Parashat Tazria

Niddah Rest for New Mothers

12 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, instructing: If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she will be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her niddah she will be unclean. ³ In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is to be circumcised. ^{[a] 4} She must wait during the blood of purification for 33 days.^[b] She is not to touch any holy thing, nor come into the Sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. ⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she will be unclean for two weeks, as in her niddah, and she is to wait in the blood of purification for 66 days.

⁶ “When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the kohen, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove, for a sin offering. ⁷ He is to present it before Adonai and make atonement for her. Then she will be cleansed from the discharge of her blood. This is the Torah for her who gives birth, whether to a male or a female child. ⁸ If she cannot afford a lamb, then she is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons,^[c] one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the kohen will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”

Tza’arat: Supernatural Skin Disease

13 Then Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying: ² “When a man has a swelling on the skin of his body or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes the plague-mark of tza’arat in his flesh, then he should be brought to Aaron the kohen, or to one of his sons, the kohanim. ³ The kohen is to examine the plague of tza’arat on his skin, and if the hair in the plague has turned white, and the appearance of the plague is deeper than the body’s skin, it is the plague of tza’arat. Thus the kohen should examine him and pronounce him unclean. ⁴ If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, but its appearance is not deeper than the skin and its hair has not turned white, then the kohen is to isolate the infected person for seven days. ⁵ The kohen should examine him on the seventh day, and behold, if he sees the plague has not spread in the skin, then the kohen is to isolate him for seven more days.

⁶ “The kohen is to examine him again on the seventh day, and behold, if the plague has faded and has not spread in the skin, then the kohen should pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He is to wash his clothes, and be clean. ⁷ But if the scab spreads on the skin, after he has shown himself to the kohen for his cleansing, he is to show himself to the kohen once again. ⁸ The kohen is to examine him, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the kohen should pronounce him unclean. It is tza’arat.

⁹ “When one has a plague of tza’arat, he is to be brought to the kohen. ¹⁰ The kohen is to examine him, and behold, if there is a white swelling in the skin and it has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is a chronic tza’arat in the skin of his flesh, and the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. He is to isolate him, for he is unclean.

¹² “Suppose the tza’arat breaks out above the flesh, and so far as it all appears in the eyes of the kohen, covers all the skin of the infected person from his head to his feet. ¹³ Then the kohen will see, and behold, if the tza’arat has covered all of his body, he is to pronounce him clean of the plague. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. ¹⁴ But whenever raw flesh appears upon him, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ The kohen is to examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean—it is tza’arat. ¹⁶ Or, if the raw flesh changes and turns white, then he must come to the kohen. ¹⁷ The kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the plague has turned white, then the kohen shall pronounce him clean of the plague. He is clean.^[d]

¹⁸ “When the body has a boil on its skin and it has healed, ¹⁹ but in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a bright reddish-white spot, then it should be shown to the kohen. ²⁰ The kohen is to examine it, and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is a plague of tza’arat that has broken out within the boil. ²¹ But if the kohen examines it and sees there are no white hairs within, and if it is not deeper than the skin but is faded, then the kohen is to isolate him seven days. ²² If it spreads in the skin, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is a plague. ²³ But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, it is merely the scar from the boil—the kohen is to pronounce him clean.

²⁴ “Or suppose the body has a burn from fire on its skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white. ²⁵ Then the kohen is to examine it, and behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white and its appearance is deeper than the skin, it is tza’arat. It has broken out in the burning, and the kohen is to pronounce him unclean—it is the plague of tza’arat. ²⁶ But if the kohen examines it and sees there is no white hair in the bright spot, and it is not lower than the skin but is faded, then the kohen is to isolate him seven days. ²⁷ The kohen is to examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread in the skin, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of tza’arat. ²⁸ If the bright spot stays in its place, and has not spread in the skin but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn, and the kohen should pronounce him clean, for it is merely a scar from the burn.

