What Do the Jews Mean for Something to Be Clean or Unclean

"Leviticus eleven–18: A Constabulary of Performances and Ordinances, Part 2: The Clean and the Unclean," Old Attestation Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel (1980), 172–78

(fifteen-1) Introduction

The prophet Abinadi characterized the police force of Moses as being "a very strict law; … yea, a law of performances and of ordinances … to continue them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him" (Mosiah xiii:29–30). But and so he immediately added, "Just behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come" (Mosiah thirteen:31).

Past now you take studied enough of the law of Moses to understand what Abinadi meant. The law had two chief functions: to teach the people obedience so that they could progress spiritually, and to point their minds toward the ultimate source of salvation in Jesus Christ. We have seen both these functions in the commandments of the law, in the plan of the tabernacle and its furnishings, and in the sacrifices and offerings. At present we turn to the laws regarding clean and unclean things. As with the other laws, you must effort to look beyond the outward commandments and rituals for what they were meant to teach near spiritual realities.

Take, for example, the laws of clean and unclean animals. There were practical reasons for these laws related to health and sanitation. The flesh of swine is highly susceptible to trichinosis, a malady hands transmitted to man. Shellfish can develop a deadly poison if they are non killed and handled properly, and so on. But the Hebrew word for clean used in the dietary constabulary means more than just physically clean. It carries the connotation of being "clean from all pollution or defilement … and implying that purity which religion requires, and is necessary for communion with God" (Wilson, One-time Testament Word Studies, s.5. "clean, cleanse, clear," p. 78). As one Orthodox Jewish writer noted, kosher (the Hebrew discussion for what fits or meets the demands of the constabulary) means far more than just cleanliness.

"A hog could exist raised in an incubator on antibiotics, bathed daily, slaughtered in a hospital operating room, and its carcass sterilized by ultra-violet rays, without rendering kosher the pork chops that it yields. 'Unclean' in Leviticus is a ceremonial discussion. That is why the Torah says of camels and rabbits, 'They are unclean for you,' limiting the definition and the field of study to Israel. Chickens and goats, which we can eat, are scarcely cleaner by nature than eagles and lions, but the latter are in the class of the unclean." (Wouk, This Is My God, pp. 100–101.)

If the dietary code is seen both symbolically and equally part of a system of laws that covered all the customary acts of life, it becomes apparent how it served. God was using the diet every bit a education tool. People may forget or neglect prayer, play, work, or worship, but they seldom forget a meal. By voluntarily abstaining from certain foods or by cooking them in a special way, one made a daily, personal commitment to act in 1's faith. At every meal a formal selection was made, generating quiet self-discipline. Strength comes from living such a police force, vision from understanding it. Further, the law served to divide the Hebrews from their Canaanite neighbors. Each fourth dimension they got hungry they were forcibly reminded of personal identity and community bond. Indeed, they belonged to a people fix autonomously. The law therefore acted as a social musical instrument for keeping the Hebrew nation intact, a psychological instrument for preserving the identity of the individual, and a religious instrument for keeping the people in remembrance of Jehovah.

Notes and Commentary on Leviticus 11–18

(15-2) Leviticus 11. Make clean and Unclean Nutrient

Two conditions determined the cleanliness of animals. They had to exist cloven-footed (that is, the hooves had to be separated into two parts), and they had to chew their cud (see v. 3). Seafood was limited to those that had scales and fins. This requirement eliminated all shellfish, such as lobster and shrimp, and fish such as sharks and dolphins, too as other body of water creatures such equally the eel (see vv. 9–12). Birds forbidden were generally birds of prey that lived on carrion, or, equally in the example of the stork and heron, those that may have eaten other unclean creatures (run across vv. thirteen–20). The ossifrage is idea to be a species of vulture, as is the gier eagle. Well-nigh flight insects were also forbidden. The phrase "going upon all 4" (see five. 21) indicates insects that take four short legs and two long legs used for hopping. Of these, iv are suitable for food. All are members of the locust family.

Cattle used in sacrifices

(xv-3) Leviticus 11:24, 31. Why Did Contact with a Dead Body Cause 1 to Be Unclean?

