Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. Leviticus 15, parasha Metzora, discusses certain oozing conditions that afflict man, resulting in his
spiritual defilement. (When the Temple stood, these conditions had even more practical ramifications.)
Abravanel understood that this topic would tend to confuse Bible students, and so he prefaces his verse-
by-verse commentary with basic remarks that will hold readers in good stead.
“And God spoke unto Moses and to Aaron saying: Speak unto the
Children of Israel and say unto them. When any man has an issue out of
his flesh, his issue is [spiritually] unclean.”
See Abravanel’s World for the entire introduction to the perplexing subject matter at hand. Indeed, the
verses discussing bodily secretions or fluids need context, as they are not a result of medical illnesses.
Our chapter also lays out the remedies for those individuals experiencing oozing or to use Torah
parlance – “an issue out of his flesh.”
Abravanel begins his preface by citing ancient medical and science books. Doctors and anatomists, he
writes, identify three stages in man’s digestive tract. The first one is his stomach, where food processing
initiates the breakdown of food. Concentrated nutrients next travel to the liver, veins, and arteries,
where they are absorbed and assimilated. Waste material and excess food intake get eliminated through
the intestines and colon, after having passed through the liver. Some waste passes through the urinary
tract. Clearly, Abravanel continues, at that late stage of digestion, no nutritional value remains from the
food originally ingested. Because it holds no value, it does not and cannot remain in a man’s body.
As a testament to God’s natural, human processes, Jewish law does not deem man’s waste product an
object that causes or triggers defilement. Obviously enough, man cannot live without regularly relieving
himself of these unwanted waste products. Thus, after a man goes to the bathroom, he need only wash
his hands and make a blessing.
When the Temple stood and the priests officiated in the holy compound, they would, of course,
throughout the day, relieve themselves. When they did, they did not become spiritually defiled, for the
reasons we have been discussing. Hence, after washing up, they continued with their service, without
having to wait until sunset, or any other remedial measures discussed in our chapter.
Until now, Abravanel only began to introduce what our chapter is NOT discussing. But what is the root
cause of the oozing about which the Torah speaks? Why are there negative connotations to man
experiencing “an issue out of his flesh?”
In a nutshell, oozing bespeaks moral misconduct. It is man’s exaggerated sexual activity, more than
anything else, that triggers spiritual defilement – a badge of shame for turpitude. To be sure, the Torah
is not taking issue with kosher spousal intimacy. It does, though, unequivocally call for curbing senseless,
animal exuberance.