²⁹ “When a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the chin, ³⁰ then the kohen is to examine the plague, and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is a scab—tza’arat of the head or the chin. ³¹ If the kohen examines the plague of the scab, and behold its appearance is no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair within, then the kohen is to isolate the person infected with the scab for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the kohen is to examine the plague, and behold, if the scab has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it, and the appearance of the scab is no deeper than the skin, ³³ then he shall be shaved, but he is not to shave the scab. The kohen is then to isolate the one who has the scab for seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day, the kohen is to examine the scab, and behold, if the scab has not spread in the skin and its appearance is no deeper than the skin, then the kohen should pronounce him clean. He is to wash his clothes, and be clean. ³⁵ But if the scab spreads in the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶ then the kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the scab has spread in the skin, the kohen may not look for the yellow hair, he is unclean. ³⁷ But if he sees the scab is stopped and black hair has grown in it, the scab is healed, and he is clean. The kohen shall pronounce him clean.

³⁸ “Suppose a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body—bright white spots. ³⁹ Then the kohen is to examine them, and behold, if the bright spots on the skin of their body are a dull white, it is a harmless rash broken out in the skin. He is clean.

Baldness is Clean

⁴⁰ “If a man’s hair has fallen from his head, he is bald. He is clean. ⁴¹ Or if the borders of his face become bald, his forehead is bald. He is clean. ⁴² But if on the baldhead or bald forehead, there is a reddish-white plague, it is tza’arat breaking out in his baldhead or bald forehead. ⁴³ Then the kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the rising of the plague is reddish-white on his bald head or bald forehead, like the appearance of tza’arat in the skin of the flesh, ⁴⁴ he is a man with tza’arat. He is unclean. The kohen shall definitely pronounce him unclean—his plague-mark is on his head.

Unclean! Unclean!

⁴⁵ “The one with tza’arat who has the plague-mark should wear torn clothes, the hair of his head is to hang loose, he is to cover his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ All the days during which the plague is on him he will be unclean. He is unclean. He is to dwell alone. Outside of the camp will be his dwelling.

⁴⁷ “Also when a garment has a mark of tza’arat on it—whether it is a woolen or a linen garment, ⁴⁸ whether it is woven or textured, linen or wool, leather, or anything made from leather— ⁴⁹ or if the mark is greenish or reddish within the garment or in the leather, or in the weaving or the texture, or in anything made from leather, it is the plague of tza’arat, and should be shown to the kohen. ⁵⁰ The kohen is to examine the plague and isolate it for seven days. ⁵¹ Then he is to reexamine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the weaving, the texture or the leather, whatever the use for the leather may be, the plague is a destructive mildew. It is unclean. ⁵² He is to burn the garment or the weaving, or the texture, wool or linen, or anything of leather, in which the plague resides, for it is a destructive mildew. It is to be burned in the fire.

⁵³ “If the kohen examines it, and behold, the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the weaving, the texture, or in anything made of leather, ⁵⁴ the kohen should command that they wash the thing which has the mark, and he is to isolate it seven more days.

⁵⁵ “Then the kohen is to reexamine it, after the mark has been washed, and behold, if the mark has not changed its color and has not spread, it is unclean. You are to burn it in the fire, whether the rot is inside or outside. ⁵⁶ If the kohen looks, and sees the mark has faded after it has been washed, then he is to tear it out of the garment, or the leather, or weaving, or texture. ⁵⁷ But if it appears again in the garment, either in the weaving, the texture, or in anything made of leather, it is spreading. You are to burn with fire whatever has the mark. ⁵⁸ The garment, or weaving, or texture, or whatever leather item it is that you have washed, if the mark has departed from it, is to be washed a second time, and will become clean.”

⁵⁹ This is the Torah for a mark of tza’arat in a garment of wool or linen, either in the weaving, the texture, or in anything of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.