The law specified that contact with the carcass of an unclean animal (or a make clean animal that had died in some way other than by proper slaughter) caused one to be unclean. "The human corpse was the most defiling co-ordinate to Old Testament regulations. In all probability it epitomized for the people of God the full gravity and ultimate consequences of sin." (Douglas, New Bible Dictionary, s.v. "clean and unclean," p. 239.) That the unclean person was barred from temple service and fellowship with other Israelites seems to bear out this assumption. The symbolism suggests that contact with sin leaves one tainted, and from this taint there had to be a flow of cleansing. This period was symbolized past the restrictions placed on the individual "until the even" (v. 24), at which time the new Israelite day began.

(15-4) Leviticus 12–xv. Further Laws for Dealing with Uncleanness

This section of the Levitical law deals with aspects of what could exist called uncleanness in the flesh due to infections or secretions of the body, including the expulsion of fluids associated with birth (run across 12:1–8), sores or skin infections found with such maladies every bit leprosy and boils (encounter thirteen), running infections (run into 15:i–fifteen), the "seed of copulation" (15:16–18), and menstrual fluids (see 15:19–33).

This part of the law raises some questions in the minds of many readers. The well-nigh obvious question is, Why should natural bodily functions return one unclean? Commencement, unclean in the Mosaic sense did non suggest something disgusting or filthy, nor did it imply that the torso or the natural functions of the torso, such as childbirth or sexual relations, were inherently evil. "The term unclean in this and the post-obit cases, is generally understood in a mere legal sense, the rendering a person unfit for sacred ordinances" (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:559). This point is very important to understanding the Lord's revelations on these matters. The ordinances of the Mosaic law were all designed to symbolize spiritual truths. The more than nearly one approached perfection in the operation of the law, the more closely ane approached the true symbolic meaning of the ordinance. The physical trunk and its natural functions remind 1 that he is of the earth, of the physical. Therefore, to say that a human or woman was unclean (that is, not to perform sacred ordinances) at certain times was to suggest to the listen that the natural man must be put aside in guild to approach God.

There was a similar teaching in the requirements for the high priest (see Reading 16-9). Any person with a concrete handicap was barred from being the high priest (run into Leviticus 21:17–21). God does not view such persons as spiritually junior. Rather, this requirement was a education device. The loftier priest was a blazon of Christ, the Keen High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14), and the requirement for concrete wholeness was to typify Christ's perfection. The laws of natural uncleanness should be viewed in a similar light.

There were certain practical or sanitary aspects of these laws too. The strict rules about contact with an infected person or objects with which he had come in contact take modern hygienic parallels. One commentator summed up both aspects in this way:

"In Canaan, prostitution and fertility rites were all mixed upwards with worship. In Israel, by abrupt contrast, anything suggesting the sexual or sensual is strictly banned from the worship of God. … The intention is non to write off this side of life as 'dirty', equally is obviously elsewhere in Scripture. The purpose is to ensure its separation from the worship of God. The rule of strict cleanliness in all sexual matters was also a positive safeguard to health." (Alexander and Alexander, Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible, p. 176.)

(15-five) Leviticus 12:5–6. Why Was the Flow of Uncleanness Longer When a Female Child Was Born?

Many things in the Mosaic police are puzzling at first just become articulate and understandable upon further investigation. This question, however, is one that seems to have no key now for its correct estimation. An obvious implication, quickly taken upwards by some modern critics, is that this rule is a reflection of the inferior status of women anciently, a status which they regard as supported past the law. This decision is fallacious for 2 reasons. Commencement, elsewhere in the police force and the Old Testament, there is evidence that women had high condition and their rights were protected. In fact, "women announced to take enjoyed considerably more liberty amid the Jews than is now allowed them in western asia" (Fallows, Bible Encyclopedia, s.v. "adult female," 3:1733; this reference includes numerous scriptural references in back up of this statement; run into also Hastings, ed., Dictionary of the Bible, s.v. "woman," pp. 976–77). 2nd, these laws were non the product of men's attitudes but were directly revelation from the Lord. God does non view women as inferior in any fashion, although the roles of men and women are dissimilar. Speculation on why the Lord revealed different requirements for ceremonial purifying later on the birth of male and female children is pointless until farther revelation is received on the thing.

(15-vi) Leviticus xiii. What Is Meant by Leprosy?

The Hebrew root tzarah, which is translated into the English words leper and leprosy, means "to smite heavily, to strike," because a leprous person was thought to have been "smitten, scourged of God" (encounter Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies, s.v. "leper," pp. 248–49). Although information technology included modern leprosy (Hansen'southward illness), leprosy as well seems to have designated a wide range of diseases and even such concrete decay as mildew or dry rot. The common characteristic seems to exist decay and putrefaction, and thus leprosy became a type or a symbol of sin or the sinful human.

