one in whom I have entrusted my people. With him, I speak face to face, clearly, not in allegories. And he has even glimpsed the true form of Jehovah. Why then did you dare speak against my servant Moses?"
As he departed, Jehovah was seething with anger. After his cloud had ascended above the Tabernacle, Miriam was left standing there with her skin diseased, scaly and white as snow. Aaron turned to Miriam and lo and behold -- she had tzaraath! He cried out to Moses, "My master, please don't punish us for this offense we have foolishly committed! Don't let her be like a stillborn child emerging from the womb with her skin half eaten away.”
Moses cried out to Jehovah, "Oh, God, please heal her, I beg you!"
Jehovah answered Moses, "If her father had only spit in her face, wouldn’t she hide in disgrace for a week or so? Well then, keep her outside of the camp for 7 days and after that you may let her back in."
And so Miriam was quarantined outside of camp for 7 days, and her people waited to set out again until she could return. Afterwards, the Israelites departed Hazeroth and camped in the desert of Paran.
Notes
1. His older brother Aaron and older sister Miriam challenge the role that Moses has assumed of being the sole intermediary between Jehovah and the Israelite people. Aaron is Jehovah's high priest and Miriam seems to have some claim as a prophetess. It is hard to see, however, that they could view themselves as the equal of their brother in his relationship with Jehovah. There seems to be some fierce sibling rivalry here. How often it happens that when one family member becomes famous, the siblings merely bask in his reflected glory; any modest success they may achieve is usually dependent upon the star of the family. They resent the family star and delude themselves into believing that they are as good as he is and can do what he does. In this case, the sibling rivalry is exacerbated by the fact that Moses was raised as an Egyptian and spent much of his adulthood among the Midians. Moses would not be truly Israelite in their eyes -- or perhaps even a bona fide member of the family.
2. Although it has nothing to do Moses' position, a bone of contention between Moses and his siblings seems to be his wife. How often is the foreign wife resented by the family and regarded as an interloper. That resentment would have been considerable among the Israelites, who were very xenophobic and race conscious, as well as suspicious and unaccepting of all that was alien to their culture. This passage is quite problematic. It refers to Moses' wife as a Cushite. Cush was an ancient kingdom to the south of Egypt, generally synonymous with Nubia, inhabited by black Africans who, at an earlier period, established a civilization that rivaled that of Old Kingdom Egypt. The term Cushite was also used more generally to refer to sub-Saharan, black Africa, just as the term Ethiopian was similarly used by the Greeks and even by the Europeans right up until the middle of the Nineteenth Century. (Stephen Foster wrote Ethiopian songs.) In Hebrew, a Cushi is a black person. One might naturally conclude then that Moses' wife was a Negro. However, it becomes more complicated: Cush also referred to Arabia. (The Hebrews didn’t have the same conception of continents as we do.) This is the most likely meaning, and that is why I have used the less ambiguous "Arabian" in the translation. Sephora was a Midianite and, therefore, an Arabian, even though the Midianites were, in fact, Hebrews. This seems the most likely explanation of this, at first, puzzling passage. Rendered otherwise, it implies that Moses acquired an additional wife or remarried after Sephora's death, yet this remarriage is nowhere suggested. It should be mentioned, though, that there is an alternative non-Biblical narrative in which Moses is sent by the Egyptian government to lead Pharaoh’s armies in Ethiopia and returns in triumph with an Ethiopian princess as his bride. This would have been before his flight from Egypt and his marriage to Sephora. Would this other wife, if she existed, have still been around by the time of the Exodus? Even though the biblical account of Moses is, at best, more legendary than historical, this other account, no doubt of much later origin, is likely to be purely fabulous. In considering the possibility of a second Mrs. Moses, one must ask how there could have been any opportunity for Moses to marry after his flight from Egypt to Midian, which was made alone. He was a bit too busy dealing with the Pharaoh and the plagues to have done any courting and wooing after his return to Egypt. And he was a man with a wife and young children. Why would he contract a foreign marriage, when he was trying to establish his authenticity as a national leader of the Israelites? And as leader of the Exodus, he had his hands full, while his actions were continually subject to "divine" as well as popular scrutiny. How probable would it have been that some Cushite woman tagged along with the Israelites on their Exodus and found a way to marry the top man? Improbable, surely. And it's unthinkable that Jehovah would have allowed his man Moses to take a new foreign wife. Therefore, the correct interpretation is probably the simple one: the reference is to his original, one and only wife, Sephora, daughter of Jethro, and that the description of her as Cushite only means Arabian and Midianite and not black African.
