Leviticus

Leviticus 12:1-8

What is the source of impurity?  First, it is the loss of blood.  The life is in the blood.  Blood outside the body more closely resembles death.  However, there were ancient beliefs that menstrual and lochial (after childbirth) blood was associated with demonic forces.  This is found among Arabs and Romans.  It is also mentioned in the Talmud, where it says:

"If a menstruant woman passes between two [men], if it is at the beginning of her menses, she will slay one of them, and if it is at the end of her menses, she will cause strife between them."  [sited by Milgrom, J. (2004). A Continental Commentary: Leviticus: a book of ritual and ethics (p. 122). Fortress Press.]

Milgrom also says this blood was regarded as a charm.  This is also found among Rabbinic writings.

"If a woman sees a snake Ð she should take some of her hair and fingernails and throw them at it and say, 'I am menstruous."

What strange things grab onto to hold a lasting fear, from generation to generation. 

When a woman had a male child, she is unclean 7 days.  This is likened to menstrual blood because it is bright red at the beginning of her days after giving birth.  The reference to the circumcision is just a parenthetical statement not adding anything to the thought of her ritual impurity, other than the consideration that the child is considered clean.  In addition, the blood of the child from surgery did not cause uncleanness.  It is associated with life.  The mother is then no longer considered unclean, but is restricted from the sanctuary for 33 days.  

 If the child is a female, then the woman is unclean for 2 weeks similar to her customary impurity.   Again, she is then no longer unclean, but continues the blood of her purification for 66 days, restricted from the temple.  Why were the days of the female longer?  There's no indication this should be viewed as a penalty.  Some say because birth, though commanded by God, perpetuates sin in the world.  A female brought into the world brings another to perpetuate sin for the next generation.  Sin and uncleanness, though, are not the same thing.  Others suggest it is time for bonding of a woman to her daughter.  Still others hold to the idea that a female child is smaller and requires more care those first few months.

At the completion of her days for either a male or female, she was to come to the door of the tabernacle with her burnt offering and sin offering.  We see this displayed by Mary after the birth of Jesus.

²² Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." (Luke 2:22-24)

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