Classical leprosy was a dreaded illness that required exile from society and isolation (run into Leviticus 13:45).

"When a man has the mark of leprosy, he must go about like a mourner, i.e., he must tear his clothes, leave his pilus unkempt, and cover his mustache; and he must be segregated from ordinary human gild.

"The disease popularly known as 'leprosy' may take ii forms known respectively as 'tubercular' and 'anesthetic.' The tubercular form manifests itself first by reddish patches in which dark tubercles are afterward found; as the illness develops there occurs a swelling and distortion of the face and limbs. Anesthetic leprosy affects primarily the nerve trunks, particularly of the extremities. They become numb and ultimately lose their vitality. Nosotros may ask whether the various forms of leprosy are covered and intended in this chapter of Leviticus. A certain reply cannot be offered. A modern doctor would not diagnose leprosy on the symptoms given hither. Information technology seems likely that many pare diseases, some of them of relatively piddling importance, were chosen leprosy. It may exist argued, on the other side, that nosotros are here given simply the very earliest symptoms for which the priest must be on the warning, and further, that since leprosy (in our sense) was almost certainly known in Palestine in biblical times and was pre-eminently a disease that would render a human 'unclean,' it must accept been meant here, though other skin diseases are as well included nether the aforementioned proper noun.

"Certainly the priests were using sound scientific measures in isolating adults who developed chronic pare diseases that might be transmitted to others. Isolation was the very best method for prevention of the spread of contagion. Furthermore, it is clear that if the individual recovered later—and thus had had some mild recoverable skin affliction—and then he could be declared cured, and in due time could return to his family and friends." (Buttrick, Interpreter's Bible, two:66–67.)

(fifteen-seven) Leviticus fourteen. The Cleansing of a Leper

"In Leviticus 14 we accept a detailed clarification of the ritual that was to take place when a person's leprosy had been healed. Because of the nature of the ritual, many people take seen it every bit a primitive, superstitious, and abhorrent rite which supports the notion that the Israelites were archaic and superstitious pagans. However, when one applies the guidelines for interpreting symbols as given to a higher place, he finds that the ritual is a beautiful representation of gospel truths. Merely i must first sympathize the true significant of the various symbolisms used in the rite. These include the following:

"1. The leper. Leprosy in its various forms was a disease that involved decay and putrefaction of the living torso; also, because of its loathsomeness, it required the person to be ostracized and cutting off from any fellowship with the remainder of the house of State of israel. Because of these characteristics, leprosy was seen as an appropriate type or symbol of what happens to a man spiritually when he sins. Sin introduces decay and corruption into the spiritual realm similar to what leprosy does in the physical realm. Also, a sinful person was cut off from a fellowship with spiritual State of israel and could not exist a part of the Lord'due south true covenant people. Then the leper himself provided a blazon or similitude of what King Benjamin called the 'natural man.' (Run into Mosiah 3:19.)

"ii. The priest. The priest served as the official representative of the Lord, and he was authorized to cleanse the leper and bring him back into full fellowship.

"iii. The birds. Equally the just living objects used in the ritual, the birds symbolized the candidate. Because of the 2 truths to exist taught, two birds were required. The offset bird was killed by the shedding of its claret, signifying that the leper (the natural human being) had to give up his life. The second bird, after being bound together with other symbols, was released. This signified that the man had been freed from the bondage of sin.

"4. The cedar forest. The woods from cedar trees is still used today because of its power to preserve surrounding objects from decay and corruption. So the cedar tree symbolized preservation from disuse.

"five. The scarlet wool. The word cherry (Leviticus xiv:4) really meant a slice of wool dyed a bright blood-red. Red reminds united states of america of blood, which is the symbol of life and also of atonement. (Meet Leviticus 17:xi.)

"6. The hyssop. Though we are non certain exactly why, nosotros do know that in the Old Testament times the herb hyssop carried with it the symbolism of purification. (Run across Exodus 12:22; Psalm 51:7; Hebrews 9:nineteen.)

Hyssop

"vii. The bowl of water. Detect that the claret of the bird was mixed with the h2o. In Moses 6:59 nosotros larn that blood and water are the symbols of birth, both physical and spiritual. Also, we know that the place of spiritual rebirth, the baptismal font, is a symbol of the place where the natural man is put to expiry. (Run into Romans 6:1–6; D&C 128:12–13.) Over the basin of water the first bird was killed, symbolizing the death of the natural man and the eventual rebirth of the spiritually innocent person.

