From: Rabbi Edward Nydle
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Niddah: It's in the Blood

B'nai Avraham Messianic Congregation
Member of Union of Two House Messianic Congregations

Niddah: " It's in the Blood"

" And when a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her flesh is
blood, she has to be in her separation for seven days. And whoever touches
her is unclean until evening." Wayyiqra 15:19

In the last issue of "KOL SHOFAR" we expounded upon the Torah of "kashrut"
and the need for ALL Yisrael to abstain from eating blood, things strangled,
and unclean food. We wrote how Ephraim has a "blood problem" and seems to
have a problem keeping the chukim (Torah commands that seem not to have any
logical reason behind them) that deal with blood (dam). We know Ephraim does
not want to accept the "blood" commands in the Torah as they seem to have a
mental "block" when it comes to understanding the purposes and meanings of
these mitzvot.

The Taharot HaMishpacheh: Laws of Family Purity

The Taharot HaMishpacheh is an euphemism for those laws in the Torah that
prohibit sexual relations each month during the woman's menses; the entire
period that also involves immersion in a ritual pool (mikvah). There are two
words that summon up all these laws-niddah and mikvah. These are the most
private and secretive laws that govern the life of the Yisraelite, and also
the most difficult to explain and talk about. Ephraim basically knows
nothing of these laws, therefore we need to explain them in detail as they
are still binding upon ALL Yisrael and should be practiced by the Torah
observant Yisraelite. Let us look at some more verses before we begin the
study:

"And do not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness (a Hebraic way of
saying to have sexual relations) in her monthly separation of uncleanness."
Wayyiqra 18:19

"And a man who lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her
nakedness: he has laid bare her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her
blood, both of them shall be cut off from the midst of their people."
Wayyiqra 20:18

 Separation - # 5079 NIDDAH from #5074 -rejection, impurity,
personal (menstruation) or moral (idolatry or incest)-filthiness, cast out,
drive away, put apart, withdraw, and go away. #5074- NADAD to wave to and
fro (flap up and down). rove, flee, to drive away, wander, thrust away.

Notice the punishment for BOTH were to be karet (cut off) from their
people, or to be spiritually cut off from Yahweh. So, we can see that Abba
takes His Torah of Family Purity very seriously, as we should also.

There are two contexts of this law- in a list of ritual impurities and in
the listing of forbidden sexual unions. There is a distinction between
impurity and forbidden unions. More on that later.

The Scriptures require a MINIMUM of seven days of total abstinence from
relations, beginning with the onset of the flow and the purification in the
mikvah. The rabbis extended this to at least twelve days- five days for the
flow and seven "white"(levanim) days following the end of the flow. There is
to be no physical contact during this period that might lead to any type of
relations. This prohibition therefore protects the man and woman from any
sexual temptations by intimate touching. After the end of the seventh "white
day", the woman then immerses herself in a mikvah or ritual bath to purify
herself. She undergoes a change of status- from niddah to ritually pure or
clean.

For a woman that has given birth (see Wayyiqra 12)-and is considered
niddah- the procedures are very similar, however the count of the days for
the flow of blood is different, and the period of niddah is different with
the birth of a male or female child.

 " Family purity is a system predicated on the woman's monthly
cycle. From the onset of menstruation and for seven days after it end, until
the woman immerses in the mikveh, husband and wife may not engage in sexual
relations. To avoid violation of this law, the couple should curtail their
indulgence in the actions they find arousing.they should put a check on
direct physical contact and refrain from manifestations of affection such as
petting, necking, caressing, and the like. The technical term for a woman in
this state is niddah (literal meaning: to be separated). The seven-day
transition period, known as clean or white days, begins only after the woman
has determined the complete cessation of her menses of a simple internal
examination. The examination should be carried out before sunset of the day
her period ends, provided there has been a minimum of five days from the
onset of menstruation. (Even if a woman's period lasts less than five days
she must still wait a minimum of five days from its onset before examining
herself.) If her bleeding ceases after nightfall, she waits until the
afternoon of the next day to examine herself and begin her week long
count...Exactly a week from when the woman has established the cessation of
her flow, barring any staining or spotting, she visits the mikveh..
Immersion in the mikveh is the culmination of the Taharot HaMishpacheh
discipline." Total Immersion pages xxvi-xxvii

Remember that this mitzvah is a chok -or one that does not seem to have
any logical meaning behind it. This is why Ephraim struggles with this
particular command, as it seems to go against all the sexual mores of modern
society and the teachings they have received in the "church system". Very
few Messianic rabbis will teach on this subject either.

