A STUDY OF IMMERSION/BAPTISMS
THE WALK OF PURITY
By: Peggy Pryor

Part One: Immersion For Ritual Purity

Immersion of the whole body is the act of washing performed to correct a condition of ritual impurity and restore the impure to a state of ritual purity. The ritually impure person is prohibited from performing certain functions and participating in certain rites. Immersion, following a withdrawal period and, in some cases, other special rituals, renders him again tahor/ritually clean and able to participate in worship.

The state of tumah/ritual impurity is considered detestable to God, A person must take care in order not to find himself in such a state and thus be cut off from the divine presence of God. There are three main causes of tumah/ritual impurity; leprosy, coming into contact with dead bodies of certain animals, and particularly human corpses, and an issue from human sexual organs.

LEPROSY

Three types of Leprosy is distinguishable: of man, of clothes and of buildings. Leprosy of human beings is further subdivided: one type is immediately declared as unclean, another as clean (including a case where the symptoms appear over the whole body), while a third type requires isolation for one to two weeks and if there is not any deterioration the bearer is considered clean. Leprosy of clothes and buildings always requires them to be isolated for one to two weeks and only following this period is it decided whether they are clean or not.

Leprosy as translated in the Bible has grouped all skin imperfections into one category and labeled it leprosy. Rest assure that Torah is not talking about just leprosy, some of the more acceptable renderings are tumors, scabs, bright spots or cuticle. The general term which many translate as leprosy, is really just some kind of undefined human skin disease.

If we are to understand the significance of the Mikvah and its importance to the daily life of any Jewish person living during or before the first century, then we must look at the process by which a person became tahor/ritually clean. As an example we will examine the purification process of a leper. The purification of the leper was a lengthy process, here are the steps for purification as outlined in (Vayikra) Leviticus 14:1-32.

In order to more fully understand the seriousness of being tomeh/ ritually unclean, and the process by which one becomes tahor/clean lets examine each of these steps. Please note the importance of immersion in this process of cleansing the leper, his house and his garments.

  1. Repentance from sin, implied in the text

  2. A visit to the Kohen/priest

    "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {2} This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the Kohen/priest. (Leviticus 14:2)

  3. Examination by the Kohen/priest outside the camp

  4. Supernatural cure by God

    And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper (Leviticus 14:3)

  5. Two sacrificial birds, cedarwood, crimson thread, and hyssop offered. (Leviticus 14:4-7)

    Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop (Leviticus 14:4)

     a)  One bird is slaughtered in an earthenware vessel over spring water

    And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water (Leviticus 14:5)

     b)  Live bird is dipped into the blood of slaughtered bird

     c)  Crimson thread and hyssop are also dipped along with the live bird.

    As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water (Leviticus 14:6)

     d)  The offerer is sprinkled seven times with the blood

     e)  The live bird is set free in an open field.

    And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field (Leviticus 14:7)
    .
  6. Sprinkled person must immerse all his clothing.

  7. Sprinkled person must shave off all of his hair.

  8. Sprinkled person must immerse his whole body.

  9. Sprinkled person is permitted to enter the camp.

  10. Sprinkled person must remain outside his tent for seven more days.

    And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days (Leviticus 14:8)
    .
  11. After the seven days, the sprinkled person must again shave completely, immerse all his clothes, and himself.
    But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean (Leviticus 14:9)
    .
  12. On the eighth day he must offer an asham/guilt offering, hata'at/sin offering, olah/burnt offering and a minchah/bread offering. The offerer must also bring some oil to the Kohen/priest.
    And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil (Leviticus 14:10)
    .
  13. Before offering these sacrifices, the Kohen/priest must purify the place of offering.
    And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation (Leviticus 14:11)
  14. The Kohen/priest takes blood from the asham/guilt offering and put some on the middle part of the right ear, the right thumb, and the big toe of the right foot of the offerer.
    And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: {15} And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. (Leviticus 14:14-15)
  15. Some of the oil is sprinkled seven times before the Lord, by the Kohen/priest.
    And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: {17} And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering. (Leviticus 14:16-17)
  16. The Kohen/priest then anoints the offerer on the same places as he did the blood.
    And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord. (Leviticus 14:18)
  17. The hata'at/sin offering, olah/burnt offering, and minchah/bread offerings are slaughtered; atonement is provided.
    And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. (Leviticus 14:19)
  18. The person is finally declared tahor/clean.
    And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean. (Leviticus 14:20)

    Variation is made on the specific content of the offerings depending on whether or not the offerer is poor. (Leviticus 14:21-32)



      Messiah always kept Torah. An example of this is recorded in Matthew 8:2-4:

"And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. {3} And Yeshua/Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. {4} And Yeshua/Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the Kohen/priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Again we see in Luke 17:12-14 "And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:" {13} "And they lifted up their voices, and said, Yeshua/Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." {14} "And when He saw them, He said unto them, 'Go show yourselves unto the Kohen/priests'. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed."

      Even when Messiah had cleansed the lepers they were still required to fulfill the lengthy process and be declared tahor/clean by the Kohen/priest.

