Shalom, Mitspacha!
As a new week dawns, we continue our journey through the Torah’s teachings on holiness, purity, and restoration. Today we study the mitzvot concerning ritual impurity in men - the zav (abnormal male discharge), the emission of semen, and defilement through contact with sheratzim (creeping creatures). Through these instructions, YHVH teaches His people reverence for life, awareness of the sacred, and respect for the body as His dwelling place.
“And YHVH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, Speak to the children of Yisra’el, and say to them, When any man has an issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.”
- Leviticus 15:1-2
“And whosoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has, the soul that has touched it shall be unclean until the evening.”
- Leviticus 22:5
“And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the evening.”
- Leviticus 15:16
The Torah’s teaching on impurity among men is not condemnation but correction - a sacred pattern revealing how life and holiness intersect. Discharge, contact, or emission do not make a man morally corrupt; rather, they acknowledge human frailty and the continual need for cleansing.
The zav - one with an abnormal bodily flow - represents the persistence of human weakness. He must wait, wash, and be declared clean by the kohen after a time of observation and renewal. The Torah thus establishes that purity is not instant but restored through process.
Contact with sheratzim symbolizes the closeness of life and death, for these creatures often dwell in decay or darkness. Their touch defiles because they remind us of mortality - yet through washing and waiting until evening, YHVH teaches that renewal is always within reach.
Even the emission of seed, though natural, is treated as sacred. Life flows from man by YHVH’s design, and so the act of cleansing afterward honors the holiness of creation itself. Each instruction draws the heart toward self-awareness and reverence - that even unseen acts and bodily processes belong under the rule of holiness.
The mitzvot concerning male impurity reveal three important truths about holiness and daily life. The first mitzvah teaches responsibility for one’s body. When a man has an issue or discharge, he must recognize it and take steps toward purification. Holiness begins with self-awareness and accountability before YHVH.
The second mitzvah emphasizes the sanctity of life and separation from death. Contact with sheratzim and decay renders one unclean, not because of sin but because holiness cannot mingle with corruption. This teaches discernment in where we walk, what we touch, and how we maintain purity in both body and spirit.
The third mitzvah instructs washing and renewal. Every impurity ends with water - the symbol of cleansing and rebirth. Just as the mikveh restores physical purity, so repentance restores spiritual purity. Both point to the greater cleansing that Yahusha Ha’Mashiach brings through His Ruach.
Application for today: Let every believer walk with reverence and awareness that our bodies are living temples. Guard what enters and what flows out of your life. Do not shrink from the process of cleansing, for YHVH’s mercy is revealed through restoration. He does not cast away the unclean - He teaches them to become whole again. As you move through this week, practice simple disciplines: timely washing, honest confession where needed, and willingness to observe the process of return as prescribed by Torah and guided by community leaders.
Abba YHVH, we thank You for the gift of this new week and the mercy that renews us each morning. Cleanse our hearts as You cleanse our bodies. Let our words, thoughts, and actions be pure before You.
Teach us to honor the sacred rhythms of life - to rest, to renew, to begin again. Help us to walk in integrity and reverence for Your holiness. Let no unclean thing dwell in our hearts, but may Your Ruach Ha’Kodesh sanctify us completely.
We pray for every man to take responsibility for his spiritual and physical purity, leading his home and community with humility and holiness. We pray for every woman to be strengthened in grace and honor, reflecting Your beauty and compassion.
May our lives together become a dwelling place for Your presence.
Baruch YHVH.
May YHVH bless you and keep you.
May YHVH cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May YHVH lift up His countenance upon you and grant you shalom.
Baruch YHVH.
Shalom until tomorrow.