Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: The Lord gives Moses and Aaron detailed instructions for the people regarding which animals are clean and which animals are unclean, rules for giving birth, and also what to do if a leprous plague breaks out.
The Lord speaks to Moses and Aaron and tells them to speak to the people and tell them which animals are clean and which animals are unclean for them. Of land animals, all that have divided hooves and eat the cud are clean, such as camels and pigs (because although they have divided hooves, they do not eat the cud). Of sea animals, they must have fins and scales. Of birds, some that are considered unclean include eagles, vultures, ravens, ostriches, and owls. All flying insects are unclean, except for the locust, cricket, and grasshopper. Also, if a man touches the dead body of an animal, he must wash his clothes, and he will be considered unclean until evening. Any animal that walks on all four paws is unclean to eat, along with reptiles, mice, lizards, and the like. Even if one of these animals falls into an "earthen vessel," the vessel must be broken. If one of these animals falls into a cistern where there is a lot of water, it is okay, or if it falls on a seed in the ground, it is okay, unless there is water on the seed (it would be interesting to look into the scientific reasons behind all this.) If anyone carries the carcass of a dead animal or eats from it, he will be unclean until evening and must wash his clothes. Creepy-crawly insects are all unclean. The Lord commands Israel: "I am the Lord your God. You should therefore consecrate yourselves, for you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither should you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up ou of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
The Lord also gives Israel instructions for women giving birth. For a male child, the woman will be considered unclean for seven days, and she must circumcise the child on the eighth day, She must also undergo 33 days of purification. For a female child, she will be considered unclean for two weeks and undergo 66 days of purification. After her days of purification have ended, she must offer a burnt offering and a sin offering to the priest for atonement to be considered clean again.
The Lord also gives Israel very detailed instructions regarding outbreaks of leprosy, which all involving showing oneself to the priest for evaluation and undergoing a week of isolation if the mark or spot on the skin is discovered not to be leprous; other evaluations must take place and washings before the person is considered clean. There are also procedures that must be undertaken if a garment is found to have leprosy on it. If a person does indeed have the plague of leprosy, they must live alone outside the camp and warn others by yelling out, "Unclean! Unclean!"
Thoughts/Discussion Questions:
The Lord told Moses that he would send a plague on those who had sinned by worshipping the calf, and it appears that leprosy is the result. Sometimes, the consequences of an action remain, but God will still be with us if we turn to Him.