"8. The washing of the leper. This clearly was a symbol of cleansing.

"9. The shaving of the hair. One cannot assistance simply notation that the shaving of the hair of the body (even to include the eyebrows) would bring a person into a land of appearance very much like that of a newborn babe, who is typically virtually without hair. Thus, later going through the process of rebirth symbolically, the candidate graphically demonstrated on his own person that he was newborn spiritually.

"ten. The sacrifice of the lamb. The typology is articulate, since the lamb offered had to exist the firstborn male without spot or blemish. It symbolized the offering of the Son of God.

"11. The smearing of the blood on the parts of the body. In Hebrew the give-and-take which is usually translated 'atonement' literally means 'to cover.' Thus, when the priest touched something with the blood, his action suggested the sanctification of or atonement fabricated for that thing. In this case we find the claret of the lamb sanctifying the organ of hearing or obedience (the ear), the organ of activity (the hand), and the organ of following or walking in the proper way (the foot). Thus, every attribute of the person'due south life was touched and affected past the amende of Christ.

"12. The oil. 'The olive tree from the primeval times has been the emblem of peace and purity' (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Conservancy, 3 vols., comp. Bruce R. McConkie [1954–56], 3:180). For this reason, and likewise because the olive oil was a symbol of the Holy Ghost (for example, encounter D&C 45:55–57) the oil has deep symbolic significance. To touch with oil suggested the consequence of the Spirit on the same organs of living and interim. Thus, the blood of Christ cleansed every attribute of the candidate's life, and so the process was repeated with the oil to evidence that the Spirit too affected everything he did. In this manner, the person received peace and purity (symbolized by the olive tree and its fruit)." (Lund, "Erstwhile Testament Types and Symbols," Symposium, 184–86.)

(xv-8) Leviticus sixteen. The Twenty-four hours of Atonement and Israel's Forgiveness

"The Twenty-four hours of Atonement, which took place in the fall of the twelvemonth, was the about sacred and solemn of all the Israelite festivals. In information technology nosotros most conspicuously see the typology or symbolism of Christ's work for Israel. It was a day of national fasting and 1 that signified that the sins of Israel had been atoned for and that the nation and its people were restored to a country of fellowship with God. The feast included the following major items (see Leviticus sixteen where the details are given):

The high priest had to go through meticulous preparation to be worthy to act equally the officiator for the rest of the house of Israel. This included sacrifices for himself and his business firm, also equally washing and purification through the sprinkling of sacrificial blood on various objects in the tabernacle.
The high priest put off the official robes he normally wore and clothed himself in simple, white linen garments. (Encounter Revelation 19:8 for the significance of white linen garments.)
Two goats were chosen by lot. One was designated as the caprine animal of the Lord, and ane was designated as the scapegoat, or in Hebrew, the goat of Azazel. The caprine animal of Jehovah was offered as a sin offer, and the loftier priest took its blood into the holy of holies of the tabernacle and sprinkled it on the lid of the ark of the covenant (called the 'mercy seat'), thus making amende for the sins of Israel.
The other goat, Azazel, was brought before the loftier priest, who laid his easily upon its head and symbolically transferred all of the sins of Israel to it. And then it was taken out into the wilderness and released where it would never be seen again. 1 commentator explained the significance of Azazel by saying that it represented 'the devil himself, the caput of the fallen angels, who was later chosen Satan; for no subordinate evil spirit could have been placed in antithesis to Jehovah as Azazel is here, just simply the ruler or caput of the kingdom of demons.' (C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Sometime Testament, bk. 1: The Pentateuch, 'The Third Volume of Moses,' 10 bks. [north.d.], p. 398.)

