Shabbat Shalom.
I pray that this post finds you and your families and fellowships well and blessed on this holy weekend.
This is the Leprosy-Sin Connection. It is my thoughts and reflections on the 84th Torah Reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle.
Leviticus/Vayiqra 13:29-59
In this week’s reading (a continuation of the general reading “Thazria” or “Tazria,” covering issues related to purification, specifically that which is associated with potentially contagious skin afflictions), we continue on with how Yah’s set-apart people were to treat certain contagious conditions such as leprosy. The central theme in diagnosing and controlling the spread of such a devastating ailment of that day was discerning between that which is clean (i.e., taher) and that which is unclean (i.e., tame’). And it always fell to the Levitical Priesthood to make that distinction and to enact Yah’s established method for dealing with that uncleanness. The priests were to carefully examine the manifestation or symptoms of the disease on the head (previously, the body) of the afflicted one, and if he could not make a definitive diagnosis of leprosy, he was to quarantine that soul for up to 14-days to give the symptoms more time to manifest or not. In either case, it fell to the priest to declare the infected one, based upon the criteria laid out here in this reading, clean (taher) or unclean (tame’). The one who is ultimately declared clean by the priest was to “launder” his/her clothes, and he/she would be restored to their former ritually clean state, which meant that he/she would be eligible and permitted to worship at the Tabernacle. This text goes on to define other symptomatic skin diseases, such as “tetter,” as not being leprous, thus not condemning the infected one as being unclean.
The one who was officially declared to be a leper by the priesthood would be required to cover his/her mouth, tear their clothes, and make his/her hair disheveled. That soul would also be required to announce to others their presence by crying out: “Unclean, unclean” (13:45). These actions are similar to those displayed in individuals who were in a state of mourning. According to J.H. Hertz: “The customs of the leper are those of a mourner. He was to regard himself as one upon whom death had laid its hand. His was a living death, not only in the physical sense, as suffering from a loathsome and lingering disease; but also in the spiritual sense, as cut off from the life of the Community of Israel” (Torah-Haftarah; pg. 465). The crying out of “unclean-unclean” seemed to serve as an audible warning to others to stay clear of them and avoid being contaminated and or being made unclean.
Those who suffered from leprosy were condemned to live outside the camp, apart from the Community of Israel and from the Tabernacle, where Yah’s presence dwelt (13:46). These would be classed as unclean unless otherwise deemed as clean by the priesthood.
Garments in which suspected leperous indications existed were to be examined and treated similarly to that of humans. The exception is that if the garment is determined to be contaminated with leprosy, it was to be burnt. Those articles where leprosy did not appear to be the contaminant would be washed and watched, and examined.
Haftarah Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-19–The Healing of Na’aman
Na’aman was the esteemed commander of Syria’s army, credited with many military victories for his king and the nation. However, Na’aman suffered from leprosy. It so happened that Na’aman received word that there was a prophet residing in Samaria that might heal him of his leprosy. Thus, Na’aman petitioned his king to release him so that he might visit this prophet and receive his healing, to which the king granted him his release.
Na’aman proceeded to Samaria to seek out and meet this prophet, bearing with him a letter of introduction from his sovereign and, as payment, some 660 lbs of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothes. Unfortunately, the King of Yisra’el misunderstood the letter of introduction he’d received from Na’aman, believing that Na’aman’s request to be cured of his leprosy was a ruse to start a war with Syria. This foolish misunderstanding on the King of Yisra’el’s part caused him to rent his clothes as the ancients were known to do when they received grievous news, such as in the death of a loved one.
Well, word reached the ears of the Prophet Elisha of the king’s reaction to Na’aman’s letter of introduction, which prompted him to send word to the king to refer Na’aman to him for his healing. In other words, Elisha openly put the king of Yisra’el in his place by alluding to the fact that healing was exclusive to Yehovah and that it was foolish for him to think that he would be expected to heal Na’aman. Elisha saw the opportunity for Yehovah’s Name (i.e., Yah’s sovereignty; His mercy; His power and authority; and His wisdom) to become known among the Syrians. Elisha proclaimed to the Yisra’el’s king: “Send him (Na’aman) to me so he may know there is a prophet in Yisra’el” (5:8b). In other words, through Na’aman’s healing, Syria would ultimately be made aware that Yah had not abandoned His chosen one, Yisra’el, for Yah’s presence and workings over the Land and people was through His elect prophet.
Na’aman proceeded to Elisha’s dwelling place. Interestingly, Elisha did personally come out to meet him, as would be expected. Instead, the prophet sends word to Na’aman, through one of the prophet’s disciples, to go and mikveh in the Jordan seven times, and in so doing, he would receive his healing.
Lesson One: Elisha does not put himself forth as the agent of healing, but rather, he instructs Na’aman to go wash in the Jordan through one of his disciples. In other words, Elisha was all about letting Yah do His thing. He knew that in this particular case, he was simply the mouthpiece by which Yehovah would perform this great miracle and by which Yah would be glorified before the Syrian nation.
