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Leprosy is surely, not one of the most frequently discussed topics, because it is a plague with sores, fluids, blood and parts of the body that rot away. Leprosy is linked to linen and wool and we will look at each of these individually, to find out what it really means. Before we do this, we need to get a basic background on Leprosy and see where it came from, so that we can fully understand its relation to linen and wool.


Ritually Unclean

We live in an impure world and in a state of ritual uncleanness. By this I mean that our whole essence as fallen man cause us to do things that are normal to us, but unclean to YHVH. Things like being born cause the mother to become unclean, because of the blood during the birth process. The blood defiled her and she had to go through ritual cleaning to be able to enter the Temple again. This is what happened with Mary after Y'shua's birth, she had to bring a purification offering before entering the Temple. We bring uncleanness to ourselves by our normal way of living and through the normal way our bodies work. For instance, after a woman had her monthly cycle, she had to be cleansed, after a man had an emission, he had to be cleansed. Why is it that normal things in life make us unclean?

It has to do with death. Everything that is connected to death is unclean. Adam sinned and brought death into the world. Man inherited death, which causes him to sin. We did not inherit sin, but we inherited death. Death is associated with the spilling of blood and everything that is wasted or spilled or emitted that had life in it, cause the person who is in contact with it, to become in contact with "death". This makes that person unclean. The egg is meant for life, and when emitted, causes death. The sperm is a source of life and contains new life, when emitted, it dies and the man is in contact with death, thus making him unclean.

We cannot help it being this way, YHVH made us perfect, but through death entering this world, it caused man to live in this lower state of death or separation and imperfection. It is blood that causes man to become unclean and only blood can make man clean again. Why do blood cause uncleanness but blood can make you clean again? It is the source of the blood that determines if it is causing uncleanness or cleanness. Life is in the blood, and when blood leaves its life source, it causes uncleanness. If the source is unclean it brings uncleanness, when the source is clean, it brings cleansing.

Man and unclean animals are unclean living things. Man is unclean because of death that entered the world. Unclean animals are unclean because YHVH said so. Man without sin (Y'shua), and all clean animals are clean living things. It is only through the blood of an innocent clean animal that a unclean person could be made clean again. Why do the blood of animals take uncleanness (death) away from man? In Genesis it is said that YHVH created all animals, all having living ‘souls’ or “nephesh” in them. He created man by breathing (nashamah) into his nostrils, and he became a living ‘soul’ or “nephesh”. The word “nashamah” is word that also means ‘soul’. This means that man’s soul consists of two parts, a physical (nephesh) and a spiritual (nashamah). After the fall of man, sin came into the world, and man lost his “nashamah” and the ability to be in contact with YHVH constantly. This caused him to fall to a lower state of life, similar to that of animals, having only a fleshly physical soul. This is the reason that the blood of animals can make man clean after being in contact with death (sin).

As I mentioned previously, only a clean animal or a Man without sin could make a unclean person clean again, thus only the Blood of Y’shua (Man without sin) can make man clean again. It is through the work of the Messiah that YHVH had restored man’s “nashamah” by receiving YHVH’s Spirit (Ruach or breath) again. We call this process to be born again. Being in this new state of life, having His Spirit, and restored “nashamah” (spiritual soul), made you clean from sin, but your “nephesh” (physical soul) is still trapped in this fallen and cursed world and you are in contact with ‘unsaved’ unclean people. Care should be taken that you do not defile your “nashamah” through the lusts of the “nephesh”. This is an ongoing battle that will only stop when your body will also be restored to a higher state. (Read the Two Enemies). Amalek that was waiting in the wilderness represented this enemy, to attack YHVH’s people on their way to the Promise Land.

Where did Leprosy come from?

Leprosy was known from the time of the Tabernacle, when YHVH dwelled among the Israelites. Before then, there was no record of it on the earth. It is taught by the Sages (teachers), that leprosy came about through unrighteous living, especially sin committed by the tongue. The first occurrence was when Miriam, the sister of Aaron, spoke against Moses, and was struck with leprosy. The word ‘to speak’ is “dawbar” and also means ‘plague’ or ’pestilence’. This is precisely what happened to her, the plague of leprosy came upon her when she slandered Moses, speaking plague. Read Ps 12: Your words are like silver and you should think seven times before speaking one word to make sure that you will only speak the words of YHVH.



Think for a moment, imagine if sin was visible, and each time you do something wrong, it appears on your skin. What if every sin you do, show visibly on your skin, for all to see? If you try to cover it with clothes, it just appears through the clothes. If you hide in your house, it shows through the walls for all on the outside to see. Imagine that there is nowhere to hide it. This is what leprosy actually is; a visible skin disease that reflects the sinfulness on man’s inside. It is a supernatural manifestation of sin in people’s lives.

Linen and Wool and Leprosy?

Linen and Wool is a topic that comes up in one of the requirements for clothes. YHVH instructed His people in the Torah not to wear clothes with linen and wool mixed or interweaved.

Lev 19:19
(19) You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with different kinds. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed. And you shall not allow clothing mixed of linen and wool to come on you.

What does this mean and what does YHVH want us to be reminded of by obeying this commandment? We will look at the Scripture and try to see what lies beneath the surface. Wool and Linen both are first used in Scripture in Lev 13:47.

Lev 13:47
(47) And if there is any garment that has the plague of leprosy in it, in a wool garment or a linen garment,

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