3. The parenthetic reference to Moses’ humility or meekness probably explains why he doesn’t defend himself. He allows Jehovah to do so. (Odd, that if Moses were actually the author of the books ascribed to him, he would commend his own character, especially if he was really so humble!)
4. Jehovah takes Aaron and Miriam to the woodshed (in this case, the Tabernacle) and, like a stern father, gives them a good talking to and puts them in their place. However, the ever-irate Jehovah is not a father who spares the rod. If he has an excuse to punish someone, he will take it. Understanding, kindness, forgiveness, and mercy have, we've seen, little part in his nature. When the people complain about not having any real food to eat, he doesn't tell them to man up and tough it out. No, he gives them the food they desire and then arranges for the food to sicken and kill them -- a retributive act of devious cruelty. Here, instead of letting Moses' brother and sister off with a warning, after he reproves them, he punishes Miriam by inflicting her with the dreaded tzaraath, a disease that makes her skin white and flaky. When Moses appeals to him to have mercy, to heal her, Jehovah blows him off. He dismisses the punishment with a casualness and callousness that is appalling. "Big deal" he pretty much says, "she'll be OK in a week!"
5. Why Jehovah chooses to punish Miriam and not Aaron is unexplained. Did Aaron, as high priest, have immunity? Was Miriam more guilty? At any rate, it seems unnecessarily severe and nasty, if not misogynistic to punish the woman and not the man. (Gallantry is not a Jehovan virtue!)
6. Tzaraath is often translated as "leprosy." However, the term is also used to described mold and mildew infestation of houses and clothes. It is not known whether biblical leprosy is the same as modern leprosy or Hansen's disease, a chronic, infectious bacterial disease affecting the skin -- probably not. But tzaraath, when applied to humans, does denote a defiling skin disease that rendered one ritually impure and usually required the sufferer to be isolated or quarantined. Unlike leprosy, tzaraath infections often seemed to be of limited, even short durations.
7. Jehovah, as he is wont, descends to his Sanctum in a cloud. The cloud is described as a pillar. One might imagine his physical, human-like form coming down from the sky and being screened by the cloud. Some translations have Jehovah standing at the entrance to the Sanctum, or perhaps it's the Inner Sanctum, but it seems likely he is still within the veiling cloud. He insists that no one but Moses is allowed to see him in the flesh, in his real, physical form, yet we know that Moses only saw the back of his head and then only once. We may therefore assume that although Aaron and Miriam are hearing his voice, they are only looking at his cloud.
8. It is made clear by Jehovah that only Moses is his vicar, his human emissary, his agent. Others with whom he communicates through dreams and visions may be prophets, but they do not represent him or act for him as Moses does. Apparently Jehovah, not anxious to make friends and influence people, relies upon, trusts only Moses, whom he nevertheless uses and abuses, while treating his chosen people with a contempt that is exceeded only by the detestation with which he views the rest of mankind, the race he supposedly created.
Showing posts with label tzaraath. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tzaraath. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Expulsion of the Impure
(Book of Number 5:1 - 5:4)
Jehovah instructed Moses, "Order the Israelites to expel from camp anyone who is afflicted with tzaraath, has a ritually impure bodily discharge, or who is impure because of contact with a dead body. Expel them whether they are male or female so that they may not defile the camp where I dwell among them."
And so the Israelites did as Jehovah had commanded them and expelled such people from their camp.
Notes:
1. Tsaraath, which was covered quite extensively in Leviticus, is a catch-all term for any kind of skin disease that renders a person ritually impure. It is often translated as "leprosy," but certainly includes many other afflictions in addition to the disease called leprosy that was prevalent in ancient times (and which was probably different from modern leprosy or Hansen's disease). In fact, tsaraath can affect clothes or the walls of buildings in the form of mold or mildew.
2. Jehovah demands that these impure folks be kicked out of the Israelite camp not, it seems, because they might infect other Israelites but because he doesn't want to be around them. To what extent Jehovah actually lives among the Israelites is an open question. If he physically appears at all it would be in the Inner Sanctum of the Tabernacle. If he did, why should he worry about impure people living in other parts of the camp, for no one but a priest would be caught dead in the Inner Sanctum? (Correction: anyone else but a priest who entered the Inner Sanctum would very quickly become dead!) Does the ritual impurity of a human somehow have an effect upon Jehovah the god? Is this effect physical or otherwise? It only makes sense if a germaphobic Jehovah is afraid of catching something. Does Jehovah, if he be a physical being, need to protect himself from too close a contact with earth people so as to avoid exposure to pathogens?
