THE RITUALS FOR CLEANSING THE HEALED LEPERS If leprosy refers to defilement and sin, the law for cleansing the healed leper came very particulate in examining the leper, or the one suspected to be. The priest should not hasten to issue his verdict, so as not to harm anyone. In case someone is healed from leprosy, it would need a long rite, elaborate and firm procedures until the priest is sure of his purification. to allow him back into the camp. Sin, though may seem as no big deal, yet it denies man his fellowship in the holy congregation; and his return would need a great price, which was paid by the only begotten Son to His Father on the cross. According to St. Justin: [Leprosy should be understood as a symbol of sin; and the slain sacrifices as symbols of the One who was slain for our sake]. 1- The ritual of cleansing on the first day 1 -- 8 2- The ritual of cleansing on the seventh day 9 3- The ritual of cleansing on the eighth day 10 -- 20 4- The ritual of cleansing for the poor 21 -- 32 5- The statute concerning leprous houses 33 – 56 1- THE RITUAL OF PURIFICATION ON THE FIRST DAY: We may summarize the ritual of purification on the first day as such: a- “He shall be brought to the priest” (2). It is not said: ‘He shall come to the priest’, but “He shall be brought to the priest” (2). The leper who is healed cannot directly come to the priest, at any time he chooses to come, but a relative or a friend will have to tell the priest about him; … which refers to the role of the church in bringing every soul forth to our Lord the Highest Priest Jesus Christ. If our relationship with the Father in His Son, who brings us forth into His bosom, and let us enjoy the fellowship of His heavenly glories; This only begotten Son is the Christ of the church, Her Head, and Her Groom, whom we know in a deep personal relationship, through our perception of our membership of the church – His holy body. We cannot recognize Christ as individuals, isolated from the holy congregation, but as members of the congregation, with which we react, even while in our secret place; and the congregation works in us and introduces us to her Groom, the Savior of the world. The leper who is to enjoy the rite of purification, when he is brought forth to the priest, refers to the paralytic whom the church carries to the Lord Christ; represented by the four men -- the bishop, the priest, the deacon, and the congregation -- to the Savior. We hear the gospel say: “Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: ‘Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9: 2). He enjoys the forgiveness of sins, and the absolution from the bonds of paralysis, or the purification from leprosy, as a personal gift presented by the One who loves him, through His church that carries him by her prayers, and presents him to Him by love. St. Cyprian says: [He who stays out of the church is out of Christ]. And also says: [He who does not have the church as his mother, will not have God as his Father]. b- “And the priest shall go out from the camp to him” (3) Although the church, by love and faith, carries the leper to her heavenly Priest to have the forgiveness from his sins, yet the sinner will not come forth into the camp, but the priest will have to come out to carry him into it. In other words, if we, by love, wish for every soul to enter into a spiritual membership of the church, namely into the new life that became ours in the Lord on a heavenly level, yet this task is actually the true role of our Lord Jesus Himself, He who sets forth to the soul to raise her from her death through the water of baptism by His Holy Spirit, as a holy member in His body. According to the scholar Origen: [The leper, being unable to enter into the camp on his own, He who can come out of the camp, will come out to him, proclaiming: “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world” (John 16: 28)]. c- “Then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop” (4). To proclaim the purification of the leper, they will present for his sake, two living and clean birds, a piece of cedar wood about a foot and a half long, of medium thickness, a piece of woolen fabric, dyed scarlet, and a bunch of hyssop. The two birds here probably play a role similar to that played by the two kids of goats on the great day of atonement (Leviticus Chapter 16), one of which is slain, and the other released living to the wilderness; as a reference to the Lord Christ, who, on the one aspect has been slain on the cross for our sins; and on another aspect has set forth to the wilderness of our life, risen from the dead, to raise up together with Him, and to bring us forth into the bosoms of His heavenly Father. So it is in the purification of the leper, one of the birds is slain in an earthen vessel over running water (5), as a reference to the slaying of the Lord Christ, who carried our manhood as an earthen vessel; presenting to us in it His precious blood and the water, both of which flowed from His side to purify us. As to the other living bird, dropped in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water (6), then let loose in the open field (7), it refers to the Lord Christ, risen from the dead, carrying for us His holy blood to atone for us. According to St. Justin the martyr, concerning those two birds: [He was likened to a bird, for He is up in heaven. Dropping the living bird in the blood of the one killed, then letting it loose; refers to that the Word of the living God was crucified and died in the temple (of His body), as though suffering; although God never suffers]. d- The cider wood: If the leprosy of sin corrupts man and completely destroys his life; Presenting the cedar wood which is never infected by bugs, refers to our