Dwelling in the Presence of God Through Physical and Spiritual Cleanness-Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 86
Shabbat Shalom from the DFW on this, what promises to be a warm but beautiful Sabbath.
What follows are my thoughts and reflections on this week’s Torah Reading, which is the 86th reading of the 3-year Torah Reading cycle. Our portion is found in Leviticus/Vayiqra 15:1-33.
Uncleanness (i.e., “tum’ah,” or ritual impurity) is associated with a chronic discharge from the genitals of male Yisra’elites. The individual with the “flux” (aka, “zov”) is unclean, as well as any object (e.g., bedding, clothing, saddles) that he comes into contact with. Again, it’s more about that which keeps us from coming into the presence of Yehovah than it is about being physically compromised by some form of discharge. It’s about meeting Yah’s exacting expectations and requirements in order to come into His presence, first here in the natural at His Tabernacle, and now for us, coming into His presence as we walk out His Ways in Spirit and in Truth.
The unclean one, as well as the one who comes into direct contact with him or articles that he’d touched, must bathe (i.e., “rahats,” be entirely immersed in water) and launder his clothing. That one with the flux remains unclean until evening, at which point he must continue in that clean state for seven days and again bathe and launder his clothes. Then on the eighth day, he is to come before Yehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and present the prescribed offering (vs. 14). These offerings represented (1) atonement on the part of the once-inflicted man and (2) a peace offering to bring that once separated soul back to Yah.
Then there is the issue of seminal discharges from male Yisra’elites, which place them in the same position ritually as the one who suffers a chronic discharge or flux (Alter), as noted in the previous verses. Instead of having to go through a seven-day period of semi-quarantine and bathing and washing his clothes twice, and presenting an offering at the Tabernacle, the discharge of seminal made him unclean until the evening after he bathes and washes his clothes. That man’s wife is also unclean until evening and, too, must bathe and wash her clothes.
Our reading also deals with menstruation, which places her in a ritually unclean state. Anyone who comes in direct contact physical contact with her and or that which she has had direct physical contact with (such as bedding or garments) was considered ritually impure/unclean until the evening after he or she has bathed and washed their clothes. This touches on what is known in Hebraism as “nidah.” But the menstruating woman, after her period has concluded, will remain in a state of uncleanness for seven days, at which point she was required to wash and present the prescribed offering to Yehovah at the entrance of the Tabernacle (i.e., an offense/atonement and peace/burnt offering) on the eighth day.
The woman who suffers a chronic menstrual flow would remain unclean until that flow/flux ceases. The same rules of ritual cleanness applied as they related to those who might come into direct physical contact with her.
The genital fluxes for both males and females, as opposed to the naturally occurring seminal discharges for the men and the nidah concerns for the women, were symptomatic of disease. Disease, as Tim Hegg so astutely points out in his commentary on our reading for this week, disease is associated with death. And death and disease are by-products of sin. And this is why a sin/offense offering was rendered once, if ever, the once infected soul was restored to a state of ritual cleanness. The burnt offering accentuated the restoration of the once infected or affected soul to fellowship/communion with Him.
In every case, the infected and affected soul is compelled to look to Yehovah for their deliverance and ultimate salvation.
Yah is adamant that the holiness of His dwelling place be maintained by guarding and following His instructions on ritual purity/cleanness. All thoughts of the unfairness of these laws as it relates to the one who happens to be suffering from these infections or ailments aside, it comes down to Yah’s exacting requirements for holiness and purity, which are not to be compromised. His people are His chosen vessels, and they are compelled to abide by His requirements regardless of how unfair they may seem to our personal sensibilities. The bigger picture here is that Yah’s people may dwell in His presence and not suffer separation from Him because of some form of uncleanness.
Today, the set-apart soul that finds themselves suffering from and having to deal with such physical issues is no longer to be separated from the presence of Yehovah and fellowship with the Body, as the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua Messiah effectively dealt with these issues. Certainly, commonsense would dictate that if that soul finds themselves battling a contagious ailment, they separate themselves from the brethren to ensure their safety. That would be showing love and respect for their neighbor and respect for their heavenly Father. More so, it is during such difficult times that the affected one who is called by Yah’s Name looks to Him for their healing and deliverance and salvation. That’s the beauty of living under the auspices of the renewed covenant. Yeshua’s ministry made it possible for His chosen ones to exist in the most intimate and substantive relationships with their Creator. For despite their physical situation at any given time, Yah’s precious Spirit dwells within them, and he/she has direct contact with Him 24/7.
