The Status of the Menstruant Woman
…self-examination is called the hefsek tahara, a pause to initiate purity. Leviticus specifies that a menstruating woman must “separate” for seven days (Leviticus 15:19). Any object she sits on or…
Atoning For Unintentional Sins
The book of Leviticus begins with a discussion of the korbanot, or sacrifices, that were brought in the Tabernacle and Temple. One of these sacrifices was called the korban chatat,…
Fins and Scales: How Eating Kosher Fish Makes You Righteous
Leviticus introduces the classifications of clean and unclean meat. It contains laws regarding not only land animals, but anything edible that comes from the sea as well. The rules for…
Tzaraat: The Messiah’s Affliction?
The Torah portion of Tazria (Leviticus 12–13) deals with tzaraat, a disease usually mistranslated as leprosy. Tzaraat is a malady that afflicts the body, clothing, and the walls of houses….
Being Chosen and Keeping Kosher
…we can eat. God begins to specify dietary restriction in Leviticus 11, beginning with the types of land animals that we are permitted to eat: These are the creatures that…
Shemittah: Putting Your Trust in God
In addition to the weekly Shabbat which was observed in the desert, Leviticus instructs the Children of Israel to keep the Shemittah. Shemittah (literally, ‘release’) is usually translated as the…
The Exile as a Sign of God’s Everlasting Love for Israel
…should they not. The first is found in Leviticus chapter 26 and the second is in Deuteronomy 28.The curses are referred to as tochachot (תוכחות), or rebukes. According to Jewish…
Interest Free Loans: A Family Matter
Leviticus instructs the Children of Israel regarding how to deal with money matters, and one of the clearest and unequivocal prohibitions is usury: If your kinsman, being in straits, comes…
Sexual Purity and the Land of Israel
Leviticus chapter 18 introduces the Torah’s restrictions on sexual relations. The punishment for violating these transgressions is karet (being cut off from Israel). The title given for the list of…
Are We Really Required to Give an Eye for an Eye?
Leviticus seems to tell the Children of Israel that when someone hurts his fellow he should be punished in kind. Understood literally, the verses seem to say that we must…