3. It would be interesting to know how many were expelled from camp for this reason. (Here, Numbers fails to give us the number.) Did these people set up a separate camp and follow the Israelites in their travels? Were they able to rejoin the main camp when they became well or pure again?
Jehovah instructed Moses, "Order the Israelites to expel from camp anyone who is afflicted with tzaraath, has a ritually impure bodily discharge, or who is impure because of contact with a dead body. Expel them whether they are male or female so that they may not defile the camp where I dwell among them."
And so the Israelites did as Jehovah had commanded them and expelled such people from their camp.
Notes:
1. Tsaraath, which was covered quite extensively in Leviticus, is a catch-all term for any kind of skin disease that renders a person ritually impure. It is often translated as "leprosy," but certainly includes many other afflictions in addition to the disease called leprosy that was prevalent in ancient times (and which was probably different from modern leprosy or Hansen's disease). In fact, tsaraath can affect clothes or the walls of buildings in the form of mold or mildew.
2. Jehovah demands that these impure folks be kicked out of the Israelite camp not, it seems, because they might infect other Israelites but because he doesn't want to be around them. To what extent Jehovah actually lives among the Israelites is an open question. If he physically appears at all it would be in the Inner Sanctum of the Tabernacle. If he did, why should he worry about impure people living in other parts of the camp, for no one but a priest would be caught dead in the Inner Sanctum? (Correction: anyone else but a priest who entered the Inner Sanctum would very quickly become dead!) Does the ritual impurity of a human somehow have an effect upon Jehovah the god? Is this effect physical or otherwise? It only makes sense if a germaphobic Jehovah is afraid of catching something. Does Jehovah, if he be a physical being, need to protect himself from too close a contact with earth people so as to avoid exposure to pathogens?
3. It would be interesting to know how many were expelled from camp for this reason. (Here, Numbers fails to give us the number.) Did these people set up a separate camp and follow the Israelites in their travels? Were they able to rejoin the main camp when they became well or pure again?
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?
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Treatment of Clothing with Tzaraath
(Leviticus 13:47 - 13:59)
"In regard to fabric and articles of clothing, whether of wool or linen, woven or knitted, or of leather, if the woven, knitted, or leather article has turned reddish or greenish with mould, it has been contaminated with tzaraath and must be shown to a priest. The priest should examine the affected article and store it in isolation for 7 days. On the seventh day, he should examine it again. If the mould has spread upon the woven or knitted cloth or piece of leather (irrespective of its use), then it is contaminated with tzaraath and is ritually impure. Whether the contaminated fabric be of wool or linen, woven or knitted, or of leather, it must be burned because it has tzaraath.
"However, if the priest examines it and finds that the mould on the woven or knitted clothing or article of leather has not spread, the priest should order the article washed and then stored in isolation for 7 more days. Afterwards, it will be reexamined by the priest. If the affected area is unchanged, even though the mould has not spread, it is still impure and must be burned, regardless of whether the contaminated area is on the inside or the outside of the fabric. But if, when the priest reexamines it, the mold has faded upon washing, then he should tear out the contaminated part of the woven or knitted fabric or leather article. If, after that, the mould reappears in the woven or knitted fabric or article of leather, it is obviously tsaraath and so the contaminated article must be burned. But if the mould has disappeared upon washing, then the woven or knitted clothing or article of leather should be washed again, at which time it will become ritually pure.
"These are the regulations concerning tzaraath in cloths of wool and linen, woven and knitted, and articles of leather, and the means by which the priest may determine whether they be ritually pure or impure."
Notes
1. Tzaraath in this context must refer to mould or mildew. It is curious, amusing even, that the Hebrews thought that mold and mildew that forms on clothes was the same thing as a skin disease and needed to be treated in the same manner. Odd that someone would find a spot of mildew on their robe and rush to have a priest examine it. Consider a modern person finding mildew on an old coat: Would he bring it to church and have the pastor look at it for fear that the garment might be ritually impure? One would think a person would simply brush off the mildew, wash and scrub the garment and think no more of it, at least have no thought that the matter would have any possible religious significance. Things were different in the ancient Hebraic world!
