The Follow Up

I stayed up late last night writing and reading.  And I woke up this mornin' feeling like doing the same thing again.  So after a few e-mails, bathroom cleaning, and bowl of oatmeal (extra brown sugar), here I am.

Leviticus 14

So this stuff is interesting.  This chapter completes the previous chapter; all the methods for cleansing people with skin sores or houses with mildew are here.  I said interesting...curious might be a better word.  I want to know the symbolism behind a few things:

During the ceremony used to cleanse a person's infectious skin disease, the blood of a lamb is wiped on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot.  Soon after, a touch of oil is placed in the same place.  What is significant about these places?

Second, the process to atone for a house infested with mildew (atone for a house?) requires the use of two birds, some cedar, scarlet yarn, and hyssop.  Why scarlet yarn? Also, once the objects are all dipped in the blood of one of the birds and used to cleanse the house, the priest must release the remaining live bird into the open fields outside the town.  What's the deal with the bird?

Anyways, I'll try to write later, this was a good beginning to the day.