We accept this command just as we accept the whole "yoke of commandments"
as recited in the Sh'ema twice daily. The purpose of the commands are to
have us as Yisrael become an AM KODESH or set-apart people. Yahweh is
looking for a Dwelling Place where His Shekinah can dwell. One of the
purposes of the various mitzvot is to elevate us to a certain level of
set-apartness in our individual lives and corporately as a people. Yahweh
wants to set-apart very aspect of our lives- from our table to the bedroom.
Everything we do is connected to a spiritual TRUTH, as there is no such
thing as dividing our lives into spiritual and secular in the Hebraic mind.
You cannot separate every action from the effect it may have on your soul.
Physical acts do effect the purity or cleanness of the soul.

Blessings to the Marriage

The rabbis teach that a man should love his wife more than himself (see
Ephesians 5:25-33). The sages also say that the husband wife relationship is
a union conceived in heaven, the highest form of interpersonal love. The
observance of this halachot is a guarantee from Yahweh to strengthen a
marriage within the nation of Yisrael.It also creates a set-apartness
(holiness) in the marriage relationship. It becomes a set-apart union.

By observing this law of niddah and mikvah the Yisraelite woman is making
a connection to her purpose (to be kedushim) and her past heritage as a
Yisraelite. Her purpose is to be set-apart as a Yisraelite woman and this
practice then brings the past into the present by its observance. It is
making connection to Yahweh, the Elohim of Yisrael.

This law also teaches both the husband and wife that marriage is more than
just a sexual union. When properly observed we learn that true LOVE is more
than a physical attraction and bonding. It causes the couple to explore and
discover new techniques of communication other than touch to express the
peaks of their emotions. This may be a thoughtful word, glance, or gesture.
Therefore the Yisraelite woman is elevated above the world's concept of a
sexual object.

It is actually a monthly renewal or rejuvenation of the marriage. The
couple can experience the excitement and anticipation of the honeymoon on a
monthly basis or cycle. It could be said that the Yisraelite couple that
practices this mitzvah is the ultimate romantics-they get to honeymoon
twelve times a year. The man-woman relationship thrives on the model or
pattern of separation and return. The Torah teaches us that Adam and Chawah
in their original form were created ONE being. Subsequently, Yahweh
separated them, thus granting them independence on one hand and the
possibility of a chosen reunion or joining on the other. This mitzvah system
of niddah gives the couple this dynamic pattern in their marriage, as they
separate and then become ECHAD once again.

This also stops the use of sex as a manipulation of the other partner in
the marriage. The time they can come back together is when they are both at
their peak; therefore they both can cherish and savor the time of renewing
the relations.

The concept of the "forbidden fruit" or "stolen waters taste sweeter"
satisfies the urge for extramarital affairs. The idea that one's spouse is
"off limits or forbidden" adds to the concept of seeing your partner in a
new way every month. There is an enhanced appreciation for each other.

The Law of Family Purity also has a positive effect on the sexual
relationship by keeping freshness to that relationship and synchronizing the
needs and desires of both partners. It brings a set-apart rhythm into the
life of the couple and to human sexuality.

The Taharot HaMishpacheh is all about total commitment to something and
someone beyond oneself and ones own needs, commitment to the other person
and not taking that set-apart relationship for granted. It is a commitment
to the longevity and continuity of the union.

The period of niddah allows the woman time alone to think and examine
herself with great introspection. They realize they have autonomy over their
bodies, and over the sexual relationship they share with their husband. This
may impart to every woman great strength, peace, and comfort knowing they
cannot be had at every whim of their spouse.

There are other benefits to this law. Among Orthodox Jewish couples that
practice this law the divorce rate is 1. 5 % compared to around 56% among
non-observant couples. There is also a very low rate of cervical cancer
among women who practice this command of Yahweh.

There are two types of LOVE.There is ahavah shel aish or love that is
compared to fire. This love is passionate; it abates and flares up
cyclically in its quest to go higher. It has to be guarded just as a fire
less it sputters out and dies out. Then there is ahavah shel mayim, love
that is like water. This love is a cool, deeper love that is ever present.
You cannot exinquish this type of love. There is no fear that it will ever
fade or die out. So the love between the husband and wife must be a
combination of both loves. It has both FIRE and WATER. The water being the
mikvah and the fire is the renewal of the honeymoon-or passionate white-hot
love for each other. This type of marriage is twice blessed.

