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Friend, cleansing from leprosy -- a new start, a restored life!

Lev. 14:10-11  "And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil.  11  Then the priest who makes him clean shall present the man who is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 

In Leviticus 14, God gave detailed instructions for the cleansing of one healed from leprosy. It was a long and careful process—seven days of examination, washing, and waiting outside the camp -- and then came the eighth day, the day of restoration. On that day, the person who had once been exiled and isolated returned with sacrifices in hand: a guilt offering, a sin offering, and a burnt offering before the Lord. Scripture says, “The priest shall make atonement for the one to be cleansed before the Lord, and he shall be clean” (Leviticus 14:20).

The eighth day was not just about physical healing; it was about reentry into life -- rejoining the camp, worshiping again, being seen, touched, and loved again. The first seven days represented the process of purification and separation, but the eighth day declared: “You belong again.”

How powerful that this was part of God’s design! Leprosy, in Scripture, represents not only physical disease but also the condition of sin -- what isolates, defiles, and separates us from God and others. But on the eighth day, the barrier is broken, and relationship is restored. It is the day of a new beginning and new belonging.

Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled this beautifully in His ministry. When the leper cried out, “If You are willing, You can make me clean,” Yeshua reached out and touched him—something no one else would dare to do—and said, “I am willing; be clean!” (Mark 1:40–45). In that moment, physical healing and divine acceptance converged. The true High Priest brought the unclean back into fellowship, not through ritual sacrifice, but through the touch of compassion.

Spiritually, each of us has been that leper -- kept outside, covered in the shame of sin, crying from a distance. But the eighth day speaks of restoration: when the Lord not only heals our wounds but brings us home again. It is the day when He replaces isolation with intimacy, and defilement with dignity.

The number eight again marks the transition from cleansing to communion, from distance to dwelling. In the same way that Shemini Atzeret is God saying, “Stay with Me one more day,” the eighth day of cleansing is God saying, “Come back inside. You’re Mine again.”

Friend, the King who healed the leper still calls to you today: “Be clean, be restored, be whole.” You may have been through your seven days of waiting—your wilderness, your isolation—but this is your eighth day. Step forward with gratitude and faith. The One who touched the untouchable is ready to fill you with His Spirit, to restore your fellowship, and to renew your joy. Let Him take what shame and sin have stolen, and let Him write “clean” across your soul. The eighth day is here—the day of your new start, your restored life, your return to His presence.

Shabbat Shalom, have a really great weekend in the Lord -- we'll see you bright and early on Monday!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)

Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!