Leviticus 15:11-17
Whomever the man with the discharge touches before the latter immerses himself in a mikveh becomes defiled, even if the man with the discharge had already counted seven consecutive days since the discharge ceased. (In order for immersion to be valid, it is only necessary that the parts of the body exposed when the person immersing stands upright and naked, like his hands, be covered with water, but not interior skin, such as that inside the nose or mouth.) In addition, any garments that the touched person is touching or otherwise wearing while this ritual impurity is being transmitted to him also become ritually defiled. The one who was touched under these circumstances must therefore immerse both his garments and immerse himself in the water of a mikveh, after which he will remain defiled until evening, at which time he will become rid of this defilement.
As was mentioned previously, earthenware vessels only become ritually defiled when a source of defilement is present inside them, not through contact with their outer surface. This principle is true of the ritual defilement transmitted by a man with a discharge, as well, with the following exception: An earthenware vessel that the man with the discharge moves, either directly—by touching it—or indirectly, becomes ritually defiled. (If he merely touches it from the outside without moving it, however, it does not become defiled.) Like any other defiled earthenware vessel, it must be shattered in order to be rid of this defilement.
In contrast, any other—e.g., wooden—vessel that he touches becomes defiled only when he touches it, not when he moves it indirectly, but it becomes defiled even when he touches it from the outside. It must be covered by water, i.e., immersed in a mikveh, to become rid of its ritual defilement.
When the man with the discharge is rid of his discharge, i.e., the discharge has clearly ceased, he must count for himself seven consecutive days during which he remains free of the discharge. He must then immerse his garments and immerse his flesh in spring water or other flowing natural water, such as a flowing river. A mikveh of not-naturally-flowing water, such as a man-made pool, a lake, a pond, or the ocean, is not valid for the immersion of a man with this type of discharge.
After proper immersion, he will become undefiled in that he will no longer defile anyone or anything else, and he may consume terumah if he is entitled to.
If he had only two discharges before his flow ceased, he may, after immersion, consume sacrificial meat and enter the Tabernacle precincts. If, however, he had three or more discharges before his flow ceased, he may neither consume sacrificial meat nor enter the Tabernacle precincts after immersing himself until he performs the following rites:
- On the eighth day, he must take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before God, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest.
- The priest must sacrifice them, one as a sin-offering and the other as an ascent-offering, and thus the priest will effect atonement for him from his discharge, before God. He may then consume sacrificial meat and enter the Tabernacle precincts.