Does this not run contrary to the so-called “faith healers” of our day, who seek to blow them and their ministry/organization up by putting themselves out before the people as their healer so that they themselves receive the glory and honor and financial proceeds?
Well, Na’aman was sent into a tailspin spiral upon hearing Elisha’s instructions to go wash seven times in the Jordan. He expressed his frustration and confusion that the prophet did not come forth and perform his healing as was the conventional wisdom and experience of his day. It would seem that Na’aman was somewhat put off also by Elisha coming forth and stroking his ego, for he was the renowned military authority in the region at that time. Na’aman no doubt wondered whom Elisha thought he was by not kowtowing to him.
Elisha’s failure to meet Na’aman’s expectations initially sent him packing
Lesson Two: When one looks to receive something from Yehovah, be it healing, financial or situational deliverance, or whatever, he/she must discard their preconceived notions of how Yah is going to bring about their miracle, as well as he/she must humble themselves before Yehovah and be quick to obey His still small voice. It comes down to our recognizing who it is we’re dealing with when it comes to our receiving Yah’s mercy and deliverance. For Yah says of Himself: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith Yehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9; KJV modified).
So, when it comes to Yah doing great things in our lives, we have to immediately learn to humble ourselves before Him and obediently conform to His instructions and His ways. Our thoughts and preconceived notions about how things are supposed to work mean absolutely nothing. The only thing that does matter when it comes to Yehovah doing His thing and intervening in human affairs is to step back and let Him do His thing. He knows what He’s doing. And He intends to get glory in all that He does, regardless of how we feel about it. We are going to have to do things Yah’s way or Yah’s way. Our ways matter not!
So, in his frustration and anger, Na’aman intends to bounce. But it is his humble and loyal servants who bring him back to the center. I contend that it was the wisdom of Yehovah–His Spirit–that spoke to Na’aman through these servants. Just listen to these amazing words of wisdom and truth:
“O master, if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, you would have been willing to do it. (True!) It seems you should be happy that he (the Prophet Elisha) simply said, ‘Wash and you will be healed'” (5:13; NET).
Indeed, Yah works in ways beyond what we might expect. He will use the most unlikely people in our lives to communicate His Word to us. In Na’aman’s case, Yah used His servants to get his attention and turn him around so that he would receive His healing.
And so, Na’aman hearkened to the wisdom of his servants and did as Elisha had instructed him to do. In so doing, Na’aman was healed. His healing resulted in him pledging to worship the Elohim of Yisra’el for the rest of his life. In so doing, Yehovah’s Name would be known in Syria among her people.
Apostolic Reading–Luke 5:12-15–Yahoshua Heals a Leper
A leper humbly approaches Yeshua to receive his healing. His humility is seen in his bowing his face to the ground and begging/petitioning the Master: “If you are willing, Master, you can make me clean” (5:12).
Here, this leper demonstrated the essential character trait of humility and faith. He bowed himself–he humbled himself before the one who would make Him whole. He boldly petitioned, through a simple act of trusting faith in the one who could make Him whole–to make him clean–that if He was willing, He-Yeshua could make him clean.
This man knew he was in dire straits. Leprosy in our Master’s day was essentially a death sentence. There was no cure, and the prognosis was slow and certain death, not to mention that he was ostracized from the Community of Yisra’el because he was ritually unclean, in accordance with the tenets of our Torah Reading today.
The only hope for the one who suffered from this malady was for him/her to receive a miraculous healing. In this case, this leper sought His miracle from the Master healer, Yahoshua. And as was characteristic of our Master, He healed him then and there.
But we must also recognize that Yeshua instructed the now ex-leper to obediently conform to the instructions of the Torah related to his former affliction: “Go and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering for your cleansing…as a testimony to them” (5:14, in reference to Leviticus 14:1-22).
You see, as wonderful as this healing was, Yeshua stayed true to His Father’s Torah by instructing this ex-leper to do that which Torah instructs when one is freed from leprosy.
Practical Netzri Halachah
Many will erroneously say or think, especially those from denominational-religious circles, that this and last week’s Torah Reading (which, regrettably, we did not cover) have absolutely no relevance to believers today. These same ones may even erroneously rationalize that this passage is another example of the God of the Old Testament’s harshness and lack of compassion for His people, especially those who would be afflicted by such a terrible disease. And on the surface, if one were to simply read these Torah passages each week as though they were some kind of benign reference to bygone days, then, of course, such short-sighted rationalization is expected.
But here’s the real deal regarding these weekly readings beloved.
Our illustrious Elohim operates in ways that are often beyond our ability to fathom accurately. Yah, in fact, said of Himself in contrast to humanity’s ways, “My thoughts are NOT your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways…for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS” (Isaiah 55:8-9; KJV). Furthermore, He said through the Prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, WHEN YE SHALL SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART. And I will be found of you” (29:11-14a).
