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Leviticus 12:1 - 13:23 (1st Day)
This Torah Portion for this week is on the heels of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After we have cleaned our homes and hearts of all leaven and reflected on things in our lives to be thrown out we are faced with the topic of Ritual Purity and Impurity.
This is probably one of the most misunderstood studies. In fact, to some, the concepts outlined in this study may seem primitive and outdated for today's culture.
The misunderstanding may come in with mistaking all "impurity" as a result of forbidden activities. This couldn't be further from the truth, in fact, some impurities are commendable, i.e., having children, burying the dead, etc.
What's not permissible is visiting the Temple (or Mishkan) when one is impure. Perhaps, this was to prevent the spread of disease or perhaps we are just being called to a certain standard when entering YHVH's house, to honor and in honor of Him. Could it be that the simple adherence to these statutes is an act of worship in and of itself?
Yet, in this day of social distancing due to an extremely infectious pandemic, just maybe it's time to reconsider our cultural beliefs on this subject. The topic of "Clean" and "Unclean" are contained throughout the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments. So it would appear that this is a topic of some importance to our Abba.
Either way, this is the question being posed: is this topic of ritual impurity still for us to observe today or is this instruction for a more primitive people who had less access to hygienic remedies?
Let's be good Bereans and study it out, Amen?
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