union with the Lord Christ by the wood of His cross, that eternally takes away our corruption, and protects us against evil; but we would come to be in the sight of God, like a tree planted on the running waters of the Holy Spirit, whose leaves would never scatter. According to the scholar Origen: [Without the wood of the cross, we would never be purified from the leprosy of sin. We resort to the wood of the Savior, about which the apostle says: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2: 15)]. And according to St. John Chrysostom: [The cross renewed, drove vanity away, and brought the truth back; turned the earth into heaven, and men into angels. By it, demons are no more terrifying, but despised and of no value. By it, death became death no more, but sleeping. He who warred against us is now under our feet]. e- The scarlet and the hyssop: According to the scholar Origen: [The scarlet refers to the holy blood that flowed out of His side by the spear (John 19: 34) … the Helper to salvation; as it came in the Holy Book about Tamar: “When the time for her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. While she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying: ‘This one came out first’” (Genesis 38: 28). And when Rahab the harlot received the two spies, and took from them a promise of salvation, they said to her: “Bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down”. (Joshua 2: 18)].. In a symbolic interpretation of the scarlet, the scholar Origen says: [Beside its color that refers to the blood, it is used to dye fabrics to a new color; as a reference to the fire that carries two features; it gives light, and it burns. So came the Lord Christ “to send fire on the earth” (Luke 12: 49); by which He also “gives light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1: 9), and to kindle our hearts with fire, when He opens the books before us. We have already spoken of the scarlet and the hyssop in more than one occasion; of which we may mention here what St. John Chrysostom said concerning cleansing and washing us by the spiritual, and not the material scarlet and the hyssop: [Those have been washed, not by scarlet wool nor by hyssop. Why? Because the washing here is not a bodily, but a spiritual washing. The blood was spiritual. How? Because it flowed, not from the bodies of irrational animals, but from a body prepared by the Holy Spirit; Sprinkling with blood, not by Moses, but by Christ through the word said: “This is the blood of the new covenant for the forgiveness of sins”. This word, instead of the hyssop, was dropped into the blood and washed us all. There, the cleansing of the body was external, on account of that the purification was carnal; While here, the cleansing is spiritual that enters into the soul and washes it… There, the cleansing was only on the surface; followed by washing off the traces of blood; whereas concerning the soul, it is different; for the blood mingles with its being to make it active and pure, and to bring it forth to the unapproachable beauty itself]. In a commentary on the hyssop, St. Augustine says: {Hyssop, as we know, though a humble herb, yet it is used for healing. Being said that its roots cling to the rock, it symbolizes the purification of the heart. .. By the root of your love, cling to your Rock (the Lord Christ); and be humble like your Lord, to be glorified in your glorified Lord. You will be sprinkled with hyssop when you are cleansed by the humility of Christ. Do not despise that herb, but remember its medicinal effect in cleansing the lungs swollen by pride; as it is said about Saul of Tarsus who was breathing threats and murder from his sick lungs against the disciples of the Lord on his way to Damascus to bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9: 1)}. I wish that we have the roots of the hyssop that cling to the rock, so that not to be overcome by the enemy, in spite of our weakness as a poor and humble herb. I wish we would be sprinkled with the hyssop, and use it to purify our lungs from every pride and haughtiness; bearing in us the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ; to be glorified also with Him.. f- “And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water” (5) The Lord Christ has borne our nature to dwell among us, presenting His blood an atonement for our sins. He is like the bird killed in an earthen vessel; namely, dies for us by the body, and flows on us like running water. The running water is the water taken from a running stream, or from a nonstagnant spring. This water binds with the blood as a sacrament for purification. As according to the scholar Origen: [Purification is done as a sacrament by water and blood that flowed out of the side of the Savior (John 19: 34); as also confirmed by St. John in his first epistle, saying that purification is done by water, blood, and the Spirit (1 John 5: 6-8)] g- “And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean. And shall let the living bird loose in the open field” (7) If we are purified by the blood and water, they are to be sprinkled seven times on the sinner to be purified; namely, to remain enjoying their work his whole life (the figure 7 refers to the seven days of the week, and hence to the whole life); Purification setting forth in the waters of baptism will unceasingly endure the whole life.. According to St. Jerome: [once you come to the priest he will tear your clothes completely off you; and what looked sound while covered will prove to be (leprous) when exposed. The priest will let you recognize your sins and see your (leprosy), and will bring you back to the congregation of God through the blood and water -- through the blood, namely through the passion of Christ; and