Because He loves those He has chosen to be His adopted children (i.e., Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5), He gifted us His written Word, which includes, first and foremost, Torah, then the prophets, the writings, and then the apostolic record. All that is contained herein is “God-breathed” (CJB and ESV; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). And because Yah operates most times well beyond our simple human understanding, He uses the natural things of this life to reveal essential and critical spiritual truths that are designed to take His chosen ones to the Malchut Elohim-The Kingdom of Elohim. This principle was astutely taught by the Apostle Paul, who wrote: “it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46; ESV).
Of Torah, which I contend is the whole of Scripture, the Apostle Paul wrote: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime WERE WRITTEN FOR OUR LEARNING, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4; KJV).
So, when a Netzer or Messianic engages in the study of Yah’s instructions in righteousness, his/her foray into the eternal truths and mysteries of Yah is not as much to commit to memory the historical happenings of Yisra’el during their 40 years of wilderness wandering, as it is in gleaning from the record the pertinent spiritual truths and requisite behavior that Yehovah demands of His chosen ones. And yes, I get it. A lot of seemingly well-meaning folks in our faith community reject the idea of drawing spiritual understanding from Yah’s Word. Such folks hold only to a rote reading and understanding of the Torah, which I contend puts us right back to what I previously mentioned: That many scriptural passages, such as those found in our reading this Sabbath, have little to no relevance to the modern reader of scripture. And so, these individuals will either gloss over these passages or blindly take the rote meaning that is found therein and somehow apply it to their respective walks. All of which can be dangerous to one’s walk in Mashiyach/Messiah. For if the Ruach Kodesh is not ministering to us and relaying to us that which Yah desperately wants to get across to us through His set-apart Word, then we are wasting our time reading scripture.
Yah’s set-apart Spirit must be the revealer of His truths to us, plain and simple. When we remove the Holy Spirit from our studies, then we are destined to go no on our long and arduous journey to the Kingdom.
So, getting back to our reading for this Shabbat, this discussion regarding the instructions of “tazria” (i.e., contagious skin afflictions) bears a number of critical spiritual themes and concepts. We previously discussed a few of them, which include: discerning that which is clean (taher) from that which is unclean (tame’); not “second-guessing” Yah when it comes to the work He may do to deliver us from our afflictions; listening for and to the “still-small-voice” of Yah that may come us through some of the most unlikely sources; exercising Abraham-level faith that Yah will do a great work in our deliverance from afflictions; and always exercising humility, towards Yehovah first and foremost, and our fellow man.
Leprosy: Analogous to the Contagion of Sin
But probably the greatest spiritual concept to be gleaned from our reading this Shabbat is the contagiousness of sin and how Yah’s set-apart people are expected to deal with the plight of sin.
As is the instruction of the Torah that the one whom the Levitical Priest deems as being afflicted with “tzara’at” (i.e., a form of leprosy) be separated from the Community of Yisra’el to avoid contaminating other members of the community, so too, we are distance ourselves from those who live lives of sin.
If anything, our reading here should make us all the more conscious of the caliber of souls we associate with. As set-apart children of Elohim, it should be evident that we must be discerning and discriminating as it relates to the relationships we establish and maintain with others.
The Apostle Paul/Shaul wrote of this matter to the Messianic Assemblies of Corinth:
(14) Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: For what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Messiah with Belial? Or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? (16) Andd what agreement hath a temple of Elohim with idols? For we are a temple of the living Elohim; even as Elohim said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their El, and they shall be My people. (17) Wherefore, come ye out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith Yehovah. ‘And touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you; and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to Me sons and daughters,’ saith El Shaddai/Yah Almighty (2 Corinthians 6; ASV modified).
Now, some might take issue with the chosen of Elohim being so discriminating and discerning of the relationships they enter into. But the truth of the matter is that, like the scourge of leprosy (aka “tzara’at”) in our reading this Shabbath, sin is contagious. If not contained, sin has the insidious character of spreading from individual to individual, as well as spreading throughout a congregation.
Of this, Shaul wrote: “…Don’t you know that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6; ASV). Later on in this same letter, the apostle wrote: “…Bad company corrupts good morals/character” (1 Corinthians 15:33; NET).
The Apostle James/Ya’achov, Master Yahoshua’s biological half-brother, wrote: “Pure and undefiled religion before Yah the Father is this:…to keep oneself unstained by the world” (1:27; NET).
Certainly, we see all around us these days that our society has gotten so bad that the lines separating the righteous from the unrighteous have never been so clearly delineated. Master told us that we will know those who are His and those who are not His by their fruits (Matthew 7:16, 20).
May we then heed the lessons to be graciously received from our reading this Shabbat. And may each of you have a meaningful, blessed, and overcoming Shavu’ot this weekend.
So, until next time beloved: May you be most blessed, fellow saints in training.