"… The volume of Hebrews [draws] heavily on the typology of the 24-hour interval of Atonement to teach the mission of Christ. In that epistle he made the following points:

Christ is the dandy high priest (Hebrews 3:i) who, unlike the high priest of the Aaronic Priesthood, was holy and without spot and did non need to make atonement for his own sins before he could be worthy to officiate for Israel and enter the holy of holies (Hebrews 7:26–27). His perfect life was the ultimate fulfillment of the symbol of wearing white garments.
The true tabernacle (or temple, or firm of the Lord) is in heaven, and the earthly tabernacle fabricated by Moses was to serve as a shadow or blazon of the heavenly ane. (See Hebrews eight:2–5; 9:ane–9.)
Christ is the Lamb of Jehovah as well as the High Priest. Through the shedding of his blood he became capable of entering the heavenly Holy of Holies where he offered his own blood as payment for the sins of those who would believe in him and obey his commandments. (See Hebrews 9:11–14, 24–28; 10:11–22; D&C 45:iii–v.)" (Lund, "Old Testament Types and Symbols," Symposium, 187–88.)

Notwithstanding the symbolic significance of the ritual of this holy twenty-four hours, the ritual did have the power to bring well-nigh a forgiveness of Israel'south sins. Elder James E. Talmage said:

"The sacred writings of ancient times, the inspired utterances of latter-day prophets, the traditions of mankind, the rites of cede, and fifty-fifty the sacrileges of infidel idolatries, all involve the idea of vicarious amende. God has never refused to accept an offering made past one who is authorized on behalf of those who are in any way incapable of doing the required service themselves. The scapegoat and the altar victim of ancient State of israel, if offered with repentance and contrition, were accepted by the Lord in mitigation of the sins of the people." (Manufactures of Faith, p. 77; emphasis added.)

Wild goat of the Sinai

(15-nine) Leviticus 17:1–7. Why Did the Israelites Accept to Slay All Domestic Animals, Even Those Intended Only for Food, at the Tabernacle Altar?

"As sacrifice was ever deemed essential to true religion, information technology was necessary that it should be performed in such a manner as to secure the great purpose of its institution. God solitary could prove how this should be done then as to be pleasing in his sight, and therefore he has given the virtually apparently and particular directions concerning it. The Israelites, from their long residence in Egypt, an idolatrous country, had doubtless adopted many of their usages; and many portions of the Pentateuch seem to have been written merely to correct and bring them back to the purity of the Divine worship.

"That no blood should be offered to idols, God commands every animal used for food or sacrifice to be slain at the door of the tabernacle. While every brute was slain in this sacrificial style, even the daily nutrient of the people must put them in mind of the necessity of a sacrifice for sin. Perhaps St. Paul had this circumstance in view when he said, Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye practice, practise all to the glory of God [1 Corinthians 10:31]; and, Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the proper name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Male parent past him [Colossians 3:17].

"While the Israelites were encamped in the wilderness, information technology was comparatively easy to forbid all abuses of this Divine institution; and therefore they were all allowable to bring the oxen, sheep, and goats to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, that they might be slain there, and their blood sprinkled upon the altar of the Lord. But when they became settled in the promised country, and the distance, in many cases, rendered it impossible for them to bring the animals to exist slain for domestic uses to the temple, they were permitted to pour out the claret in a sacrificial way unto God at their respective dwellings, and to comprehend it with the grit [encounter Leviticus 17:thirteen; Deuteronomy 12:20–21]." (Clarke, Bible Commentary, one:566–67.)

(15-10) Leviticus 17:vii. "After Whom They Have Gone a Whoring"

The concept that State of israel went "a whoring" after false gods is a common one in the scriptures and continues the metaphor that Jehovah was the husband to whom Israel was married. Isaiah said, "For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name" (Isaiah 54:5). When Israel looked to fake gods, she was unfaithful to the marriage human relationship she had with the true God, and thus was depicted equally playing the function of a prostitute.

Jeremiah wrote: "Hast k seen that which recidivism Israel hath washed? she is gone upward upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and in that location hath played the harlot. … And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a nib of divorce; all the same her treacherous sis Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to laissez passer through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks." (Jeremiah iii:6, 8–nine.)

In New Attestation times, the aforementioned figurative imagery was used when the Church building of Jesus Christ was depicted as the helpmate of Christ (see 2 Corinthians xi:2; Revelation 19:7–8; 21:ii, 9).

So, in the scriptures, idolatry was often depicted as spiritual infidelity. I Bible scholar added this insight to the phrase "gone a whoring":

"Though this term is frequently used to express idolatry, yet we are not to suppose that it is not to be taken in a literal sense in many places in Scripture, even where it is used in connexion with idolatrous acts of worship. It is well known that Baal Peor and Ashtaroth were worshipped with unclean rites; and that public prostitution formed a 1000 part of the worship of many deities amid the Egyptians, Moabites, Canaanites, Greeks, and Romans." (Clarke, Bible Commentary, ane:567.)