through the water, namely through baptism. Being inflicted with the (leprosy) of corruption, you will not be cured except by the blood of Christ through baptism. And being cured, the words will apply to you, saying: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51: 7). Symbolically, you are still in the land of Egypt up till now, as long as you have not come to the blood and water; hence you will not be saved! Do you wish to be saved from the angel of perdition in Egypt? Take some hyssop, drop them in blood and sprinkle on the two door posts for when the angel see the blood on your forehead, he will not touch you]. h- Washing his clothes: The leper shall take off his torn clothes (13: 45), before he encounters the priest; and having sprinkled blood and water on him seven times, there will be no need for him to change his clothes, but it is enough to have them washed. We replace our old man only once in he waters of baptism; and once we take him off, we will only need to wash the garment with the tears of repentance. As the Lord Christ said to St. Peter when He intended to wash his hands and his head: “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13: 10) If the clothes refer to the body with all its feelings, emotions, and longings, God does not wish to destroy the body, nor to cancel its feelings and possibilities; but seeks to wash and sanctify them to the account of His kingdom. The body is not an enemy of the believer as long as it is submitted to the Spirit of the Lord, but will be a tool of righteousness that works to the account of God “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12: 1) According to the law, the leper to be purified, has to wash his clothes and wash his body in water (9). According to the scholar Origen: [He is actually committed to take away from his clothes, as well as from his body, every uncleanness and defilement; so as nothing of the leprosy which he had would remain on him]. i- Shaving all his hair: The scholar Origen distinguishes between the hair of the sinner and that of the righteous. The hair of the sinner refer to the dead works that emerge from the evil covetousness of his body; being hair without spirit nor blood; hence, in his purification, it is befitting of him to have it shaved as a proclamation of forsaking everything of his evil past, of thoughts, words, and works, which are all dead sins. The righteous on the other hand, bears the spiritual wisdom as hair growing from his body, which is sanctified. Hence, for a Nazirite, no razor shall come upon his head (1 Samuel 1: 11; Numbers 6: 5); so that about him it will be said: “His leaves shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1: 3); and as the Lord Christ said to His disciples: “The very hair of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10: 30); Namely, being righteous and saints, their works, words, and thoughts, are all kept before the Lord. On the contrary, concerning the sinners, all their works, words, and thoughts, should be forsaken. That is what is meant by shaving all the hair of the body to be purified.. J- “He shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days” (8) After fulfilling all the previous rites of being purified by the blood and water, washing his clothes, shaving his hair, and washing his body, he shall be allowed to come into the camp, but shall have to stay outside his tent seven days. If the tent refers to his body (2 Corinthians 5: 4, 5); Enjoying salvation, getting washed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and taking off all our evil works, words, and thoughts, as hair we shave; Yet, while coming into the camp, namely being counted as members in the body of Christ, the holy church and the camp of God, we have to stay outside our tent, namely we have to live above the requirements of the flesh. We have to stay all the days of our life feeling as sojourners even from our own body; so that when the eighth day comes, namely the great day of the Lord, we would enjoy entering into a spiritual heavenly body befitting to the new life. As according to the apostle Paul: “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; …. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15: 44, 49). 2- THE RITUAL OF PURIFICATION ON THE SEVENTH DAY: “But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair of his head, and his beard, and his eyebrows; all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean” (9) On the first day of his purification he has already done all that, Why then has he to do it again? a- What he has done on the first day probably refer to what the believer enjoys at the beginning of his membership in the church, when he entered into the water of baptism, got the sonhood to God, and came to be pure in God’s sight. Now what is to happen on the seventh day, refer to his need to renew the work of baptism, not to repeat it, but through a perpetual repentance, as long as he still is in the body, submitted to the time. Man shall remain all his life until the seventh day, namely up to its end, striving without ceasing to renew the covenant he set with God in the waters of baptism by the Holy Spirit. In the sight of the church, baptism is a beginning of a life, and not an end; and a beginning of strife by the Lord, and not an end for it. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa: [He who received the washing of renewal is like a new recruit to the army, given a place among the soldiers; yet he, still, has not proven his worthiness of being a soldier]. And according to St. Mark the hermit: [Although the holy baptism is a complete work, and grants us perfection, yet it would never give it to someone who is slothful in keeping the commandments].; And to according to St. Jacob El-Serougi: [O you who have been baptized in the holy water, having become come brethren of the only begotten Son; Beware not to insult Him by the works of your bodies; Do not mix with a harlot, instead of with Him; Purify your souls from all transgressions, to be worty of mixing with His Father]. b- The rite practiced on the seventh day probably refers to taking all what is temporal all the days of our sojourn up to our last breath; namely up to the seventh day; So that once the eighth day arrives, namely the great day of the Lord, or our entrance into paradise, no trace of anything temporal, earthly, or carnal, would remain in us, but everything new. c- According to the scholar Origen, shaving the head is a symbol of taking away every thought in us which are contrary to the faith of the church, concerning her Head – Jesus Christ. So that no thought, foreign to the divine church teaching, would be in us. As to shaving the beard, it refers to the renewal of youth, and the return to its life, for the believer to live by the Holy Spirit in an unceasing spiritual renewal, and in youth, never to grow old. As to shaving the eyebrows, it refers to taking away the spirit of pride, and imitating the humility and meekness of the Lord Christ, so as not to have the haughty eyebrow. 3- THE RITUAL OF PURIFICATION ON THE EIGHTH DAY: “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, three-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil” (10) If the eighth day is the consummation of the ritual of purification; On it the newly born was circumcised; and on it, namely, on the first day of the week, the Lord Christ was risen from the dead, granting us His righteousness. We notice here, that it was the first time for the cleansed leper to do some work by himself, as “he shall (take) two male lambs…”, and shall give his sacrifices to the priests; while in the previous days, someone else did it for him. It is as though, as the believer, through the spiritual purification, enjoys the membership in the church, he is committed to begin the positive work for his edification, through his enjoyment of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the new resurrected life (on the eighth day). The sacrifices and the offerings are five: a- One male lamb without blemish, as a “trespass offering”, to atone for his sins – This is the beginning: To confess, and to have faith in the Crucified -- the Forgiver of our trespasses. b- One ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, as a “sin offering”. Choosing it female refers to ‘giving birth’; It is not enough for man to believe in the possibility of the forgiveness of his sins, but he is committed to believe in God, the Grantor of the fruit. Offering an ewe lamb here, according to the scholar Origen means that the soul gives birth to good works, and be rich in the fruits of righteousness. c- Another male lamb without blemish, to be offered by the priest as a “burnt offering”, an object of pleasure to the Father. Enjoying the cross, the believer, will see, not only the forgiveness of his trespasses and sins, but will also unite with the Crucified, to offer his life a burnt offering to God. In the “trespass offering” and the “sin offering”, he proclaims his rejection of the trespass and sin, and his longing for the good work; Whereas in the “burnt offering”, he proclaims his commitment to practice virtue in the Lord; namely he sets forth with love to the positive aspect. Concerning the poor, he will only offer one lamb as a “trespass offering”, and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, as a “sin offering” and a “burnt offering”.(21, 22). d- Three-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a “grain offering”. According to the scholar Origen: [It is not possible to get cleansed outside the Trinity]. If we have seen that in the “grain offering” a reference to the Person of the Lord Christ, being the offering of the church to the Father, and, at the same time, a grant of the Father to the church, granting her the life of His Son as a gift to enjoy, by His body and blood given as the secret of her abidance in Him, and her enjoyment of the eternal life; The figure 3 refers to receiving the faith in the Holy Trinity, whom we recognize through our perception of the secret of the incarnation and the crucifixion of the Word. As to mixing it with oil; No one can receive the secret of the Trinity, nor can say that Christ is Lord, except by the oil of the Holy Spirit. The figure 3 probably also refers to the resurrection together with Christ; For, being purified, we offer the “grain offering” through the resurrection of the Lord; to receive, as well, the Lord risen from the dead, as a source of true spiritual satisfaction. e- One log of oil to anoint the one to be cleansed and to pour it on him; as our purification will be realized through the sacrifice of the cross by the work of the Holy Spirit, by whom we were anointed in the sacrament of the ‘Meron’. The ‘log’ is a measure for fluids equivalent to about 1/3 liter. As to the oil it is of pure olive oil. As the one to be cleansed presents those sacrifices and offerings to the priest, the later will do the following: 1- Both the priest and the one to be cleansed stand before the Lord at the tabernacle of meeting; the Lord Christ, the Highest Priest, being the door through which we enter into the tabernacle of meeting; namely by whom we enjoy the membership in the church – His holy body. According to the Jewish Rabbis, the priest stands to the inside of the door, while the one to be cleansed stands to the outside. 