Leviticus
Chapter 15
Sexual Impurities
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them:
When a man has a discharge from his body, that discharge makes him unclean.
The rules about his uncleanness are:
He is regarded as unclean, whether his body permits the discharge to flow or keeps it inside.
Any bed that the man lies on, and any seat he sits on, shall be unclean.
Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe; it will be unclean until evening.
Anyone who sits on a seat where the man has sat must wash their clothing and take a bath, and the seat will remain unclean until the evening.
Anyone who touches a man with such a condition must wash their clothing and take a bath, and it will remain unclean until evening.
If the sick man spits on someone clean, that person must wash his clothing and take a bath and remain unclean until evening.
Any saddle the sick man travels on will be considered unclean.
All those who touch any object that may be under him will be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up such an object must wash their clothing and take a bath, and it will be unclean until evening.
All those whom the sick man touches without washing his hands must wash their clothes and take a bath; they will be unclean until evening.
Any clay pot that the sick man touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed.
When a man with a discharge is healed, he must wait seven days for his purification. He must wash his clothes and bathe in running water to become clean.
On the eighth day, he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, appear before the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.
This way, the priest will perform the atonement rite before the Lord for the man’s discharge.
When a man has a seminal discharge, he must wash his entire body with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Any clothing or leather that has come into contact with a seminal discharge must be washed, and it will remain unclean until evening.
When a woman sleeps with a man, both must wash and will be unclean until evening.
When a woman experiences bleeding from her body, this uncleanness from her monthly periods shall last for seven days. Anyone who touches her will remain unclean until evening.
Any bed she lies on will be unclean; any seat she sits on will be unclean.
Anyone who touches her bed must wash their clothes and bathe, and they will remain unclean until evening.
Anyone who touches any seat she has sat on must wash their clothes and bathe, which will keep them unclean until evening.
Anyone who touches anything on the bed or chair where she sat remains unclean until evening.
If a man has sexual relations with a woman who is unclean because of her monthly period, he will be unclean for seven days. Any bed on which he lies will also be unclean.
If a woman experiences bleeding for several days outside her period, or if her period lasts longer than usual, she will be considered unclean during this time, just as she is during her monthly periods.
Any bed she lies on during this time will be unclean, just like during her monthly period. Any seat she sits on will also be unclean, as it would be during her monthly periods.
Anyone who touches these will be considered unclean; they must wash their clothes and take a bath, and they will stay unclean until evening.
When she is cured of her flow, she will wait seven days to pass; then she will be clean.
On the eighth day, she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
With one of them, the priest is to offer a sacrifice for sin, and with the other, a burnt offering. This is how the priest will perform the rite of atonement over her before the Lord for the flow that made her unclean.
Make the sons of Israel aware of everything unclean, or else they will die by defiling the Tent of my presence among them.
Such is the law regarding a man with a discharge, anyone rendered unclean by a seminal discharge,
a woman unclean due to her monthly periods, a man or a woman with a discharge, and a man who sleeps with an impure woman.
Commentaries
Sexual Impurities.
The rules of procedure describe the circumstances involving venereal diseases in men and the presence of secretions in the genital areas of affected individuals. Male pollution is also classified as a cause of ritual—not moral—impurity for the same reason; the secretion, although not pathological, is natural in this case. For women, there are two reasons for impurity depending on the type of flow: menstruation, which is considered a natural phenomenon, and bleeding outside the menstrual period, which is viewed as abnormal. In both cases, impurity exists, and ritual purification is required. Given these strict rules—especially for women with continuous bleeding—we can imagine the woman who had suffered from this condition for twelve years, as recounted in the Gospel. She knew she could not be among people and could not touch anyone; yet she mingled with the crowd and, to make matters worse, touched Jesus’ cloak. Jesus, too, is not overly concerned with strictly following the established rules. He knew what the woman needed to do to be restored to the community, but he restores her differently: he complies with the rule while also humanizing the interaction. He makes the woman speak, restoring her dignity and voice within the community (cf. Mk 5:25-34).