THE STATUTE CONSERNING BODILY DISCHARGES This statute deals with someone with bodily discharges, whether a man or a woman; For man it is by the emission of his seminal fluid , whether naturally or because he is inflicted with a venereal disease; And for woman, it is by discharging blood, whether through her customary impurity, or because of a disease. The law distinguishes between the natural and the medical cases. 1- An introduction 2- The medical cases for man 1 - 15 3- The natural case for man 16 - 18 4- The natural case for woman 19 - 24 5- The medical cases for woman 25 – 33 1- AN INTRODUCTION: If the statute cared for offering bodily cleansing concerning the discharge that comes out of man, or the blood that flows from a woman during her customary impurity, or as a medical condition, it is befitting of us to make the following points clear: (1) If the statute called the discharge of semen from a man; and the flow of blood from a woman, during her customary impurity, or as a medical condition ‘uncleanness’ (1) … What the statute meant, is for man to care for his bodily hygiene, for the sake of the soundness of his health, and that of those around him. The way we saw God’s concern, in the old covenant, for everything that concern his children, whether their food, clothes, or house; He is more concerned for their health. (2) The statute distinguished between what happen naturally to man or woman, and what happen as a result of medical conditions. Concerning the former case, it requires no trespass sacrifices nor sin offerings; but only washing his or her clothes and bed covers; Whereas, concerning the later case, being a case that requires medical treatment; hence the statute commands offering sacrifices for atonement. (3)The discharge coming out of a man or a woman, bears a symbol of the uncontrolled soul, fallen under unclean lusts; hence the matter requires an encounter with the Holy Lord, who, when touched by the woman with a flow of blood, He did not despise her; on account of that He, Himself, would never be affected by any defilement or uncleanness; the flow of blood stopped, and the woman was healed on the spot through her faith in Him. 2- THE MEDICAL CASES FOR MAN: a- The statute starts by man inflicted by a venereal disease, that results in the continuous emission of seminal fluid, and inflammation thereafter…. Here, the statute warns against touching his body, sharing his bed, sitting on his seats, riding on his saddle, even his spit; … Otherwise he would be counted as unclean until evening; and would be committed to wash his clothes, and bathe in water. This precaution is meant to be against contagion with venereal diseases, which, as we well know, being very contagious, can be transferred through touching the sick, his clothes, or the tools he uses. As to staying unclean until evening, or until the start of a new day; it means that he who gets in touch with sin, and gets defiled by evil, will not be sanctified all along his whole life, as long as he is bound to defilement, until he starts with the Lord on a new day, in which he forsakes the past, and sets forth toward a better life. As to washing his clothes and bathing his body with water, this mean his need for the outer cleansing of his clothes, as well as for the inner cleansing of his body hidden in the clothes. As long as we are in this world, living in this body, and staying in touch with sin, it is befitting of us to perpetually wash our clothes and bodies by the tears of repentance, to live in the outer purity, as well in the inner depths. b- It is not only concerning touching the body of the sick, but his bed, his seat, the saddle on the beasts which he rides; beside his spit, are all considered unclean The earthen vessel he uses should be broken, and the wooden one should be washed with water. … That is how sin does to us; it defiles our inner life, and our behavior; so that our sleeping, sitting, walking, and the vessels in which we eat and drink, will all be unclean. The pure man, even in his sleep will say: “I sleep, but my heart is awake” (Song 5: 2); Even if he sleeps with his body, yet, he stays awake with his heart and mind, so that the evil one would not be able to touch him with defilement. Whereas the sinner, even if he is bodily awake, yet he would be defiled by his inner bed, through his union with evil, and his bond with defilement. What we say about the bed of the wicked or about his sleep, we also say about his seat possessions, and behavior. If the bed refers to the spiritual slothfulness of the wicked, and his hidden union with the evil one, in a matrimony-like union; The seat on which he sits refers to the love of authority, and of the enjoyment of the best places of the banquets. In case the wicked gets a prominent position, even if it is a religious one, his position will not intercede for him, but would rather condemn him. Sitting on the seats of responsibility and teaching, will expose him to a greater judgment. Concerning this, St. John Chrysostom says: [It would be stupid of me to put on the priesthood the responsibility of the evils of the priests. For the rational man would never blame the sword in the hand of a criminal, the wine concerning the drunkard, or the power concerning the oppressor; but would put the blame on the abuse of the gifts given to them by God]. As to counting the spit as an unclean, it refers to the defiled teachings of the heretics, from which we should flee away, as though from a defiled spit, and get washed from their thoughts that destroy faith. Concerning this St. John Chrysostom says: [While rejecting their heretic doctrines; we should have mercy on the persons themselves, and pray for their salvation]. The saddles put on the beasts he rides, refer to what concern the energies and