14 (53) but he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.

14 (54) This is the Tora for all manner of plague of żara῾at, and the patch,

(55) and for the żara῾at of a garment, and of a house,

(56) and for a swelling, and for a scab, and for a bright spot:

(57) to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the Tora of żara῾at.

15 (1) And the Lord spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying,

(2) Speak to the children of Yisra᾽el, and say to them, When any man has a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.

(3) And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.

(4) Every bed, whereon he that has the issue lies down, is unclean: and everything, whereon he sits, shall be unclean.

(5) And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(6) And he that sits on anything on which he that has the issue sat, shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(7) And he that touches the flesh of him that has the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(8) And if he that has the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(9) And whatever saddle he that has the issue rides upon, shall be unclean.

(10) And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening: and he that bears any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(11) And whomever he touches that has the issue, and has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(12) And the vessel of earth, that he who has the issue touches, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

(13) And when he that has 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 he shall be clean.

(14) And on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest:

(15) and the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord because of his issue.

15 (16) And if the semen goes out from a man, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until evening.

(17) And every garment, and every skin, on which the semen is, shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

(18) The woman also with whom a man shall lie with emission of semen, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until evening.

(19) And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be seven days in her menstrual separation: and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.

(20) And everything that she lies upon in her separation shall be unclean: everything also that she sits upon shall be unclean.

(21) And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(22) And whoever touches anything that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(23) And if it be on her bed, or on anything whereon she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening.

(24) And if any man lie with her at all, and her menstrual flow be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days: and all the bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

(25) And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days not in the time of her menstruation, or if it run beyond the time of her menstruation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her menstruation: she shall be unclean.

(26) Every bed on which she lies all the days of her issue shall be to her as the bed of her menstruation: and whatever she sits upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her menstruation.

(27) And whoever touches those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening.

(28) But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

15 (29) And on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.

(30) And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness.

(31) Thus shall you separate the children of Yisra᾽el from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

(32) This is the Tora of him that has an issue, and of him whose semen goes from him, and he is defiled with it;

(33) and of her that is sick in her menstrual flow, and of him that has an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lies with her that is unclean.

7 (3) And there were four men afflicted with żara῾at at the entrance of the gate: and they said to one another, Why do we sit here until we die? (4) If we say, We will enter the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we will die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of Aram: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. (5) And they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of Aram: and when they were come to the outer edge of the camp of Aram, behold, there was no man there. (6) For the Lord had made the camp of Aram to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, the noise of a great host: and they said to one another, Lo, the king of Yisra᾽el has hired against us the kings of the Ḥittites, and the kings of Miżrayim, to come upon us. (7) So they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. (8) And when these diseased men came to the outer edge of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried from there silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came back, and entered into another tent, and carried from there also, and went and hid it. (9) Then they said to one another, We do not behave correctly: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household. (10) So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of Aram, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. (11) And he called the gatekeepers; and they told it to the king’s house within. (12) And the king arose in the night, and said to his servants, I will now tell you what Aram has done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. (13) And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Yisra᾽el that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of Yisra᾽el that are consumed:) and let us send and see. (14) They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the camp of Aram, saying, Go and see. (15) And they went after them to the Yarden: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which Aram had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. (16) And the people went out, and plundered the camp of Aram. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. (17) And the king appointed the officer on whose hand he had leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. (18) And it came to pass when the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Shomeron, (19) that that officer answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thy eyes, but shalt not eat of it. (20) And so it happened to him: for the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died.

1. These things defile by overshadowing: a corpse, an olive-sized [portion of flesh] of a corpse, an olive-sized [portion] of nezel, a ladleful of corpse-mold, the spine or the skull, [a] full limb of a corpse, or [a full] limb [severed] from a living person with the appropriate amount of flesh, a quarter [of a kav] of bones from the structural majority or numerical majority, and the structural majority or numerical majority [of the bones] of a corpse even though they do not amount to a quarter [of a kab]; [all these] are unclean. How many [bones] form the numerical majority? One hundred and twenty-five.