Haftarah: Hosea 6:1-9
Yah, through the Prophet, calls the nation to Teshuvah. Here, Yah declares that He delights in the faithfulness of His chosen ones, more so than their rote sacrifices (vs. 6). And He calls out the various sinful acts of His people and the pending consequences of those acts.
Apostolic: Matthew 23:25-26
In the Apostolic portion of our reading this week, we find the story of Master Yahoshua calling out the Scribes and Pharisees for their uncleanness of heart, mind, and soul, despite their outer appearance suggesting they were clean. In particular, Yahoshua shed light on their hidden greed and self-indulgence (vs. 25).
Practical Messianic Halachah
Essentially, the purpose and the whole of Torah is to fulfill Yah’s immense desire to dwell amongst His Chosen/Set-Apart people. Today, even more so, it’s about Yah’s continuous present dwelling amongst His people community-wise, as well as within them individually. However, the ideal concept and reality of Yehovah dwelling amongst and within His Chosen Ones come with exacting purity and obedience requirements that must be met in order for that dwelling to occur and be maintained.
When it comes to Yah’s Ways–His instructions in righteousness–we are best served to endeavor to understand why we, Yah’s elect ones, do the set-apart things that we do. Those set-apart things often run contrary to the ways and understanding/sensibilities of this perverse world.
Was it, not Abba Yah who, through the Prophet Isaiah, described Himself accordingly:
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9 KJV)
And I certainly get that it is often difficult, if not impossible at times, to discern why Yah instructed His people to do certain things in certain ways at certain times. And sometimes, it may seem that those certain things, ways, and times are brutal and unloving coming from a God Who is supposed to be all about love. Right?
Instead of trying to decipher the whys and wherefores of many Torah instructions, such as the case in this week’s reading, look to the core of the Torah. What was Yah’s purpose in giving His people Torah in the first place? You see, failure to discern the core of the Torah–its overriding purpose–may result in our ultimately engaging in rote commandment-keeping or even outright disobedience in certain cases.
Tim Hegg, in his “Studies in the Torah-Leviticus,” best describes this situation as “falling prey to missing the forest for the trees” (pg. 98).
The core concern that the Torah addresses is bringing about the ideal circumstances between Yehovah may dwell amongst and within His people. And if we can at least grasp that essential spiritual nugget, I assure you that even the most seeming arcane and harsh instructions will resonate with you. For it’s not always important that we understand specifically why a man or woman who was suffering from certain ailments would be excluded from worship of Yehovah at the Tabernacle or from the community of Israel. Yes, in situations involving a contagious disease, it is obvious that Yah put forth certain provisions to prevent the spread of the contagion among the community. Clearly, Yah was well ahead of so-called modern medicine when He passed down the wisdom of quarantining and separating contagious individuals from the general population. But contagious concerns aside, the ultimate reality in virtually every mitzvah of the Torah is that Yah is holy, and in order for Him to dwell among and within His people, who are called by His Name, they themselves must be in an acceptable state of cleanliness/purity. Impurity/uncleanness, death, and disease are byproducts of sin. And it is sin that separates people from their Creator. Unfortunately, ancient Israel, who stands as an example for us today, often failed or neglected to maintain those optimal conditions of purity/cleanness that were conducive to Yah dwelling in their midst. And this was always a great point of frustration for the Father. For He desperately desires to be with His people. This reality is the core of His Torah and of who He is.
When the Body learns to acquiesce to and embrace (i.e., Halachah) the Almighty’s ways, then Yah promises that He will dwell in her midst. Acquiescing and walking/embracing His set-apart ways pleases Him, and it is always the right thing to do. This distills down to loving Yah and loving one another according to His exacting criteria, not our own. This is the formula that makes Yah’s presence in the lives of His chosen ones possible.
I’ll say in closing, may our prayer always include a portion of David’s heartrending petition to Yah when he was at one of the lowest points of his colorful life:
(9) Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. (10) Create in me a clean heart, O Elohiym, and renew a right spirit within me. (11) Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. (12) Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. (13) Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee (Psalm 51; KJV).
May you be most blessed, fellow saints, in training. Shabbat shalom. Shavu’tov. Take care.