Cleanliness, Tassels, and the Gentile Nations.
13 minute read
Millions have watched the Jewish disciples of Jesus bless their meals, host Erev Shabbat dinners, and celebrate the Jewish Feast Days for two seasons of The Chosen. Now in their third year, the show has brought new season-wide themes of wrestling with one’s faith, where the weary and heavy-laden may find rest, the separation of clean and unclean, and the boundaries between nations.
SPOILER ALERT — This blog contains spoilers for season 3 episodes 4, 5, 7, and 8.
Clean Part 1 shows a reading in the synagogue from Leviticus 15. This chapter deals heavily with washings and sacrifices regarding ritual purity. Many in the Christian world are not accustomed to spending their Bible Study time in the Book of Leviticus, let alone on discussions of ritual cleanliness. Rather, it is through the Gospels that most Christians encounter the customs of the Jews and how Jesus (Yeshua) responded to them. The Chosen introduces us to Veronica, who is revealed as the woman spoken of in Matthew, Mark, and Luke as having an “issue of blood” for 12 years.
Considering that this blog is about the details that may have been missed, it is important to first address the real “issue” behind this woman’s issue of blood.
Niddah
The Hebrew word, niddah is often translated as “separation”. This refers to a woman’s period and the time of separation that she observes for seven days. After a woman’s period of separation, she is to wash in the waters of the mikvah and she will be unclean until the evening.
There are so many beautiful subtleties in the show that exist beyond the script. For example, when Veronica returns washed garments to a man who discovers she is unclean, most will pick up on the man’s line about being unclean until the evening. She gives the heartbreaking response, “I’m sure it must be very difficult for you, sir.”
The actress, Zhaleh Vossough, does such an incredible job of conveying this line without bitterness or malice — which makes it all the more devastating. And it’s easy to overlook, but the scene occurs at dusk. Driving home that the sting of Veronica’s “sympathy” for this man’s horribly inconvenient, oh… hour of uncleanliness.
Torah describes that during a woman’s time of uncleanliness, garments that she sits on are also unclean. If a man were to lay with her at this time, he would also be unclean and must observe a period of separation for seven days. If someone were to touch an unclean thing, they are to wash and be unclean until the evening. Despite how the observance has progressed, this is not meant to be an exilic period for her. Really, it only dictates that the one who is unclean should keep themselves from clean things. One who is unclean would not go to the Temple, for example. And the parameters are only restrictive for a relatively-short period of time.
But if a woman does not stop bleeding, when does her period of separation end? When does she wash? And when would she be declared clean?
The woman with the issue of blood persisted in a state of separation for 12 years… This barred her from the Temple, from her people, from her family, from a normal life. Her illness, like leprosy, ostracized her perpetually.
I know what you’re thinking — it’s probably the same question Eden had as they washed garments together — “What do you do with no hope?”
The Mikvah
The commandments regarding washing and immersion are fairly straightforward, but the words used and the meanings derived have made the issue complicated. You can learn more about the Mikvah and Baptism here, if you like. But in its most basic practice, mikvah is a ritual washing, separate from a bath or shower, that requires “living water”. Living water is defined as non-stagnant water with an inflowing and and outflowing. Special structures were built to facilitate washing, but any ocean or river will do. And this is where we see several washings occur in the episodes.
What we call the waters of ritual immersion is only part of the meaning of the word, Mikvah. The Hebrew root word kavah means “to wait, to look eagerly for”. Mikvah literally means, “Hope”.
I have to believe that the writers of The Chosen knew this when writing the scene between Eden and Veronica. Eden asked, “What do you do with no hope?” She as may well have asked her, “What do you do when you can’t go to the Mikvah?” And this is a question that the Jews have been asking since the Temple fell.
The answer, interestingly, is part of the riddle that Simon and Gaius pondered when discussing the words of the prophet, Jeremiah:
[Jer 17:13 ESV] 13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.
The LORD is here referred to as both the Hope of Israel, Mikveh Yisrael, and as the Fountain of Living Water. Hebrews explains that the blood of Christ is the greater cleansing, that which purifies us from dead works and allows us to enter His service, that we can enter the holy places with the confidence that we have been washed clean by His blood.
And, please, don’t be thinking, “Oh, those poor Jewish people who don’t know this…” The fact of the matter is, the book of Hebrews was written to, well, Hebrews. And it’s because of their prerequisite understanding of blood sacrifice and the need to cleanse before entering holy places that allowed the faithful a deeper understanding of Christ’s sacrifice and the purpose of it. And it is with this same bandwidth of understanding that the writers of The Chosen are presenting these deep insights.
The Gentiles
The show does a really good job of including organic “audience insertion” characters, who need explanations along with those watching. Gaius plays this role at times, even Matthew needs to be instructed about Judaism. When they ask questions, the answers are really there for you, the listener. So let’s talk about some of Gaius’ questions in these episodes.
First, let’s talk about drinking from the same vessel. Simon refuses Gaius’ offer to drink from his wine skin, not because he doesn’t drink wine or isn’t thirsty, but because he won’t drink from the same vessel as a Gentile. And, yes, this is Rabbinic law (as distinct from the Biblical text that is Torah). The explanations of Jewish abstention from Gentile items is complicated, but it really comes down to concerns about idolatry and the question of how defilement might be transferred.
The show makes it very clear that Gaius and the other Romans are clearly engaged in idol worship. He and Simon have a whole conversation about the Roman pantheon. Their meat was sacrificed to idols, their homes were often decorated with statues that were bowed to when one ducked to enter often-tiny doors. Their commerce, their medicine, every aspect of life was centered around their idolatry. Jews, therefore, didn’t participate in any of it. They didn’t go to Gentile markets. They didn’t enter Gentile homes. And they did not touch the things that were made unclean by Gentiles.