feelings of his body; which are counted as unclean because of his inner evil. If the vessel in which he eats or drinks, is earthen, it should be broken; and if wooden, it should be washed with water to be clean. Breaking the earthen vessel refers to the necessity of putting the carnal covetousness to death; while washing the wooden one, refers to sanctifying the body with all its energies, emotions, and feelings. If we should put ourselves to death on our earthen, namely, our dust thoughts, it is not to destroy the body, but to sanctify it to the account of the kingdom of the Lord. According to the apostle Paul: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin” (Romans 6: 12, 13). We should, therefore, break everything earthen (dust) in us; and wash everything wooden, to be of help to the soul in her spiritual strife. In short, we can say that he who is inflicted with such a disease, refers to the sinner who loses his life, and defiles his body, with all his feelings, emotions, and energies; to come to be a burden on those around him; those who see in his bed, seat, food, and drink, defilement, from which they should flee away. He would be like ‘Jonah’ who, fleeing from his ministry, and from the face of the Lord, brought harm over all those around him; when, because of him, the sea was disturbed, the waves swelled, and the seamen lost their provisions and peace!... On the contrary, we may see Joseph the righteous, being with God, how he came to be a blessing, even to the household of his master; in the prison; to the whole land of Egypt; how he saved the life of his father and brothers, and how he was glorified in this world, as well as in the life of eternity. c- “When he is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body, then he shall be clean. On the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and give them to the priest. Then the priest shall offer them, the one as a sin offering, and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge” (13- 15).. About that cleansing rite, which we have already dealt with in the previous chapters, we shall only refer to its main lines, which are: a- The need to wash the body, as well as the clothes with running water from a stream or a non-stagnant spring, refers to our need for inner and outer sanctification, and for washing in the waters of baptism, to get the renewal of our nature by the Holy Spirit. b- As long as we are still in the first seven days, we cannot offer the sacrifice, but shall wait for the eighth day. In other words, as long as we still live submitted to time (the seven days), we cannot enjoy the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. But when the Holy Spirit lifts us up to the eighth day, namely to the life resurrected in the Lord, we will enjoy the heavenly sacrifice, and enjoy entering into the presence of the Lord, and the dwelling in His heavenly house. c- If man enjoys the cleansing as a personal gift given to him by our Lord, yet he gets it through his membership in the church; as it is said: “He shall come before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting” (14). For what he gets of cleansing or sanctification, will bring joy to the whole congregation, being one of its members, his sufferings are their sufferings, and his joy is their joy. d- The priest shall offer on his behalf a sin offering and a burnt offering together … For his cleansing from his discharge he would enjoy the forgiveness of his sins through the sin offering, but he should, as well, through offering a burnt offering, present his life a sacrifice of obedience, and a burnt offering to the Father in Jesus Christ. In other words, if the sin offering represents the negative aspect, namely, taking his evil away; the burnt offering represents the positive aspect, namely practicing the righteousness. According to St. John Chrysostom; [Virtue includes two aspects: forsaking evil, and doing good. Retreat from evil is not enough to reach virtue; it is the middle of the way leading to it. But there is still a need for a great effort]. 3- THE NATURAL CASE FOR MAN: After dealing with the medical cases for man, he now talks about two natural cases for him: a- The natural emission of semen; namely, “some occurrence in the night” (Deuteronomy 23: 10), It does not require offering sacrifices; he has only to wash all his body with water, and be unclean until evening (16, 17). The church counts the “occurrence in the night” as breaking the fast; that keeps one from having the holy communion on that day. b- To the matrimonial intercourse; the same rule applies like the one who has a natural emission of semen; namely, the two of them have to wash their bodies with water, and be counted as unclean until evening. They are also banned on that day from entering into the house of the Lord, nor touching the holy things. 4- THE NATURAL CASE FOR WOMAN: By the discharge here he means the customary monthly impurity period, during which she would be counted unclean for seven days, and is banned from having any matrimonial intercourse, for two reasons: the first to give her the chance for some rest from her period; and the second, to sanctify the matrimonial relationship, not to be done according to an uncontrolled lust; particularly that the woman, during that period, does not conceive, hence any intercourse, then, would be for the goal of having children. 5- THE MEDICAL CASE FOR WOMAN: He means the continuous flow of blood; in which case she is counted as unclean; to let her perceive the seriousness of her case, and care for finding a cure. In case she is healed, she stays under investigation for seven days, then, on the eighth day, presents the same sacrifice and offerings like the man in his medical case.
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