      As you can see the process was very time consuming, expensive and embarrassing to the person.

      A great hardship was placed on all the family members, they all had to leave the house, move all their belongings outside the camp were there was not any safety. If the man was the one that had become tomeh/unclean he could not work, the source of income had been cut off. What a hard place to be.

      The very sister of Moses, Miriam, was found to be tomeh/ritually unclean because of speaking against the marriage of Moses and the Cushite woman. For her act of criticizing Moses the Lord struck her with leprosy. We need to think twice about speaking about those God has set in authority over us. Please note that Miriam was placed outside the camp for a period of seven days, she was not exempt just because she was Moses sister and that he prayed for her. All are accountable to the laws of ritual purity. This incident is recorded in Numbers 12:10-15.

And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. {11} And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. {12} Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. {13} And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. {14} And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. {15} And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

      In these cases the person's house and possessions were to undergo a purification as well, described in Vayikra/Leviticus 14:32-57.

      After reading the process by which one became tahor/clean we can more fully appreciate what all Yeshua our Messiah has done for us, taking in His own body all our sins and transgressions. Blessed be Yehovah.

      The steps of cleansing the leper's house are as follows:

  1. Go to the Kohen/priest. (Leviticus 14:35)

  2. The Kohen/priest will order the house be emptied of all possessions. (Leviticus 14:36)

  3. The Kohen/priest will inspect the inside of the house. (Leviticus 14:36)

  4. The house is quarantined by the Kohen/priest for seven days. (Leviticus 14:38)

  5. On the seventh day the Kohen/priest will make an inspection to determine if the house is still unclean. If the Kohen/priest determines that the house is still unclean he will order that the area of the affliction be removed. Scraping the inside of the house and removing the stones and plaster to an unclean place outside the city. (Leviticus 14:39-41)

  6. The stones and plaster shall be replaced. (Leviticus 14:42)

  7. If the affliction/leprosy returned to the house after the stones and plaster have been replaced, the Kohen/priest will again inspect the house. If the Kohen/priest determines that the house is unclean the house is to be torn down, depositing all stones, plaster, timbers etc. outside the city in an unclean place. (Leviticus 14:43-45)

  8. If the Kohen/priest determines upon inspection that the affliction/leprosy has not returned to the house, the following process is required to cleanse the house. (Leviticus 14:48-53)

    a)   Two sacrificial birds, cedar wood, crimson thread, and hyssop offered.

         1) One bird is slaughtered in an earthenware vessel over spring water

         2) Live bird is dipped into the blood of slaughtered bird

         3) Crimson thread and hyssop are also dipped along with the live bird

         4) The house is sprinkled seven time with the blood

         5) The live bird is set free in an open field.

  9. He shall make atonement for the house and it shall be clean. (Leviticus 14:53)

A similar process was required for the leprous garment. (Leviticus 14:55)

A person suffering from leprosy could not eat the holy things. He must be immersed to rid himself of being tomeh/ritually unclean. (Leviticus 22:4-6)

"What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him; {5} Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; {6} The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water".

EXPOSURE TO A DEAD BODY

Whoever came into contact with a dead body, or went inside a tomb/grave was unclean for seven days. The third and seventh days he was sprinkled with water in which ashes from the red heifer has been dissolved. The seventh day he immersed his whole body and washed his clothes and became clean. In Numbers 19:18-19 it is written:

"And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: {19} And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even".
EXPOSURE TO A PERSON HAVING AN UNCLEAN ISSUE

Any person that came into contact with the body of, or with an article of furniture used by a person having an unclean issue zav/(a man suffering from an unclean issue), or any article used by that person, must immerse both his body and his garment and was unclean for a whole day. In Leviticus 15:5-14 it is written:

And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {6} And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {7} And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {8} And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {9} And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean. {10} And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {11} And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {12} And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. {13} And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. {14} And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest.

When the woman with an issue of blood (called a zavah), touched Messiah in the crowd, He immediately became tomeh/unclean and would have to immerse Himself, wash His garment and be tomeh/unclean for a whole day. This did not mean that He had sinned or was in a sinful state. The woman could have been punished severely for being out in public in a state of tomeh/ritually unclean. The virtue that went out of Messiah was His tahor/ritual purity with enough power to heal her. Yeshua's purity was enough to overcome all her ritual impurity. The woman would have to fullfill all the requirements to become tahor/clean also. In Matthew 9:20-22 it is written:

"And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: {21} For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. {22} But Yeshua turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour."

The garment that she wanted to touch was his tallit/prayer shawl. The Tallit has ceremonial fringes on four corners representing the 613 commandments. A rabbi would not go to prayer without having his head covered with his tallit. It is thought that when Yeshua spoke about going into your closet to pray, he was referring to the head being covered with the tallit. In Matthew 6:6 it is written:

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to the Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly".
"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 even. {17} And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. {18} The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even".

