Maybe it’s just our society, but we take privacy very seriously. You see it all around us: Privacy laws, privacy protection, security cameras, virtual private networks (VPNs), and more. We love to know we’re protected.
As a Jew in ancient Israel, you had no such privacy.
Just think about all the unclean laws in Leviticus 15. If a man had an unclean discharge, that man was obligated to spend time “outside the camp.” According to Leviticus 15:13, that isolation was for seven full days after his cleansing. That’s a long time to deal with a UTI all by yourself.
But think about all the other implications. Whatever bed you slept on becomes unclean (Leviticus 15:4). Whatever chair you sat on is unclean (Leviticus 15:6). Whoever touches you was unclean (Leviticus 15:7). Whoever you spit on is unclean (Leviticus 15:8).
(The person that is spit on should probably unclean anyways because it’s yucky, but Leviticus 15 defines the ritualistic stance of that person regardless.)
This may seem extreme to us, but think about the reality of this situation. If you have an “abnormal discharge,” you are not only required to handle it yourself via isolation, but disclose it to anyone you might come into contact with. Why? So they can make sure they stay ritually pure as well.
I don’t know any church that operates like this. No group that I’ve ever heard of requires their members to disclose relevant medical history for the purpose of keeping their worship ritualistically pure, and yet that’s exactly what’s implied here. If you have a discharge, you have to let others know!
Perhaps there’s a deeper meaning behind this, such as bearing witness to the omniscience of God. Since God knows everything already, we should just live as if our private lives are an open book for everyone else.
Or maybe it’s showing us that we should be more open with others than we are currently. Even if we don’t talk to other people about our regular medical checkups, we should still be more comfortable talking about our daily struggles.
At the end of the day, this section is eminently practical—arguably more practical when it comes to everyday situations than other chapters. If it’s uncomfortable to read, maybe that’s just because we value privacy more than we should?