So to the observant Yisraelite couple, this law from the Torah is given.
Rather than reject and dismiss it, rather than just adjust to it, we try to
apply it to our lives in a manner that will bring out our identity, refines
our marriages, and strengthens the Yisraelite community. These rites connect
us to holiness.

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read! It comes from Yahweh's Torah!

The Abominations of the Gentiles

Abstaining from forbidden relations was so important to Yahweh that it
was one of the reasons He expelled the seven other nations from the Land.

 "Do not defile yourselves with all these, for by all these the
nations are defiled, which I am driving out before you. Thus the land became
defiled, therefore I punished it for its crookedness, and the land vomited
out its inhabitants. But, YOU shall guard My laws and right-rulings, and not
do any of these abominations, the native nor the stranger who sojourns among
you, because the men of the land who were before you have done all these
abominations, and thus the land became defiled, So let not the land vomit
you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

For whoever does any of these abominations, those beings shall be cut off
from among their people." Wayyiqra 18:24-29

Yahweh commands Yisrael not to do the abominations of the goyim (which
included having relations during a woman's menses) or the Eretz Yisrael
would vomit them out just as it did the goyim. This is the very same warning
Rebbe Yahshua HaMoshiach gives the congregation in Laodikia in Revelation
3:16:

 "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am going
to vomit you out of My mouth."

This Messianic Congregation had grown lukewarm in its observance of Torah,
and no longer had the zeal for Yahweh and His Torah. But, they believed they
were Yisrael. Perhaps they had been doing the abominations of the goyim in
their attitude towards the Torah. If they did not repent, Rebbe Yahshua said
He would vomit them out! They thought they were rich and in need of nothing.

This statement sounds like some other Messianic movements and Sacred-Name
"churches" that have spoken against the Torah and the keeping the 613
commands of Yahweh. They see no purpose in the chukim or circumcision, and
claim the name "Messianic" (a Follower of the Moshiach Yahshua-Who kept ALL
the Torah). By rejecting the commands of Yahweh (the edot, mishpatim, and
chukim) they are actually delaying the Restoration of ALL things and the
Restoration of ALL Yisrael. We will never be allowed back into the land as
AM ECHAD without ALL Yisrael embracing ALL the Torah.

The violation of Torah resulted in the expulsion from the land and only
the keeping of the Torah and embracing ALL the Torah will Yisrael go back
into the land. Yahweh will not allow His land to be defiled again. By
rejecting even this law of Family Purity, they are saying we will follow
after the goyim and not Yahweh's Torah. The blood commandments (kashrut,
brit milah, Taharot HaMishpacheh) are ALL vital to entering the land, and
keeping the land from becoming defiled by mishandling blood.

 "And DO NOT WALK [set Halakah] in the laws of the nation which I am
driving out before you, for they DO ALL THESE [abominations and unlawful
sexual relations including violating niddah and mikvah], and therefore I
LOATHED [found them detestable and unclean] them." Wayyiqra 20:23
 "..I am Yahweh Who has SEPARATED YOU [Yisrael] from the peoples
[goyim]." Wayyiqra 20:24

 "..Which I have separated from YOU [Yisrael] as unclean [unclean
foods and meat].And YOU shall be set-apart (kodesh) to ME, for I Yahweh am
set-apart, and have separated YOU from the peoples to be MINE" Wayyiqra
20:26

 "Do not go into the way [the way the gentiles live and walk out
their lives] of the gentiles, and do not enter the city of the
Shomeronites.." Rebbe Yahshua HaMoshiach Mattithyahu 10:5b

 "Therefore be perfect, as your Father in the heavens is perfect."
Rebbe Yahshua HaMoshiach Matt.5:48

Understanding True Holiness

Understanding the true nature of holiness or kedushah is imperative to
understanding the purpose of the Torah commands and the true purpose for
Yisrael's existence. The concept of holiness is imbedded in every command.
Yahweh commanded Yisrael to be a holy or set-apart people -AM KODESH
(Deut.14: 21; Ex.22: 30); Ex.19: 5-6).