2. One gains the impression that, unlike their neighbors the Egyptians or, in a later period, the Greeks, the ancient Hebrews were not one for the daily bath or shower, nor were they disposed to wash their clothes frequently. When they bathed or washed their clothes, it seems as if it is only for a special occasion. This may be reason the may have suffered from skin diseases and found moulds and mildew on their clothes.
3. Fabrics that may be contaminated with tzaraath include wool and linen, as well as leather, but not cotton, which was probably unfamiliar to the Hebrews and, therefore, unlikely to have been worn by them. Cotton cultivation and cotton textiles date back to remote antiquity, but mostly in India, China, and Mexico. The Greeks were ignorant of cotton until the conquests of Alexander the Great in India. Dyed textiles and wool from animals other than sheep were traditionally not thought to be susceptible to contamination by tzaraath.
"In regard to fabric and articles of clothing, whether of wool or linen, woven or knitted, or of leather, if the woven, knitted, or leather article has turned reddish or greenish with mould, it has been contaminated with tzaraath and must be shown to a priest. The priest should examine the affected article and store it in isolation for 7 days. On the seventh day, he should examine it again. If the mould has spread upon the woven or knitted cloth or piece of leather (irrespective of its use), then it is contaminated with tzaraath and is ritually impure. Whether the contaminated fabric be of wool or linen, woven or knitted, or of leather, it must be burned because it has tzaraath.
"However, if the priest examines it and finds that the mould on the woven or knitted clothing or article of leather has not spread, the priest should order the article washed and then stored in isolation for 7 more days. Afterwards, it will be reexamined by the priest. If the affected area is unchanged, even though the mould has not spread, it is still impure and must be burned, regardless of whether the contaminated area is on the inside or the outside of the fabric. But if, when the priest reexamines it, the mold has faded upon washing, then he should tear out the contaminated part of the woven or knitted fabric or leather article. If, after that, the mould reappears in the woven or knitted fabric or article of leather, it is obviously tsaraath and so the contaminated article must be burned. But if the mould has disappeared upon washing, then the woven or knitted clothing or article of leather should be washed again, at which time it will become ritually pure.
"These are the regulations concerning tzaraath in cloths of wool and linen, woven and knitted, and articles of leather, and the means by which the priest may determine whether they be ritually pure or impure."
Notes
1. Tzaraath in this context must refer to mould or mildew. It is curious, amusing even, that the Hebrews thought that mold and mildew that forms on clothes was the same thing as a skin disease and needed to be treated in the same manner. Odd that someone would find a spot of mildew on their robe and rush to have a priest examine it. Consider a modern person finding mildew on an old coat: Would he bring it to church and have the pastor look at it for fear that the garment might be ritually impure? One would think a person would simply brush off the mildew, wash and scrub the garment and think no more of it, at least have no thought that the matter would have any possible religious significance. Things were different in the ancient Hebraic world!
2. One gains the impression that, unlike their neighbors the Egyptians or, in a later period, the Greeks, the ancient Hebrews were not one for the daily bath or shower, nor were they disposed to wash their clothes frequently. When they bathed or washed their clothes, it seems as if it is only for a special occasion. This may be reason the may have suffered from skin diseases and found moulds and mildew on their clothes.
3. Fabrics that may be contaminated with tzaraath include wool and linen, as well as leather, but not cotton, which was probably unfamiliar to the Hebrews and, therefore, unlikely to have been worn by them. Cotton cultivation and cotton textiles date back to remote antiquity, but mostly in India, China, and Mexico. The Greeks were ignorant of cotton until the conquests of Alexander the Great in India. Dyed textiles and wool from animals other than sheep were traditionally not thought to be susceptible to contamination by tzaraath.
