Luke 2:22 casts DARK SHADOWS on Aramaic Primacy

[Paul Younan]

Tikanis Mike,

But when I did some study over the weekend I could not find one reference in the Old Law/Testament or Torah that a newborn baby(whehter the first, 2nd,3rd, 5th or 10th) is in any way "unclean" until the 8th day - day of his cirumcision.

Please read the following:

http://dafnotes.blogspot.com/2007/07/daf...ights.html

Specifically:

Are we permitted to anoint an uncircumcised infant (prior to eight days old) with terumah oil?

The Gemora explains the inquiry: Does being uncircumcised before its time (the mitzvah of milah (circumcision) does not take effect until the eighth day) prevent him from benefiting from terumah, or does it not prevent him from benefiting from terumah?

Rabbi Zeira brings a proof from the following braisa: The Torah states explicitly that the non-circumcision of one???s children at the time of the slaughtering prevents him from offering the korban Pesach (passover offering); and the Torah states explicitly that the non-circumcision of one???s slaves at the time of the eating prevents him from eating the korban Pesach (passover offering). How do we derive the laws stated by this one to that one, and the laws stated by that one to this one? The word ???then??? was specifically stated in both categories so that an analogy between the two might be drawn.

Rabbi Zeira analyzes the braisa: We can find a case where the uncircumcised slaves were in his possession at the time of the eating of the korban Pesach, but they were not in his possession at the time of its slaughtering; if he bought the slaves after the slaughtering, but prior to the eating. However, how is it possible to have a case where his uncircumcised sons were present during the eating of the korban Pesach, but they were not present during the slaughtering? It must be referring to a case where the son was born in between the slaughtering and the eating (and the braisa rules that this will prevent him from eating the korban Pesach; this is indeed a proof that an uncircumcised child before its time is regarded as uncircumcised, and it should be forbidden to anoint him with terumah oil).

This is an exhaustive topic and I really don't have time to delve into it at the moment, for all you ever wanted to know about Jewish purification laws, go to your local library and check out a copy of Jacob Nuesner's book titled "The Talmud of the land of Israel."

PS - and it's not only until the 8th day that a baby boy is ceremonially impure, the flow of blood (until it is healed) also renders him unclean. So it is really a variable period of time until the wound heals after the 8th day that the boy is going through a period of purification, like his mother.

Anyone who has come into contact with blood, or is bleeding, is ceremonially impure.