Yahweh is separating the people of Yisrael from the rest of the nations.
They are to be set-apart. Yisrael must express a distinctiveness from all
other people and nations. It was to remain a distinct national and social
entity in terms of culture, religion, and practice as expressed by the
observance of Torah. We know that for Ephraim this did not happen (Yahudah
did continue as a distinct people and culture) as they were assimilated into
the nations and actually looked and lived like the nations because they
forsook the Torah. So, holiness can be termed as a unique identity in
relation to all other systems of religion and culture. This identity would
be seen in every facet of life.

Holiness is also an attribute of Yahweh.We are to cultivate and express
this attribute as Yisrael because it is an attribute of the Elohim of
Yisrael. Holiness then is an attribute of the individual soul-nefesh-that
reflects this attribute of Yahweh. Yisraelites then are to be
representatives of Yahweh's moral and ethical truths found in the attributes
of a set apart being in mankind.

Since the Temple (Beit HaMikdash) and the Tabernacle (Mishkan) were
symbolic structures designed to represent the set-apartness of Yahweh's
Dwelling Place in heaven, we can understand why then any one who was
ritually impure could not be allowed to enter the Dwelling Place. Being
ta'harah (pure) or tu'mah (impure) in a person related then to his spiritual
condition also. Thus, participating in forbidden sexual activities reflected
the Yisraelites failure to control the lower animal like urges of the flesh
concerning procreation (the three animal needs being

1. Procreation
2. Safety and Security
3. Nourishment.

Notice how these lower biological urges
correspond to - niddah- avoiding mediums-kashrut. The symbol our mortal
biological being (flesh) is DEATH-thus it is the primary cause of one
becoming tu'mah (unclean). We have come in contact with DEATH, which is
opposed to the LIFE that Yahweh has (ETERNAL LIFE-in GREEK ZOE). Physical
disease and emissions also remind us of our lack of freedom over this flesh
(we cannot control conception, menses, the birth process etc.). Therefore it
is brought to our consciousness our lack of freedom and choice over the
flesh, and somewhat a sense of depression in contrast to the life force
(Ruach) of our transcendent Yah-centered spirit. We are aware of the
perimeters that "bind" the spirit, which brings a depression and accompanies
our recognition of the lack of freedom over this flesh, thus we are in a
state incompatible with the transcendent symbolism of Yahweh's Dwelling
Place. This is why we are then restricted temporarily from its precincts
until we are transformed back to a state of LIFE, FREEDOM, and the Ruach -or
ritual purity. The consciousness of mortality and lack of freedom creates
an involuntary depression of the spirit that is incompatible with the free
life-giving symbols of the Dwelling Place and the Yah-centered soul of the
Believer.

We understand then that the soul of a person can be occluded by
imperfections that are caused by acting in the ways prohibited by the Torah.
Therefore experiences and behavior that drag us down from our free choosing
transcendent spiritual nature in Moshiach Yahshua to the biological being to
serve the flesh dull our soul's ability to be totally permeated by the
spiritual light that comes from Yahweh and His Torah.They draw us away from
the feelings of freedom, and spirituality. The partaking of forbidden
actions results in impediments of our spiritual receptivity to the Ruach
HaKodesh. If our behavior is motivated by the flesh and its lusts to the
exclusion of the spirit, then such behavior distances one from his or her
relationship with the Father.Conversely, if an act expresses the work of the
spirit and the Torah it brings a person in a closer relationship with our
Father.

Holiness then is the ability to actualize the attribute of Yahweh called
"spiritual transcendence ". By walking in the Ruach Hakodesh we can overcome
the lusts of the flesh. We become the sons of Elohim. (Romans 8; Galatians
5:16). Part of the transcendent nature is the ability to be able to choose
how to act-which is unlike all other life forms. This is what is meant to be
made in His image and likeness. Yahweh blessed man with the ability to
choose or free will. We have the capacity to choose to follow the lower
biological urges of the flesh as an animal does -or choose to function on
the spiritual plane, thereby reflecting its Divine origin. That is the story
of the Gan Eden and the TwoTrees.

