וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

זֹ֤את תִּֽהְיֶה֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת הַמְּצֹרָ֔ע בְּי֖וֹם טָהֳרָת֑וֹ וְהוּבָ֖א אֶל־הַכֹּהֵֽן׃

This shall be the law of the leper on the day, at the time, of his purification, his healing: He shall be brought to the priest. The leper must return to the priest, as he has the exclusive authority to deal with leprosy.

וְיָצָא֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וְרָאָה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְהִנֵּ֛ה נִרְפָּ֥א נֶֽגַע־הַצָּרַ֖עַת מִן־הַצָּרֽוּעַ׃

The priest shall go outside the camp, and the leper shall come before him for examination. And the priest shall examine, and behold, the mark of leprosy has been healed from the leper, that is, it disappeared or signs of purification appeared (see 13:13, 37).

וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְלָקַ֧ח לַמִּטַּהֵ֛ר שְׁתֵּֽי־צִפֳּרִ֥ים חַיּ֖וֹת טְהֹר֑וֹת וְעֵ֣ץ אֶ֔רֶז וּשְׁנִ֥י תוֹלַ֖עַת וְאֵזֹֽב׃

The priest shall command, and one, that is, any person, shall take for the one being purified two living, pure birds. When the Torah mentions an unspecified bird, the reference is to a sparrow or to another small, chirping bird. And cedar wood, which by tradition is a wooden beam that is not particularly large, and scarlet wool , and hyssop.

וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְשָׁחַ֖ט אֶת־הַצִּפּ֣וֹר הָאֶחָ֑ת אֶל־כְּלִי־חֶ֖רֶשׂ עַל־מַ֥יִם חַיִּֽים׃

The priest shall command, and one shall slaughter the one bird of the two, in an earthenware vessel, so that its blood will be poured over spring water that is already in the vessel.

אֶת־הַצִּפֹּ֤ר הַֽחַיָּה֙ יִקַּ֣ח אֹתָ֔הּ וְאֶת־עֵ֥ץ הָאֶ֛רֶז וְאֶת־שְׁנִ֥י הַתּוֹלַ֖עַת וְאֶת־הָאֵזֹ֑ב וְטָבַ֨ל אוֹתָ֜ם וְאֵ֣ת ׀ הַצִּפֹּ֣ר הַֽחַיָּ֗ה בְּדַם֙ הַצִּפֹּ֣ר הַשְּׁחֻטָ֔ה עַ֖ל הַמַּ֥יִם הַֽחַיִּֽים׃

The living bird, he shall take it, and separately the cedar wood, and the scarlet wool, and the hyssop bound together, and he shall dip them and the living bird, by the ends of its limbs and its tail, adjacent to its body. In this manner, the bird’s wings remain out of the blood, so that they will not adhere to its body, thereby enabling it to fly over the field at a later point. He shall dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird that is over the spring water.

וְהִזָּ֗ה עַ֧ל הַמִּטַּהֵ֛ר מִן־הַצָּרַ֖עַת שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֑ים וְטִ֣הֲר֔וֹ וְשִׁלַּ֛ח אֶת־הַצִּפֹּ֥ר הַֽחַיָּ֖ה עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃

He shall sprinkle from this mixture of the blood of the slaughtered bird and the spring water into which the aforementioned items were dipped, on the one being purified from the leprosy seven times, and he shall then be able to pronounce him pure , and shall dispatch the living bird over the field, set it free, concluding its role in this ritual. This completes the first stage of the leper’s purification, which is performed in the field, outside the camp.

וְכִבֶּס֩ הַמִּטַּהֵ֨ר אֶת־בְּגָדָ֜יו וְגִלַּ֣ח אֶת־כָּל־שְׂעָר֗וֹ וְרָחַ֤ץ בַּמַּ֙יִם֙ וְטָהֵ֔ר וְאַחַ֖ר יָב֣וֹא אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וְיָשַׁ֛ב מִח֥וּץ לְאָהֳל֖וֹ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

In the next stage, the one being purified shall wash, immerse, his garments, as they too were rendered ritually impure by his wearing them, shave all his hair, bathe, immerse in water, and be purified; and then he shall enter the camp, and shall dwell outside his tent seven days. Although he is now inside the Israelite camp, or the city, he remains somewhat in isolation, as he may not enter his house and must remain apart from his wife. According to rabbinic tradition, he renders people and vessels impure through contact.

וְהָיָה֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜י יְגַלַּ֣ח אֶת־כָּל־שְׂעָר֗וֹ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֤וֹ וְאֶת־זְקָנוֹ֙ וְאֵת֙ גַּבֹּ֣ת עֵינָ֔יו וְאֶת־כָּל־שְׂעָר֖וֹ יְגַלֵּ֑חַ וְכִבֶּ֣ס אֶת־בְּגָדָ֗יו וְרָחַ֧ץ אֶת־בְּשָׂר֛וֹ בַּמַּ֖יִם וְטָהֵֽר׃

It shall be on the seventh day; he shall again shave all his hair, his head and his beard and his eyebrows; all his hair he shall shave from his entire body, or alternatively, only from hairy places. There is an opinion that by Torah law he is required to shave only those parts of his body where the hair is visible, and by rabbinic law he must shave all his hair. And he shall wash his garments a second time, bathe his flesh in water, and be purified.

וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֗י יִקַּ֤ח שְׁנֵֽי־כְבָשִׂים֙ תְּמִימִ֔ים וְכַבְשָׂ֥ה אַחַ֛ת בַּת־שְׁנָתָ֖הּ תְּמִימָ֑ה וּשְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה עֶשְׂרֹנִ֗ים סֹ֤לֶת מִנְחָה֙ בְּלוּלָ֣ה בַשֶּׁ֔מֶן וְלֹ֥ג אֶחָ֖ד שָֽׁמֶן׃

Although the leper is ritually purified, his status is that of one who lacks atonement; he must bring the requisite offerings in order to be rendered fit to enter the Temple and partake of consecrated food. Therefore, on the eighth day he shall take two unblemished male lambs, and one unblemished ewe in its first year, and three-tenths of an ephah of high-quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering. In current measures, three-tenths of an ephah equals more than 7 L; and there is an opinion that it equals 12.8 L. And one log of oil, which according to the conventional opinion is about 0.33 L, and according to the other opinion, approximately 0.6 L.

וְהֶעֱמִ֞יד הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַֽמְטַהֵ֗ר אֵ֛ת הָאִ֥ישׁ הַמִּטַּהֵ֖ר וְאֹתָ֑ם לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃

The priest who purifies shall position the man who is being purified and them, the lambs, before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

וְלָקַ֨ח הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אֶת־הַכֶּ֣בֶשׂ הָאֶחָ֗ד וְהִקְרִ֥יב אֹת֛וֹ לְאָשָׁ֖ם וְאֶת־לֹ֣ג הַשָּׁ֑מֶן וְהֵנִ֥יף אֹתָ֛ם תְּנוּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

The priest shall take one of the lambs and present it as a guilt offering, and likewise he shall present the log of oil brought by the one who is being purified, and wave them, the living sheep with the log , as a wave offering before the Lord. If he waved each separately, he fulfills his obligation.