2. [The following likewise defile:]A quarter [of a log] of blood, A quarter [of a log] of mixed blood from one corpse. Rabbi Akiva says: [even] from two corpses. [With regard to] the blood of a child that has completely flowed forth: Rabbi Akiva says: [it defiles] in even the smallest quantity, But the sages say: [there must be] a quarter [of a log]. [With regard to] an olive-sized [portion] of [corpse] worms whether alive or dead: Rabbi Eliezer declares [it] unclean, like the flesh, But the sages declare [it] clean. [With regard to] the ashes of burnt persons: Rabbi Eliezer says: the [minimum] quantity [for defilement is] a quarter [of a kav]. But the sages declare [them to be] clean. A ladleful and [a little] more of grave-dust is unclean. Rabbi Shimon declares [it to be] clean. A ladleful of corpse-mold mixed with water is not [regarded as] joined [into one mass] for [the purposes of] defilement.

3. The following defile by contact and carriage but not by overshadowing: A bone of barleycorn size, Earth from a foreign country, A bet peras, A limb of a corpse, or a limb [severed] from a living person which has no longer its appropriate flesh, A spine or a skull which is deficient. How much is [considered] a deficiency in the spine? Bet Shammai say: two vertebrae, But Bet Hillel say: even one vertebra. And in the skull? Bet Shammai say: [the size of a] hole [made] by a drill, But Bet Hillel say: as much as would be taken from a living person and he would die. Of what drill did they speak? Of the small one [used] by physicians, the words of Rabbi Meir. But the sages say: of the large one in the Temple-chamber.

4. The covering stone and the buttressing stone [of a grave] defile by contact and overshadowing but not by carriage. Rabbi Eliezer says: they do defile by carriage. Rabbi Joshua says: if there is grave dust beneath them, they defile by carriage, but if not they do not defile by carriage. What is the buttressing stone? That upon which the covering stone is supported. But the stone that serves as buttress to the buttressing stone is clean.

5. These are clean if they are deficient:An olive-sized [portion] of a corpse; An olive-sized [portion] of nezel, A ladleful of corpse-mold, A quarter [of a log] of blood, A bone of the size of a barley-corn, And a limb [severed] from a living person, the bone of which [limb] is deficient.

6. A backbone or a skull [made up from the bones] of two corpses, A quarter [of a log] of blood from two corpses, A quarter [of a kav] of bones from two corpses, A limb of a corpse from two corpses, And a limb [severed] from a living person, [such a limb being made up] from two persons, Rabbi Akiva declares [the all] unclean But the sages declare them clean.

7. A bone the size of a barley-corn that is divided into two: Rabbi Akiva declares it unclean But Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri declares it clean. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: they did not say 'bones’ the size of a barley-corn, but ‘bone’ the size of a barley-corn. A quarter [of a kav] of bones crushed fine, and there is not a single [bone] the size of a barley-corn: Rabbi Shimon declares it clean But the sages unclean. A limb [severed] from a living person which has been divided into two is clean. Rabbi Yose declares [it] unclean; But he agrees that if it is taken from a living person by halves it is clean.

It is taught in another baraita: And to test whether blood is like water that inundates red earth, one brings fertile earth from the Beit Kerem Valley and one inundates the earth with an amount of water that rises above the earth by the thickness of the husk of garlic. And there is no required measure for the water, because there is no required measure for the earth with which the examination must be performed; it is sufficient to use a small amount of earth with a small amount of water. And one does not examine it when the water is clear, as it does not have the color of the earth, but rather when it is muddy from the earth. And if the water became clear because the earth settled, one must muddy it again. And when one muddies it he does not muddy it by hand but rather with a vessel.