The knowledge of good and evil is the knowledge of moral judgement. The
fundamental principle between Yahweh and His creation is that Yahweh ALONE
is the source of what is good-as expressed by His Torah. For a man to "be as
Elohim, knowing good and evil" means that the man usurps from Yahweh the
SOURCE of what is good and what is considered evil. He becomes his own
source of moral judgments and denies Yahweh in the process. This is why we
as Messianic Yisrael cannot decide what commands are applicable and what
ones are not. When we reject the Torah commands (all 613) we have set
ourselves up as Elohim and have committed the original sin from the Gan
Eden. We are denying Yahweh. By rejecting the very signs of the covenants He
made with Avraham, Yitzqak, and Ya'akov we are rejecting Yahweh.When we
reject the Torah commands given to Mosheh -the edot, mishpatim, and chukim-
we are rejecting Yahweh. We do this because we allow our subjective choices
based upon the flesh, reason, and human knowledge to determine if we want to
accept the command or reject it. Yisrael needs to return to Yahweh and
Yahweh alone as the SOURCE of all objective judgments. We need to seek His
mind to understand the purpose and meaning of the mitzvot.

Now, because man is a biological being and prone to subjective judgment
based upon his biological needs, all his moral judgments are relative in
nature. We judge by our sense or human reason rather than the Torah.You
cannot know what is objectively good without reference to an objective
STANDARD-the Torah.The Torah is TRUTH and therefore the only objective
standard we have. What makes a fruit bad is simply the fact that Yahweh said
it is bad, not that it is inherently bad. The only difference between
"before" and "after" the fall of man is the location of the moral source.
So, by nature man is only capable subjective choices based on the flesh,
reason, human wisdom, and its desires. But Yahweh has empowered us with His
Ruach to transcend our biological and physchological perceptions thus
choosing to follow Yahweh's moral guidance from His Word. This is exactly
the dynamics of spiritual transcendence or kedushah-HOLINESS or
set-apartness. Holiness is the purpose for all the commands.

Choosing Holiness

Ephraim then has a choice to make. Will Yisrael choose to be set-apart to
Yahweh? Kedushah is both national and individual. Community is made up of
individuals. Is Ephraim willing to become a distinct identifiable people by
their observation of the Torah? When will brother Yahudah be provoked to
jealousy? This means that from the table to the bed- Ephraim must be KODESH.

These two articles concerning Ephraim's blood problem is a call to ALL
YISRAEL to return to the Torah of Yahweh when it comes to the blood
commands-brit milah, kashrut, and Taharot HaMishpacheh. You may not
understand the REASON behind the commands, but hopefully after reading these
two articles on the blood, you have received revelation concerning the
purpose and meaning of these commands. Yahweh is searching for a people who
are set-apart to Him in every aspect of their lives so He may dwell among
them and become His Dwelling Place here upon the earth.

Observing the mitzvah of Taharot HaMishpacheh is one more step towards
holiness and the Kingship of Yahweh. Yisrael will fulfill its purpose of
becoming a set-apart people. We are elevating our souls above the fleshly
desires and actualizing the attribute of HOLINESS into our lives. The
blessings of this command result in solid strong marriages within the nation
of Yisrael, thus making Yisrael a light to the nations. You will be choosing
to allow Yahweh to be a partner in the sexual relationship of man and wife,
and forsaking the ways of the goyim. We are acknowledging Yahweh as the
CENTER and SOURCE of every judgment being made in the home, even the
bedroom. His Shekinah will then dwell in that home and marriage. Let me
encourage you to begin practicing this important mitzvah that Yahweh has
given to ALL Yisrael. Since Torah is the blueprint or pattern for ALL
creation, it follows that if we build our marriages and relationships upon
the Divine Blueprint of the Torah then we will experience the shalom of
Yahweh- "ALL its [the Torah's] paths are shalom." We thus allow the wisdom
of Yahweh flow into the marriage relationship, and wisdom then builds the
house (home).

"Or do you not know that your body is the Dwelling Place of the Set-Apart
Spirit who is in you, which you have from Elohim, and you are not your own?
For you were bought with a price [as a Bride for Yahweh], therefore esteem
Elohim in your body and in your spirit which are of Elohim." 1 Corinthians
6:19-20

"What union has the Dwelling Place of Elohim with idols? For you are a
Dwelling Place of the living Elohim, as Elohim has said, " I shall dwell IN
them and walk among them, and I shall be their Elohim, and they [Yisrael]
shall be MY people." Therefore, "COME OUT from among them and BE SEPARATE,
says Yahweh, and do not TOUCH what is UNCLEAN, and I shall receive you.and I
shall be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says
Yahweh Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:16-18

May Yahweh bless your understanding of this teaching.

Rabbi Edward Levi Nydle /B'nai Avraham

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