Treatment of Tzaraath of the Skin
(Leviticus 13:1 - 13:46)
Jehovah said this to Moses and Aaron:
"When anyone has on his skin a swelling, an eruption, or a shiny spot that might be a symptom of tzaraath, that person should be brought to see Aaron or any of his successors as priests. The priest should examine the patient's skin, and if body hair in the affected area has turned white and the disease seems more than skin deep, then it is tzaraath. After the examination, the priest should declare the person ritually impure. However, if the skin is only discolored, the body hair in the area has not turned white, and the disease seems to have affected only the surface of the skin, then the priest should confine the person to his home for 7 days. If, after examining him on the seventh day, the priest finds that the sore is unchanged and has not spread, then the priest should have him confined for another 7 days. On the seventh day the priest should make another examination and, finding the sore has faded and has not spread, the priest may declare the patient ritually pure -- it was only a skin rash. The patient's clothes should be washed and, after that, he will be ritually pure. If, after the examination by the priest and the declaration that he is ritually pure, running sores reappear, the patient must return to the priest for another examination. If the priest concludes that the sores have spread, he will pronounce the patient ritually impure -- it is indeed a case of tzaraath.
"When anyone is afflicted with tzaraath, he should be brought before a priest. The priest will make an examination, and, if the skin is white and swelling, if the body hair around it has turned white, and if there is an open sore on the skin, then it is tzaraath, and the priest should declare the person ritually impure. In such cases, a confinement is unnecessary since it is obvious the person is infected with tzaraath. In the case of the disease affecting the skin of the entire body, from head to toe, the priest must examine the patient and finding, as far as he can tell, that the disease has covered his entire body, he may declare him ritually pure, for the skin is uniformly white. If, however, open sores appear, then the infected person must be declared ritually impure. The priest must make this declaration as soon as sores are detected, for sores are a symptom of tzaraath. If the sores heal and the area turns white again like the rest of the skin, then the infected person must return to the priest for another examination. If he finds the affected areas have indeed turned white, then he may declare the patient ritually pure -- and he will thus be pure.
"When a person has a boil on the skin and after it has healed, there is, in the same area, a whitish swelling or a pink spot, it should be shown to the priest, who should make an examination. If the infection seems more than skin deep and the body hair in the area has turned white, then the priest should declare the person ritually impure, for tzaraath has broken out where the boil was. But if the priest exams it and finds that the hair in the area is not white, that the infection seems no deeper than the skin and is in the process of healing, then he should confine the patient for 7 days. If, during this time, the skin infection spreads, the priest should declare the patient ritually impure, for it is tzaraath. If, on the other hand, the infection is unchanged and has not spread, it is merely a scar from the boil, and the priest should declare the person pure.
"If someone has a burn on his body and white or pink spot appears in the sores of the burn, then a priest should examine it. If he finds that body hair in the area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, then tzaraath has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce the person ritually impure, for this is tzaraath. But if when the priest examines it, body hair in the area has not turned white and the infection does not seem more than skin deep, then he should confine the patient to his home for 7 days. The priest should examine him on the seventh day, and if the infection has spread, he should declare the patient ritually impure, for he is afflicted with tzaraath. But if the spot is unchanged, has not spread, but is healing, then it is merely the swelling from the burn, the priest should pronounce him pure, for it is only a burn scar.
"If a man or woman has a sore on the head or in the beard, the priest should examine it. If it seems to be more than skin deep and there is fine, yellow hair in it, then the priest must declare the person ritually impure. It is tzaraath of the head or beard. If the priest examines the infection and it appears to be only skin deep, with no black hair in it, the priest should confine the person with the sore for 7 days. On the seventh day the priest should examine the sore, and if it has not spread, if there is no yellow hair in it and it does not seem to be more than skin deep, then the man may shave around the sore, leaving the sore unshaven. The priest should confine the person with the sore for another 7 days. On the seventh day the priest should reexamine the sore, and if it has not spread and seems no more than skin deep, then he should pronounce the person ritually pure. The affected person should then wash his clothes, and he will then be purified. However, if the sore begins to spread after the person has been declared pure, then the priest must conduct another examination. If he finds that the sore has indeed spread, he need not search for yellow hair; the infected person is ritually impure. But if the color of the sore has not changed and black hair has grown in it, the sore has healed; the person is thus ritually pure, and the priest should declare him so.
"If a man or a woman has white spots on their skin, a priest should examine them. If they are dull, pale white, it is only a skin rash; the person remains pure.
"If a man loses the hair on his head, he may be bald, but he remains ritually pure. If he loses hair from his temples, he has a receding hairline, but he remains pure. However, if he has a pink sore on his pate or crown, it is tzaraath breaking out there. The priest should examine him, and if the sore on the pate or crown is pink, resembling an outbreak of tzaraath, then the man is diseased and ritually impure. Because of the sore on his head the priest must declare him to be impure.
