[00:00:00] Speaker A: Did Yeshua ever become unclean according to the biblical definition? Think about it. When he touched the leper, when the woman with the issue of blood touched his garment, when he touched the dead, most of his devout followers would say, no, of course not. He couldn't become unclean. But what if this understanding is in direct opposition to his role as Messiah? What if he needed to become unclean in order to fulfill the task that the father had sent him to accomplish on our behalf? Have I got your attention? Then stick around for this week's five minute Torah.
Welcome back, Shalomis. Welcome to another episode of five minute Torah. Before we continue, here's a brief overview of this week's Torah reading. This week we're studying the portion of Tazriya, Leviticus twelve, 113, 59, and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, impurity in childbirth. Is God a misogynist? The perception that God is misogynistic stems largely from a shallow understanding of our current Torah portion. A surface reading of the laws of purification after childbirth, which require longer periods of purification for the birth of a daughter than for a son, has caused critics to view these and similar passages as indicative of a divine preference for males over females. However, this interpretation overlooks the complex nature of ritual purity in the biblical culture. The distinctions in purification periods can be understood through various lenses, one of which revolves around the sanctity of life and the role of women as bearers of future generations. Women not only have an inherent connection to purity, but also carry the potential for both physical and spiritual reproduction. They are life bearers, and thus the Torahs laws of purification are tied to their roles as such. Hence the emphasis on on times of separation and purification as a means of elevating women rather than discriminating against them. Number two, biblical leprosy. This week also covers the laws of tzaraat or biblical leprosy. Tzarat could manifest in a number of ways, and not just in a person. On a person, it would appear as white patches, sores, or swellings on the skin. The Torah gives detailed instructions on how the priests are to diagnose these conditions, looking for changes in hair color within the affected area, the depth of the disease in the skin, and the presence of raw flesh. Tzarat could also affect garments made of wool or linen and the walls of houses. In these instances, the Torah describes the appearance of greenish or reddish streaks or spots, which would also require a priestly examination and could lead to the item being quarantined and if not resolved, ultimately destroyed. However, unlike what most people think, tzarat is not a physical disease and does not correspond directly to what modern medicine defines as leprosy or Hansen's disease, which is a long term bacterial infection. Zara is a spiritual malady inflicted by the lord for specific reasons. If you're interested in learning more about this, then check out my book, five minute Torah, volume one three soul physician the role of the koan in the Torah the act of the koan, or priest diagnosing Sara'at, teaches us a profound lesson that spiritual transgressions can and manifest as physical ailments. This responsibility placed upon the priests elevated the role from mere religious officiants to spiritual guardians within the community. Their elevation went beyond the surface, probing the depths of an individual's spiritual integrity. As tzar'a was often viewed as a tangible repercussion for certain types of sin. This diagnosis acted as a divine prompt for introspection and transformation, linking these physical blemishes of Sara'at to the spiritual corrosion caused by misconduct. Through the purification rites, the priests were not just addressing the physical symptoms, but were chiefly invested in healing the soul and restoring the individual, enabling them to return to communal worship. Their job played a critical role in ensuring the community's spiritual resilience and collective pursuit of holiness. As always, I want to invite you to join Shalom making online this Saturday. Shalom making is a place enjoy great teaching and amazing community. Our services are every Saturday at 09:00 a.m. For the traditional liturgy and Torah service and 11:00 a.m. For music and teaching. You can also connect with us on our
[email protected], dot. We look forward to seeing you this Shabbat at Shalom Macon. It's a place to learn, connect and grow. See you there. This week's Torah commentary is called the Leper Messiah. It comes from our book five minute Torah, volume two. Parashat Tazriya begins by discussing the purification rituals of childbirth and then moves quickly into the complicated laws of biblical leprosy. As weve discussed previously, biblical leprosy is not just your standard pathological disorder, but rather an affliction that is spiritual in nature. This ancient malady does not exist today, but we read about cases of its appearance during the biblical period, and although it wasnt contagious in the manner of a bacterial or viral infection, it could be transmitted from one person to another. The leper was to remain isolated the entire duration of his infliction. The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, unclean, unclean. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean he shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp. Leviticus 1345 46 at the end of Parashat Metzorah next weeks tour portion we have a series of laws dealing with bodily discharges and the ramifications of ritual purity they create. One such issue is a woman who has a discharge of blood outside of her normal cycle. If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness, as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Every bed upon which she lies, all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening.
Each of these examples is focused on the contraction of ritual impurity. Anyone who touched a person in either one of these extreme states of ritual impurity would become unclean themselves. However, this presents a problem for most readers of the gospels. During one of his return visits to the Galilee, Yeshua encountered a leper who begged him for healing. This is mark 140 44. Yeshua, being filled with compassion, touched the leper, healing him instantly. In another instance, Yeshua is walking through a crowd, and a woman with an issue of blood came and touched its seed seat and was immediately healed as well. See Matthew, chapter nine, verses 20 through 22. In each of these cases, Yeshua came into contact with someone who had a serious type of ritual impurity. The question we must ask is, did he become ritually unclean himself? Most followers of Yeshua, as I said earlier, would respond with an emphatic no. This common belief, however, is tied to a fundamental misunderstanding of both the nature of ritual impurity and also the ministry of Yeshua. First, ritual impurity, being unclean, is in no way equivalent to sin. Ritual contamination was a routine part of life during the days when the holy House was standing. Women became ritually impure during their monthly cycle or during childbirth. Both men and women became unclean with any kind of bodily omission. Zara biblical leprosy however, was one of the most severe cases of ritual impurity, and when a woman had an unusual flow of blood, her contamination could spread simply through items she touched. However, in each of these cases, and in all cases of ritual impurity, being ritually impure was not a sin in and of itself. If a person became ritually unclean, it did not mean he had sinned. The only way sin was connected to ritual impurity was if an unclean person entered the holy temple. In this case, they would be guilty of defiling the earthly abode of the Almighty, an extremely serious offense, and be held liable for their lives if they were aware of it. So did Yeshua become unclean when he touched the leper or the woman with the issue of blood. According to talmudic interpretation of Isaiah 53 four, the messiah takes upon himself leprosy and other impurities so that he might bear our afflictions. Listen to this, the rabbi said, his name is the leper scholar as it is written, surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God and afflicted. This is from tractate Sanhedrin 98 B. Yeshua used this understanding as evidence that he was indeed the long awaited Messiah when questioned by the disciples of John the immerser and Yeshua answered them, go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Matthew eleven four five he became the leper messiah for our sake, bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows by intentionally touching the lepers and those who were unclean, taking upon himself their afflictions rather than speaking a word of healing and remaining ritually pure himself. His compassion and empathy guided his hand to reach out and touch the impurity of another. No, he did not break out in white scabs. He did, however, become ritually impure for our sake. Does this perspective give you a better appreciation for what Yeshua did for us? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Also, if you are looking for a messianic haggadah for your Passover seder, please consider my resource, the COVID of redemption, available on Amazon. And last, if you want to continue learning, then be sure to check out our Passover edition of our lunch and learn series that my wife and I recently taught at Shalom Macon. This is the first of two teachings that we have designed to help you understand the biblical background of Passover and help you, whether Jew or Gentile, start preparing to celebrate it in your own home. You can check it out using the link above or at the end of this video. I'll see you next week for another messianic insight into the eternal tour of God. Blessings from Shalom Akin, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect, and grow.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: Please visit our website, shalommaken.org, to learn more about us. Join our live services, access other teachings, sign up for our newsletter, join our private network that will connect you with our greater community from around the world, or contribute to the work of Shalom Macon thank you for watching and we look forward to connecting with.