A dilemma was raised before the Sages: Does the statement that one does not muddy it by hand but rather with a vessel mean that one should not put the dirt into his hand and muddy the water with dirt in his hand, but in a case where the earth is in a vessel, when one muddies it by mixing the earth and water with his hand one may well do so? Or perhaps the baraita means that even when the earth is in a vessel one should not muddy the water by mixing it with earth with his hand, but rather with a vessel?

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear a baraita: When one examines this water, he examines it only with a cup. Evidently, it is necessary to use a vessel. The Gemara rejects this proof: But you still have a dilemma. This baraita merely states that the examination must be performed while the water is in a cup, but with what is the muddying performed? Must this be done by means of a vessel alone, or may one use his hand as well? The Gemara concludes: The dilemma shall stand unresolved.

§ The Gemara relates: When people would come before Rabba bar Avuh to examine blood that is similar to water that inundates red earth, he would say to them: We learned that the examination must be conducted in its place, i.e., the location the earth was taken from. But if the earth was transported elsewhere, the examination is no longer effective. The Gemara further relates that Rabbi Ḥanina would break up a clump of earth and examine with it, without mixing it in water. Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, would curse anyone who used this method that they should be punished with diphtheria.

It is the same [if] one does one of the primary categories of forbidden work or one of the subcategories – he is liable for excision when volitional; stoning, if witnesses came [to testify about it]; and a sin-offering when inadvertent. If so, what is the difference between the primary categories and the subcategories? The only difference between them is about the matter of the sacrifice alone. As one who does many primary categories in one forgetful spell is liable a sin-offering for each and every primary category. But if he did a primary category and its subcategories in one forgetful spell, he is only liable for one sin-offering.

How is this? See that [if] he plowed, sowed and reaped on Shabbat in one forgetful spell, he is liable for three sin-offerings. And even if he did forty-less-one [primary categories] inadvertently – such as [if] he forgot that these types of work were forbidden to do on Shabbat – he is liable a sin-offering for each and every type of forbidden work. But if he ground, cut a vegetable and rubbed a strip of metal in one forgetful spell, he is only liable for one sin-offering. For he only did one primary category and its subcategories. And likewise anything that is similar to this.

One who does many types of forbidden work [that are] derivative from one type of forbidden work is only liable one sin-offering. How is this? See that [if] he sowed and planted [a tree] and grafted and pruned in one forgetful spell, he is only liable for one sin-offering. For they are all one [derivative of] one primary category. And likewise anything that is similar to this.

And the seventh principle is whole-hearted submission and lowliness. For the one who knows his Creator knows how one who transgresses His words is crooked and lowly - so he is lowered in his worth, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 15:4), "for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent." And it is [also] stated, (Job 15:16), "What then of one loathsome and foul man, who drinks wrongdoing like water"; [and] (Jeremiah 6:30), "They are called rejected silver." Therefore he will be submissive and lowly in his [own] eyes. And when King David, peace be upon him, confessed after Nathan the prophet came to him, he said at the end of his words (Psalms 51:19), "True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart" - "a contrite spirit" is a lowly spirit. From this we have learned that submission is from the principles of repentance, since this psalm is wholly founded upon the principles of repentance. And with submission, a man is acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "To the poor and brokenhearted." And it is stated about the matter of repentance, (Isaiah 57:14-15), "[The Lord] says, 'Build up, build up a highway, etc.' For thus said He who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy, 'I dwell on high, in holiness; yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit - reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite." We learn [also from here] that submission is from the principles of repentance. And likewise does the entire remainder of this section speak about penitents: "For I will not always contend, etc. For their sinful greed I was angry, etc. I see their ways, and I will heal them and I will guide them, etc." (Isaiah 57:16-18). Its explanation is, I see that their ways are [grounded] in submission, as it stated, "yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit"; and with bitter-heartedness, as it stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves"; "and I will heal them," as I will forgive his iniquity, like [in] (Hosea 14:5), "I will heal their affliction," [and in] (Isaiah 6:10), "and repent and save itself"; "and I will guide them" - I will help him to leave the sin, and give him strength against his impulse.