"Those afflicted with tzaraath must wear ragged clothes and leave their hair unkempt. They must cover the lower part of their faces, and cry out, "Impure! Impure!" As long as they have the disease, they will remain ritually impure. And they must live by themselves in a place outside of camp."
Notes
1. Sometimes the best translation is not to translate, and I have stuck with the original Hebrew word tzaraath (spelled variously). It refers to a range of skin diseases and afflictions -- but not only that, the term is also used to refer to mold and mildew that may appear on clothing or in dwellings. It is traditionally translated as leprosy, but this is patently inaccurate. For one thing, clothes and houses don't become afflicted with leprosy, and most of the skin complaints here described do not suggest leprosy or its symptoms at all. (Most sound like psoriasis.) Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, was, in fact, rare, in Old Testament times, even if, by the time of Jesus, it was common and a serious health problem. It must be remembered that tzaraath is not being dealt with in a medical context. The only issue here is whether a person is ritually pure or impure. Serious breaking of the skin is sufficient to render one impure. And any skin disease sufficient to render one ritually impure is termed tzaraath.
2. It must be noted that many ancient historians believed that the Israelites led by Moses were expelled from Egypt because they were diseased. Perhaps there was a widespread occurrence of skin diseases among them, occasioning this emphasis on tzaraath.
3. The confinement of those suspected of having tzaraath is merely to determine the progression of the infection. It is not a quarantine, as we might imagine, to protect others from a contagious disease. The ancients, after all, knew nothing about the origin or transmission of disease. (Lest we be too smug in our knowledge, we should remember that the germ theory was not universally accepted until the end of the 19th Century.) The isolation of those suffering from tzaraath, the popular conception of the "leper," was necessitated since those who are more than temporarily impure cannot take an active part in Hebrew society.
4. The reference to shaving is interesting. One imagines the ancient Hebrews as being uniformly bearded, since shaving the beard will be prohibited (later in Leviticus). To shave they probably would have used a copper razor, which was developed as early as 3000 B.C.
Jehovah said this to Moses and Aaron:
"When anyone has on his skin a swelling, an eruption, or a shiny spot that might be a symptom of tzaraath, that person should be brought to see Aaron or any of his successors as priests. The priest should examine the patient's skin, and if body hair in the affected area has turned white and the disease seems more than skin deep, then it is tzaraath. After the examination, the priest should declare the person ritually impure. However, if the skin is only discolored, the body hair in the area has not turned white, and the disease seems to have affected only the surface of the skin, then the priest should confine the person to his home for 7 days. If, after examining him on the seventh day, the priest finds that the sore is unchanged and has not spread, then the priest should have him confined for another 7 days. On the seventh day the priest should make another examination and, finding the sore has faded and has not spread, the priest may declare the patient ritually pure -- it was only a skin rash. The patient's clothes should be washed and, after that, he will be ritually pure. If, after the examination by the priest and the declaration that he is ritually pure, running sores reappear, the patient must return to the priest for another examination. If the priest concludes that the sores have spread, he will pronounce the patient ritually impure -- it is indeed a case of tzaraath.
"When anyone is afflicted with tzaraath, he should be brought before a priest. The priest will make an examination, and, if the skin is white and swelling, if the body hair around it has turned white, and if there is an open sore on the skin, then it is tzaraath, and the priest should declare the person ritually impure. In such cases, a confinement is unnecessary since it is obvious the person is infected with tzaraath. In the case of the disease affecting the skin of the entire body, from head to toe, the priest must examine the patient and finding, as far as he can tell, that the disease has covered his entire body, he may declare him ritually pure, for the skin is uniformly white. If, however, open sores appear, then the infected person must be declared ritually impure. The priest must make this declaration as soon as sores are detected, for sores are a symptom of tzaraath. If the sores heal and the area turns white again like the rest of the skin, then the infected person must return to the priest for another examination. If he finds the affected areas have indeed turned white, then he may declare the patient ritually pure -- and he will thus be pure.
"When a person has a boil on the skin and after it has healed, there is, in the same area, a whitish swelling or a pink spot, it should be shown to the priest, who should make an examination. If the infection seems more than skin deep and the body hair in the area has turned white, then the priest should declare the person ritually impure, for tzaraath has broken out where the boil was. But if the priest exams it and finds that the hair in the area is not white, that the infection seems no deeper than the skin and is in the process of healing, then he should confine the patient for 7 days. If, during this time, the skin infection spreads, the priest should declare the patient ritually impure, for it is tzaraath. If, on the other hand, the infection is unchanged and has not spread, it is merely a scar from the boil, and the priest should declare the person pure.