2- Two priests used to partake of this rite. As the one to be cleansed puts his hands on the head of the “trespass offering”, then slays it. One of the two priests receive its blood in a vessel, takes it to the altar, and sprinkles it on its side; Whereas the other priest receives the blood in his hand, stands before the one to be cleansed, put it on the tip of his right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot (14). According to the scholar Origen: [The later cleansing includes the purification of the sense of hearing; of the right hand to have our works pure and without blame; and of the right foot, to let it walk toward the good works, and not to follow the sins of the youth]. I wish, as we approach our greatest High Priest, we would see Him stretch His holy hand to anoint all our senses and body members by His Holy Spirit through the secret of the holy ‘Meron’; so that we would perpetually have the sanctified ear that listens to His voice, and respond to His commandment; the sanctified hand, lifted up as an evening sacrifice, and working to the account of His kingdom; and the straightforward foot that sets forth toward heaven with no hindrance, there, to settle down. According to Rabbi ‘Judas’, the priest sprinkles on three places at the same time: the ear, the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot (14). And in case the leper has lost one of these members, he would not be cleansed. 3- “And the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his left hand; then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord.. And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering, namely on the same places he sprinkled the blood. The rest of the oil that in the priest’s hand, he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord” (15-18. This oil refers to the Holy Spirit granted by the Lord Christ to His church from His Father, to pour on her children to sanctify them; hence called by the scholar Origen: “The gift of the Holy Spirit”. It is not enough for the believer to be cleansed from the sin by the blood and water, but he is committed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, through which the believer would be privileged by having the “best robe” and the “ring of sonhood”; and enjoy the reconciliation with the Father, and abide in sonhood to Him. 4- “The priest shall offer the sin offering and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterwards he shall kill the burnt offering…” (19) By that the leper is cleansed through “the blood, the water, and the Spirit”, according to the words of the apostle, saying: “There are three who bear witness on earth: ‘the Spirit, the water, and the blood’; and these three agree as one” (I John 5: 8). 4- THE RITUAL OF CLEANSING FOR THE POOR: The same rite is elaborately done for the poor in the same way it was done for the rich, to carry the same concepts; on account of that the cleansing of the soul in the sight of God is not different, whether it is the soul of a poor or of a rich. But the poor will offer sacrifices and offerings that he could afford; namely: one male lamb as a trespass offering; two turtledoves or two young pigeons as sin and burnt offerings; one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; and a log of oil. God shall receive these humble offerings, and will grant the poor the same gift He granted the rich, without discrimination; on account of that God seeks the heart and the inner fruit, rather than the gift itself. 5- THE STATUTE CONCERNING LEPROUS HOUSES: God gave the Jews the statute concerning the (leprosy) of houses, when they were still in the wilderness dwelling in tents, proclaiming his care even for their houses where they have not yet dwelt. When God commanded us not to worry about the morrow, He proclaimed that it is He who will worry about it. Here, in this statute, the priest takes up the role of an architect, during a primitive time concerning the Jews, to make sure of the safety of their houses. In case someone notices traces of humidity on the walls of his house, that turn reddish or greenish; or become deeper than the wall itself, that indicate deterioration, he will call the priest who will perform the following: a- The priest shall command that they empty the house before he goes in to look at the plague (36). b- He shall look at the signs of the plague, then shall go out of the house; and shut it down for the duration of seven days. c- He shall come again on the seventh day and look. If he notices that the plague has spread on the walls of the house, he shall command to take away the stones with the plague, and cast them into an unclean place outside the city; and shall command to scrap the house inside, all around, and to pour the dust they scrape off out in an unclean place outside the city. d- They shall put other stones in the place of those taken away, and plaster the inside of the house with new mortar. And if the plague comes back and breaks out in the house again, he shall command to break down the house, its stones, its timber, and all its plaster, and to carry them outside to an unclean place outside the city. e- In case the plague has not spread in the house, the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed; and he shall take to cleanse the house, two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop; as was the case of cleansing the leper. In this rite it is to be noticed that the priest does not hasten in his decisions; lest someone would lose his house; except after confirming the seriousness of the situation… probably a symbol of God’s longsuffering toward us, His dwelling place. He will not hasten to condemn us to perditopn, but will give us the chance to repent; the same way the vinedresser interceded for the sake of the barren fig tree, dig around it and fertilize it; hoping it will bear fruit, so as not to be cut down (Luke 13: 6-9).
Welcome