Parashat Metzora

Purification of One with Tza’arat

14 Then Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: ² “This is the Torah of the one with tza’arat in the day of his cleansing. He should be brought to the kohen, ^{[e] 3} and the kohen is to go to the outside of the camp. The kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the mark of tza’arat is healed in one with tza’arat, ⁴ then the kohen is to command that two clean living birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop be brought for the one being cleansed. ⁵ The kohen should command them to kill one of the birds in a clay pot over living water. ⁶ As for the living bird, he is to take it, the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them with the living bird into the blood of the bird that was killed over the living water. ⁷ He is to sprinkle on the one being cleansed from the tza’arat seven times and pronounce him clean, then release the living bird over the open field.

⁸ “The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water. Then he should be clean. After that he may come into the camp, but is to dwell outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ Then on the seventh day, he is to shave all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows—he must shave off all his hair. He is to wash his clothes, and bathe his body in water. Then he will be clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs without blemish, a one-year-old ewe lamb without blemish, three tenths of a pint of fine flour as a grain offering, mingled with oil, and a pint of oil. ¹¹ The kohen who cleanses him is to set the man who to be cleansed along with those items before Adonai, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹² The kohen should then take one of the male lambs, and offer it for a trespass offering, with the pint of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before Adonai.

¹³ “Then he is to slaughter the male lamb in the place where they slaughter the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the Sanctuary area. For the sin offering like the trespass offering belongs to the kohen. It is most holy. ¹⁴ Then the kohen is to take some of the blood of the trespass offering and dab it on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ The kohen should then take some of the pint of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. ¹⁶ He is to dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Adonai. ¹⁷ Then the kohen should dab some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the trespass offering. ¹⁸ From what remains of the oil that is in his hand, the kohen is to dab on the head of the one being cleansed. In this way the kohen will make atonement for him before Adonai.

¹⁹ “The kohen should offer the sin offering and make atonement for the one being cleansed because of his uncleanness. Afterward he is to slaughter the burnt offering. ²⁰ Then the kohen is to present the burnt offering along with the grain offering on the altar. So the kohen should make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

²¹ “If he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he should take one male lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, plus one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering, a pint of oil, ²² two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford. The one should be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

²³ “On the eighth day he is to bring them to the kohen for his cleansing, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before Adonai. ²⁴ The kohen is to take the lamb of the trespass offering and the pint of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before Adonai. ²⁵ He is to slaughter the lamb of the trespass offering. The kohen is to take some of the blood of the trespass offering and dab it on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ The kohen should then pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand. ²⁷ He is to sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Adonai. ²⁸ Then the kohen is to dab some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, also on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the place of the blood of the trespass offering. ²⁹ The rest of the oil that is in his hand the kohen is to dab on the head of the one being cleansed, to make atonement for him before Adonai. ³⁰ He is to offer one of the turtledoves or the young pigeons, from what his hand can afford, ³¹ the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the grain offering. The kohen should make atonement for him being cleansed before Adonai.”

³² This is the Torah for one on who is the mark of tza’arat, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.

Purification of a House

³³ Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ³⁴ “Suppose you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put a mark of tza’arat in a house in the land you possess. ³⁵ Then the one who owns the house should come and tell the kohen, saying: ‘Something like a mark has appeared in my house.’ ³⁶ The kohen is to order the house emptied before he goes in to examine the mark, so that nothing in the house might be made unclean. Then afterward the kohen is to enter to inspect the house. ³⁷ He is to examine the mark, and behold, if the mark is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and appears deeper than the wall, ³⁸ then the kohen is to go out of the house to the door and close up the house for seven days. ³⁹ Then the kohen is to come again on the seventh day, and behold, if the mark has spread in the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ then the kohen is to command that they take out the stones which are marked and throw them into an unclean place outside of the city. ⁴¹ He should also have the inside of the house scraped all throughout, and they are to dump the mortar that they scraped off outside of the city into an unclean place. ⁴² They may then take other stones and put them in the place of those stones. Likewise he can take other mortar, and plaster the house.