"If someone has a burn on his body and white or pink spot appears in the sores of the burn, then a priest should examine it. If he finds that body hair in the area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, then tzaraath has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce the person ritually impure, for this is tzaraath. But if when the priest examines it, body hair in the area has not turned white and the infection does not seem more than skin deep, then he should confine the patient to his home for 7 days. The priest should examine him on the seventh day, and if the infection has spread, he should declare the patient ritually impure, for he is afflicted with tzaraath. But if the spot is unchanged, has not spread, but is healing, then it is merely the swelling from the burn, the priest should pronounce him pure, for it is only a burn scar.
"If a man or woman has a sore on the head or in the beard, the priest should examine it. If it seems to be more than skin deep and there is fine, yellow hair in it, then the priest must declare the person ritually impure. It is tzaraath of the head or beard. If the priest examines the infection and it appears to be only skin deep, with no black hair in it, the priest should confine the person with the sore for 7 days. On the seventh day the priest should examine the sore, and if it has not spread, if there is no yellow hair in it and it does not seem to be more than skin deep, then the man may shave around the sore, leaving the sore unshaven. The priest should confine the person with the sore for another 7 days. On the seventh day the priest should reexamine the sore, and if it has not spread and seems no more than skin deep, then he should pronounce the person ritually pure. The affected person should then wash his clothes, and he will then be purified. However, if the sore begins to spread after the person has been declared pure, then the priest must conduct another examination. If he finds that the sore has indeed spread, he need not search for yellow hair; the infected person is ritually impure. But if the color of the sore has not changed and black hair has grown in it, the sore has healed; the person is thus ritually pure, and the priest should declare him so.
"If a man or a woman has white spots on their skin, a priest should examine them. If they are dull, pale white, it is only a skin rash; the person remains pure.
"If a man loses the hair on his head, he may be bald, but he remains ritually pure. If he loses hair from his temples, he has a receding hairline, but he remains pure. However, if he has a pink sore on his pate or crown, it is tzaraath breaking out there. The priest should examine him, and if the sore on the pate or crown is pink, resembling an outbreak of tzaraath, then the man is diseased and ritually impure. Because of the sore on his head the priest must declare him to be impure.
"Those afflicted with tzaraath must wear ragged clothes and leave their hair unkempt. They must cover the lower part of their faces, and cry out, "Impure! Impure!" As long as they have the disease, they will remain ritually impure. And they must live by themselves in a place outside of camp."
Notes
1. Sometimes the best translation is not to translate, and I have stuck with the original Hebrew word tzaraath (spelled variously). It refers to a range of skin diseases and afflictions -- but not only that, the term is also used to refer to mold and mildew that may appear on clothing or in dwellings. It is traditionally translated as leprosy, but this is patently inaccurate. For one thing, clothes and houses don't become afflicted with leprosy, and most of the skin complaints here described do not suggest leprosy or its symptoms at all. (Most sound like psoriasis.) Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, was, in fact, rare, in Old Testament times, even if, by the time of Jesus, it was common and a serious health problem. It must be remembered that tzaraath is not being dealt with in a medical context. The only issue here is whether a person is ritually pure or impure. Serious breaking of the skin is sufficient to render one impure. And any skin disease sufficient to render one ritually impure is termed tzaraath.
2. It must be noted that many ancient historians believed that the Israelites led by Moses were expelled from Egypt because they were diseased. Perhaps there was a widespread occurrence of skin diseases among them, occasioning this emphasis on tzaraath.
3. The confinement of those suspected of having tzaraath is merely to determine the progression of the infection. It is not a quarantine, as we might imagine, to protect others from a contagious disease. The ancients, after all, knew nothing about the origin or transmission of disease. (Lest we be too smug in our knowledge, we should remember that the germ theory was not universally accepted until the end of the 19th Century.) The isolation of those suffering from tzaraath, the popular conception of the "leper," was necessitated since those who are more than temporarily impure cannot take an active part in Hebrew society.
4. The reference to shaving is interesting. One imagines the ancient Hebrews as being uniformly bearded, since shaving the beard will be prohibited (later in Leviticus). To shave they probably would have used a copper razor, which was developed as early as 3000 B.C.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)