54 This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall,

55 And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house,

56 And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot:

57 To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.

Today we finish the two chapters of guidance on how leprosy was to be handled among people, cloth, and houses. A common theme throughout this has been that of corruption, and the physical treatment of it is echoed in the social and spiritual frames as well. We saw how corruption, itself, must be destroyed, but the question was whether it could be removed without destroying the host. Sometimes it could be, and then the host could return to its full status and calling. Sometimes it couldn’t, and then, to contain the corruption, either destruction or quarantine of the host had to occur.

For both a garment and a house, persistent leprosy required complete destruction. But for a person, God did not command that the afflicted person be killed. They did have to be removed, though. They had to become dead to society. And then if they healed and could return to the fold, it was treated much like a rebirth.

Thus, leprosy is a lesson on corruption, purging, destruction, and restoration. It is a pattern that has been imbued throughout the universe, and observing it in any manifestation teaches us about it in all.