⁴³ “But suppose the contamination returns, breaking out in the house, after he has pulled out the stones and after he has scraped the house, and it has been re-plastered. ⁴⁴ Then the kohen is to go examine, and behold, if the plague has spread within the house, it is a destructive mildew inside. It is unclean. ⁴⁵ He is to break down the house, its stones, its timber, along with all the house’s mortar, and carry them out of the city into an unclean place.

⁴⁶ “Moreover, whoever goes into the house while it is shut up will be unclean until the evening. ⁴⁷ The one who lies down in the house must wash his clothes, and he who eats in the house must wash his clothes too.

⁴⁸ “But if the kohen comes in, inspects it, and behold, the plague has not spread within the house after it was re-plastered, then he should pronounce the house clean, because the contamination is healed. ⁴⁹ In order to cleanse the house he is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. ⁵⁰ He is to kill one of the birds in a clay pot over living water. ⁵¹ Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet and the living bird, and dip them into the blood of the slain bird as well as the living water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He should cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, with the living water, with the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet. ⁵³ But he is to let the living bird go out of the city into the open field. So he is to make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

⁵⁴ This is the Torah for any mark of tza’arat—even for a scab, ⁵⁵ or the tza’arat in a garment or for a house ⁵⁶ or for a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot— ⁵⁷ to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean.

This is the Torah of tza’arat.

Purification From Discharges

15 Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: When any man has a fluid discharge from his body, because of his discharge he is unclean. ³ This is to be his uncleanness in his discharge. Whether his body flows with his discharge or his body obstructs his discharge, it is his uncleanness.

⁴ “Every bed on which he who has the discharge lies will become unclean, and everything he sits on will be unclean. ⁵ Whoever touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ⁶ Whoever sits on anything on which the man who has the discharge sat is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ⁷ Whoever touches the body of the one who has the discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ⁸ Or if the one who has the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he also is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

⁹ “Any saddle the one who has the discharge rides on will be unclean. ¹⁰ Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until the evening. Whoever carries them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

¹¹ “Also anyone the person with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands in water should wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

¹² “A clay pot that one with the discharge touches should be broken, and every wooden vessel should be rinsed in water.

¹³ “When the one who has a fluid discharge is cleansed of his issue, then he is to count for himself seven days for his purification and wash his clothes. Then he is to bathe his body in running water, and he will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before Adonai at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the kohen. ¹⁵ The kohen is to offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the kohen should make atonement for him before Adonai for his fluid discharge.

¹⁶ “If any man has an emission of semen, then he is to bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. ¹⁷ Every garment and all leather with semen on it are to be washed with water, and will be unclean until the evening. ¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, they should both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the evening.

¹⁹ “If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge from her body is blood, she should be in her niddah seven days. And whoever touches her will be unclean until the evening. ²⁰ Everything that she lies on in her niddah will become unclean. Also everything that she sits on will become unclean. ²¹ Whoever touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ²² Whoever touches anything that she sits on is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ²³ If it is on the bed or on anything where she sits, when he touches it, he will be unclean until the evening. ²⁴ If any man lies with her, so that her niddah gets on him, he will be unclean for seven days and every bed where he lies will be unclean.

²⁵ “Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days not during her niddah or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her niddah all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness should be as in the days of her niddah. She is unclean. ^{[f] 26} Every bed where she lies all the days of her discharge will be like her bed during her niddah, and everything she sits on will become unclean like the uncleanness of her niddah. ²⁷ Whoever touches these things will become unclean and is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

²⁸ “But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she is to count off seven days for herself, and after that she will be clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the kohen, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ³⁰ The kohen is to offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. So the kohen will make atonement for her before Adonai for the uncleanness of her discharge.

³¹ “So you are to keep Bnei-Yisrael separate from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness by defiling My Tabernacle that is in their midst.”

³² This is the Torah for one who has a discharge or for one who has an emission of semen, which causes him to become unclean, ³³ as well as for her who has her period of niddah, and for the man or woman who has a discharge, or the one who lies with her who is unclean.