LAWS OF SEPARATION TO God

NIDDAH

Niddah is a ritually unclean woman due to her monthly cycle. In the days of the first century and before a woman that was niddah was required to ware special clothing that would let all know that she was in the state of niddah. Today this would seem humiliating to us but to them it was a perfectly natural way to let all know that they were in a state of niddah. A niddah was set apart for seven days, they are called seven red days. After the seven red days she must count seven more days, they are called white days. We see this recorded in Leviticus 15:19:

"And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. (20) And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. {21} And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {22} And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {23} And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. {24} And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. {25} And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. {26} Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. {27} And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. {28} But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. (29) And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. {30} And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness. {31} Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

Please note the purification process for the niddah is complete after immersion in the Mikvah. According to the Torah's definition, the words "set apart" is the word niddah. As you can see this would change family life dramatically. A special community would have to be set up just for the niddah if this was strictly adhered to. The niddah is set apart to God just as the person that takes a Nazarite vow, (Numbers 6) or a person that is on a fast. During the time of niddah she sets herself apart from her husband but she is specifically suppose to set herself apart to God.

A woman has the status of niddah from the time that she has her period until she immerse in a Mikvah. Today the most general use of the Mikvah, in Jewish circles, is for the niddah. The Jewish women that participate in this practice say that they would not give it up. It seems that the husband-wife bond is stabilized by this time of separation, infidelity is virtually unknown, and the divorce rate is significantly below the normal level. The practice of Niddah does not require the Holy Temple be standing so this law is in effect today but a special garment is not required. It is considered by the Rabbis that without the Holy Temple all of us are tomeh/unclean. The immersion for the niddah and the woman after childbirth should take place after dark, all other immersions should be during the day.

We can see an example of a lady coming out of her niddah in 2 Samuel 11:2-4:

"And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman immersing/washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. {3} And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? {4} And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her niddah tomeh/uncleanness: and she returned unto her house".

On this particular passage I have heard any number of explanations as to why Bathsheba was washing, how simple it is to explain when we know the laws of niddah. Please note that she was immersing after dark as was prescribed for the niddah.

The Torah forbids any sexual contact between a man and a woman who has the status of niddah. We thus find the commandment in Leviticus 18:19 as it is written:

"Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness/niddah."

Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman with the status of niddah is considered a most serious sin, very much like entering the Holy Temple in an unclean state. In Leviticus 20:18 it is written:

"And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness (niddah), and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people".

The punishment of being korais/cut off is prescribed as a general punishment for sexual perversion. Koret/cut off is the same punishment for incest, and adultery. Korais/cut off is generally thought of as being "cut off" from ones spiritual source by being put outside the camp. We might think that God is a little strict on this one, but truly..."For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 55:8).

CHILD BIRTH

A woman is unclean for a period of seven days after giving birth to a male child. In Leviticus 12:2 it is written:

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. {3} And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

In Luke 2:21 of the Jewish New Testament we see that Yosef/Joseph and Miryam/Mary are in the Temple as prescribed by the above referenced verses to have Yeshua/Jesus's b'rit-milah /ritual circumcision, and be given His name. "On the eighth day, when it was time for His brit-milah/circumcision He was given the name Yeshua." In Luke 2:21 it reads as follows:

"And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Yeshua."

In Matthew 2:21 is states it this way:

"And he (Yosef) arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel."

Thirty-three days later we again see Yosef and Miryam in the Holy Temple at Yerushalayim/Jerusalem for Miryam's purification with the appropriate sacrifices. In Luke 2:22 in the Jewish New Testament it is written:

"When the time came for their purification according to the Torah of Moshe, they took him up to Yerushalayim to present Him to Adonai (Verse 23) As it is written in the Torah of Adonai "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to Adonai (Verse 23) and also to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons as required by Torah of Adonai".

An immersion would also be part of the requirement. In Leviticus 12:4 it is written:

"And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled".

In Luke 1:59 in the Jewish New Testament we see another example Z'kharyah and Elisheva presenting Yochanan/ for his b'rit-milah /ritual circumcision and to be given his name.

There are different requirements for the birth of a girl. The woman is unclean for fourteen days with an additional sixty-six days. In Leviticus 2:25 it is written:

"But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days."

The last type of immersion to do with separation are the cooking vessels to be used for the preparation and consumption of food that are not made of metal or glass (differing opinions on china and porcelain). If these vessels are purchased from a non-Jew they must be immersed in a mikvah before use. and the following blessing is said:

"Blessed are You O Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded that we immerse a utensil(s)."

This immersion is to remove the "impurity of the Gentiles". There is a different process of immersion by which vessels are ritually cleansed to remove non-kosher food which might have penetrated there walls.

The men of war who had gone into battle were required to pass everything that could stand fire through the fire, and all else must be purified with an immersion for impurity. This included all weapons, spoils and cooking utensils. This is found in Numbers 31:21-24 as it is written:

"And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses; {22} Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, {23} Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water. {24} And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

Part Two: Worship in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

Peggy Pryor
Ledaber Ministries:
Fayetteville, Tennessee
615-433-8281
Back to Part One : Introduction
Part Three : Customs of Immersion
Part Four : Immersion into Messiah
Part Five : A Mikvah/Immersion Service
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