The priest
shall go outside the camp, where he shall examine the leper to
determine that the leprous mark has healed. The priest shall then
order that for the person undergoing purification there be taken two
live kosher birds, a piece of cedar, some crimson wool, and a hyssop
branch. The priest shall give orders that one bird be slaughtered
over fresh spring water in a clay bowl. He shall then take the live
bird together with the piece of cedar, the crimson wool, and the
hyssop. Along with the live bird, he shall dip the other articles
into the spring water mixed with the blood of the slaughtered bird.
He shall
then sprinkle this mixture seven times on the person undergoing
purification from the leprous curse, thus rendering him clean. He
shall send the living bird away toward the fields.
The person
undergoing purification shall then immerse his clothing, and the
priest shall shave off all the person's hair. He shall then immerse
in a mikvah and thus complete the first part of the purification
process. He may return to the camp, but he must remain outside his
tent for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest shall shave off
all the person's hair. His head, beard, eyebrows and other body hair
must all be shaved off. He shall then immerse his clothing and body
in a mikvah and he is clean.
On the
eighth day, he shall take two unblemished male sheep, one
unblemished yearling female sheep, three-tenths of an ephah of the
best grade wheat flour mixed with oil as a meal offering, and one
log of olive oil. The priest tending to the purification process
shall stand all these items and the person undergoing purification
before HaShem at the Communion Tent entrance.
The priest
shall take one male sheep and present it as a guilt offering along
with the log of oil. He shall wave them in the manner prescribed for
a wave offering before HaShem. He shall then slaughter the sheep in
the same place where burnt offerings and sin offerings are
slaughtered, in a holy place. This guilt offering is holy of holies,
and it is just like a sin offering to the priest. The priest
shall take some of the guilt offering's blood and place it on the
right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe of the person
undergoing purification. The priest shall take some of the log of
oil and pour it into the palm of another priest's hand.
This second
priest shall then dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left
hand, and with his finger, sprinkle some oil before HaShem seven
times. The priest shall place some of the oil in his hand on the
right ear, right thumb, and right big toe of the person undergoing
purification, over the guilt offering's blood. The priest shall then
place the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the person
undergoing purification. In this manner, the priest shall make
atonement for him before HaShem.
The priest
shall then sacrifice the sin offering to remove the defilement for
the person undergoing purification. After that, he shall slaughter
the burnt offering, and the priest shall present the burnt offering
and the meal offering on the altar. The priest shall thus make
atonement for him, and the person is then ritually clean.
The Poor
Leper's Offering
If the leper
is poor and cannot afford the above sacrifices, he shall take one
male sheep as a guilt offering. This shall be the wave offering to
atone for him. He shall also take one-tenth ephah of the best grade
wheat meal mixed with oil as a meal offering, and a log of olive
oil. In addition, he shall bring two turtle doves or two young
common doves, as he can afford, one for a sin offering, and one for
a burnt offering. On the eighth day of his purification, he shall
bring them to the priest, to the Communion Tent entrance, before HaShem.
The priest
shall take the guilt offering sheep and the log of oil, and wave
them in the motions prescribed for a wave offering before HaShem. He
shall slaughter the guilt offering sheep. The priest shall take the
blood of the guilt offering and place it on the right ear lobe, the
right thumb, and the right big toe of the person undergoing
purification. The priest shall then pour some of the oil onto the
left hand of another priest. With his right finger, this second
priest shall sprinkle some of the oil on his left hand seven times
before HaShem.
The priest
shall place some of the oil from his hand on the right ear lobe,
right thumb and right big toe of the person undergoing purification,
right over the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put.
The priest shall then place the rest of the oil that is in his hand
on the head of the person undergoing purification. With all this he
shall make atonement for the person before HaShem. He shall then
prepare one of the turtle doves or young common doves that the
person was able to afford.
Taking this
offering that the person could afford, the priest shall sacrifice
one bird as a sin offering and one as a meal offering, and then
present the meal offering. The priest shall thus make atonement
before HaShem for the person undergoing purification.
The above is
the entire law concerning the person who has the mark of the leprous
curse on him, and who cannot afford more for his purification.
Discoloration
in Houses
HaShem spoke
to Moses and Aaron, saying: When you come to the land of
Canaan, which I am giving to you as an inheritance, I will place the
mark of the leprous curse in houses in the land you inherit. The
owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, "It
looks to me as if there is something like a leprous mark in the
house."
The priest
shall give orders that the house be emptied out before any priest
comes to see the mark, so that everything in the house will not
become unclean. Only then shall a priest come to see the house. He
shall examine the mark to determine if the mark on the wall of the
house consists of penetrating streaks that are bright green or
bright red, which appear to be below the surface of the wall. If
they are, the priest shall leave the house and stand just outside
the entrance of the house. The priest shall then quarantine the
house for seven days.
On the
seventh day, he shall return and examine it to determine whether or
not the mark has expanded on the wall of the house. If it has, the
priest shall give orders that people remove the stones having the
mark, and that they throw the stones outside the city in an unclean
place. He shall then have the inside of the house scraped off all
around the mark, and the people doing it shall discard the removed
dust outside the city in an unclean place.
The people
shall take other stones to replace the removed stones. The owner
shall then plaster the entire house with new clay. If, after the
stones have been removed and the house has been scraped and
replastered, the mark comes back the priest shall return and examine
it. If the mark has spread in the house again, it is a malignant
leprous mark which is unclean. The priest must order that the house
be demolished, and its stones, wood and all the clay from the house
shall be brought outside the city to an unclean place.
As long as
the house is in quarantine, anyone entering it shall be unclean
until evening. If one remains in the house long enough to relax, he
must immerse both his body and his clothing. However he must immerse
his clothing only if he has remained in the house long enough to eat
a small meal. However, if the priest returns at the end of the seven
days after the house has been replastered, and he sees that the mark
has not reappeared in the house, then the mark has gone away and the
priest shall declare the house clean.
To purify
the house, he shall order two birds, a piece of cedar, some crimson
wool, and a hyssop branch. He shall slaughter one bird over fresh
spring water in a clay bowl. He shall then take the piece of cedar,
the hyssop, the crimson wool, and the live bird, dip them in the
blood of the slaughtered bird and fresh spring water and sprinkle it
on the house seven times. Thus, with the bird's blood and spring
water, along with the live bird, cedar wood, hyssop and crimson
wool, he shall purify the house.
He shall
then send the live bird outside the city toward the fields. In this
manner he shall make atonement for the house, and it is then
clean.
The above is
the entire law for every leprous mark, bald patch, leprous mark in a
garment or house, and white blotch, discoloration or spot on the
skin, so that decisions can be rendered as to the day one is
rendered clean and the day one is rendered unclean. This is the
entire law concerning the leprous curse.