Chapter 12

More instruction on clean/unclean.

Women unclean after childbirth.  Different for having a boy than for having a girl.  For a boy, she is unclean 7 days, then the boy is circumcised on day 8, and then another 33 days is required to complete her purification.  So 41 days I think.  For a girl, she is unclean 14 days, and purification takes another 66 days.  80 days total.  Twice as long.  Women had to offer a burnt and a sin offering following childbirth, as atonement.  Perhaps this goes back to the curse in Genesis.  If the woman's family is poor, a lamb is not required for these sacrifices, but birds.  Seems like Joseph and Mary only have birds because they were so poor.  This is a pretty short chapter.