It’s so amazing for the writers to introduce this part of Simon’s piety. If they show us the Book of Acts, we are bound to see a depiction of Simon Peter’s vision from Acts 10. I won’t go into it much here, but as I once heard a Rabbi say, “If Peter’s dream was about food, Joseph’s dream was about cows.” It’s not about food. It’s about Gentiles. That which had been declared clean were the Gentiles. And Peter was visited by Gentiles with whom, without this holy insight, he would not have visited.
**If they show us this scene, Simon’s encounter with Gaius is foreshadowing. If they don’t, it’s an Easter Egg.
Gentiles were, themselves, in a perpetual niddah state. Like the woman with the issue of blood, they were perpetually unable to engage in any acts that would make them clean. One would first have to stop being a Gentile… consider the comment of the Jewish man in the Decapolis, “I wouldn’t be caught dead at a banquet with you. I couldn’t stand before God if I was.”
Again, the ultimate problem is that one could not go to the Temple in an unclean state. Consider a theology that requires cleanliness as a prerequisite for the remission of sin. Don’t misunderstand me, Christian theology teaches the same: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. The only difference is that rather than seeking purification through washing and the blood of bulls and goats, we are purified through the blood of Christ which covers us — guards us — from the wrath of the Father. Without this piece of it, though, in ancient Israel, being barred from the Temple meant being barred from salvation.
This brings us to Gaius’ other question, “Why do you people dislike Matthew? Beside the tax thing?” Well, there really isn’t much beside “the tax thing” except that tax collectors were traitors to the Jews and were, therefore, treated like Gentiles — with an added layer of betrayal. Common practice among tax collectors was to take more than was owed, lending at interest, and skimming off the top. These actions are so antithetical to Torah, it didn’t matter whether one was born Jewish. Simply put, even ethnically Jewish tax collectors’ behavior was so anti-Torah they were treated like the Nations — worse than, even.
Tassels
Literally my only beef within these episodes is with the explanation of the tzitzit: the tassels.
It’s fine…
….it’s not wrong.
But it’s insufficient.
First, Matthew asks the very good question, “Why do we wear these, anyway?” And Thaddeus gives the right answer, “God commanded it in the Law of Moses.” But I WISH he had stayed within Torah for the explanation.
[Num 15:38-39 ESV] 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.
There’s nothing wrong with the 613 explanation, per se. It’s colorful. (It’s also from a 3rd Century teaching, but we’ll put that anachronism away for now.) Yes, 611 is the numerical value of the word, torah. And yes, (in some traditions) there are 13 knots tied with the threads. But the interpretations of the Rabbis that lead to this number are, well, disputed. By other Rabbis, mind you. And this explanation does not iterate the reason given in Torah for wearing them, “…for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them…”.
Thaddeus tells Matthew that the tassels are attached to his tallit katan, the “little covering” which is worn as an undergarment. The funny thing here, Matthew would likely not be wearing a tallit katan if he wasn’t also wearing tassels… The covering is not a command, tassels are commanded; the garment is a secondary extension of that command. You may be familiar with the term tallit, which colloquially refers to the tallit gadol, the “big covering” that is commonly known as a Jewish prayer shawl.
The point of it all, though, is a beautiful illustration of how Torah was meant to pervade every aspect of Hebrew living. As they say in the show, “It’s like being surrounded by God’s Word all day.” And that means being reminded of God’s Word when you dress and undress, even when you use the restroom, or when they get in the way…
Yes. There is a practical lesson behind the tzitzit. The Word of God is with us, always. And even gets in the way of things we might otherwise wish to do… Unclean things. But it persists as a reminder of God’s commands, urging us not to walk in our own ways, after our own hearts — but to seek righteousness and the cleansing He offers.
Tzitzit are worn by Jewish men as a sign of their identity as one of God’s own. And this is not an identity that is to be flaunted in pride, as was the rebuke of the Pharisees in Matt 23:5 who wore long fringes (tassels) to show off. They are a reminder for the man.
Matthew has not engaged in this Jewish practice yet because he’s still reintegrating into the faith. And this is what Mary points out to him when discussing the tassels that the man gave to him, “They’re just a symbol. He wanted you to have his faith.” The one should be a representation of the other. And Matthew’s expression of his faith will modify as his actions and daily life are transformed.
The tassels play a strong role in the faith of Veronica, the woman with an issue of blood. Like the old song says, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment…”
What power is there in Jesus’ garment? None. Rather, her faith was in Him. She acknowledged Him as Messiah, as the “sun of righteousness with healing in its wings.” The word used in Malachi 4:2 is the same word used in Deut 22:12 “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.” By faith, she acknowledged Him as Messiah, and by faith, she was healed.
At the mikvah, Eden’s prayers show the same theme. They speak the words of Psalm 57:1, “…And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge…”. Again, the word wings is the same as the word for the corners of the garment where the tassels hang.
Believe it or not, there is still more to unearth in these episodes, but we don’t have time for that here. Zebedee rebukes Simon saying he was at Simon’s bris, meaning he’s known him since he was circumcised at 8 days old. The zoom in on Bathsheba’s pregnant belly may be hinting at the continuance of Simon and Eden’s storyline — being that the baby indicated there, may very well be the child that David lost.
I am so eager to watch more, it’s grueling to enter the waiting period once again. Until then, I hope you are enlightened by the depth of these episodes and encouraged to study more of Scripture and the Hebrew practices depicted in The Chosen.
Shalom, shalom!
To learn more about Hebraic and Jewish practices in accordance with a faith in Messiah Yeshua, visit our Teachings Page.