(fifteen-11) Leviticus 18. Purity in All Sexual Relationships

"The prohibition of incest and similar sensual abominations is introduced with a general warning as to the licentious community of the Egyptians and Canaanites, and an exhortation to walk in the judgments and ordinances of Jehovah [Leviticus 18:2–v], and is brought to a close with a threatening allusion to the consequences of all such defilements [vv. 24–xxx]." (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:2:411–12.)

The phrase "to uncover their nakedness" (v. 6; come across also vv. 7–nineteen) was a Hebrew euphemism for sexual intercourse, and thus all kinds of incestuous relationships were forbidden, including "(ane) with a mother, (2) with a step-mother, (3) with a sister or one-half-sister, (4) with a granddaughter, the girl of either son or daughter, (5) with the girl of a step-mother, (6) with an aunt, the sister of either father or female parent, (7) with the wife of an uncle on the father's side, (eight) with a daughter-in-law, (nine) with a sis-in-law, or brother's wife, (ten) with a adult female and her girl, or a woman and her granddaughter, and (11) with two sisters at the aforementioned fourth dimension" (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:2:412).

The injunction against letting whatsoever children "pass through the burn down to Molech" (v. 21) is explained:

"The name of this idol is mentioned for the first time in this place. As the give-and-take molech or melech signifies king or governor, information technology is very likely that this idol represented the sun; and more peculiarly equally the fire appears to accept been so much employed in his worship. There are several opinions apropos the meaning of passing through the burn down to Molech. 1. Some recall that the semen humanum was offered on the fire to this idol. 2. Others call up that the children were actually fabricated a burnt-offering to him. iii. But others suppose the children were not burnt, merely merely passed through the burn, or betwixt two fires, by way of consecration to him. That some were actually burnt alive to this idol several scriptures, according to the opinion of commentators, seem strongly to intimate; run into among others [Psalm 100:38; Jeremiah 7:31; Ezekiel 23:37–39]. That others were only consecrated to his service by passing betwixt two fires the rabbins strongly affirm; and if Ahaz had but ane son, Hezekiah,(though it is probable he had others, encounter [2 Chronicles 28:three]) he is said to have passed through the fire to Molech [two Kings 16:3], yet he succeeded his father in the kingdom [2 Kings eighteen:1], therefore this could only exist a consecration, his idolatrous father intending thereby to initiate him early into the service of this demon." (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:570–71.)

Other abominations involving sexual perversions such as homosexuality (Leviticus eighteen:22) and bestiality (Leviticus 18:23) were forbidden with equal severity. These very abominations of the Canaanites caused them to be cast out of the promised land State of israel was about to inherit (see Leviticus 18:24–25; 1 Nephi 17:32–35).

Points to Ponder

(xv-12) What appears at commencement to be just a serial of outdated laws given equally part of the Mosaic covenant on uncleanness upon closer examination carries a powerful bulletin to Saints of all ages. If we are to be God's people, nosotros must go unlike from other peoples. We must be prepare apart, or separated, from the influences of the earth. To aboriginal Israel God gave commandments not only to assistance them remain physically and spiritually clean just besides to help them learn of and remember Him. Now, with an understanding of how that law served to strengthen them, write a short paper entitled "The Value of the Mosaic Law for a Latter-day Saint." Assume that God had given modern Israel a preparatory gospel today, instead of the fulness of the gospel that He has given u.s.. In other words, suppose it was today's society that was non gear up for the full gospel police force just instead received a law of strict "performances and of ordinances" (Mosiah 13:30) related to our modern culture and life-fashion. The following points or questions may assistance stimulate your thinking as yous write this paper.

In the higher gospel law, broad principles are laid down and the people interpret and apply these principles to their daily living. In the Mosaic law, specific principles and interpretations were given that related to the bodily culture and daily life of the people involved.
What specifics would God give today in terms of remaining morally clean? We know the wide principles—go along the law of chastity, stay morally clean, and and then on—simply what specifics would God give to a Mosaic society today? Would there exist commandments about music? entertainment? literature?
What modern equivalents of Molech would God warn us about?
What kinds of things in modern order could add to a country of "spiritual leprosy"? Are in that location modern equivalents to clean and unclean objects?

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Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-genesis-2-samuel/leviticus-11-18-a-law-of-performances-and-ordinances-part-2-the-clean-and-the-unclean?lang=eng