ויקרא, פרק ט״ו, פסוק י״ג

The journey from impurity to purity for a man suffering from an unnatural bodily discharge involves a precise sequence of time and physical action. The process begins not with a ritual, but with physical healing. The initial mention of his cleansing does not indicate that spiritual purity has already been achieved; rather, it refers to the cessation of his physical illness and the removal of the bodily affliction [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, מלבי״ם, תורה תמימה, ביאור יש״ר, רד צ הופמן]. The mere stopping of the discharge is sufficient to initiate the purification process, even if the man is simultaneously suffering from an entirely different form of impurity, such as leprosy [תורה תמימה]. Furthermore, this entire procedure applies even to a man who experienced only two instances of the discharge rather than three; although he is exempt from bringing a final sacrifice, he is still fully obligated to undergo the counting and immersion [תורה תמימה, רלב״ג, רש ר הירש].

Once the affliction ceases, a period of waiting and observation begins. The responsibility to track this time rests entirely on the individual. He is trusted to count his own days without the need for external witnesses [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו], and this counting is performed in his thoughts rather than spoken aloud [העמק דבר]. He must observe seven completely clean days, free from any trace of the discharge. The primary approach among commentators is that these seven days must be strictly consecutive. If the unnatural discharge returns at any point during this period, it completely voids the previous tally, forcing him to begin the count anew [מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, רלב״ג, רש ר הירש, רד צ הופמן]. However, if he experiences a standard, natural seminal emission during this time, it is considered a lighter impurity. It does not erase the entire count, but merely voids that specific day [מזרחי, רלב״ג].

Following the successful completion of the seven days, the man must immerse the garments he wore during his period of impurity [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The physical cleansing of the clothes is closely equated with the cleansing of the body, teaching that just as a person's body must be completely exposed to the water without any intervening barrier, his clothing must also be free of any obstruction during immersion [רש ר הירש, אדרת אליהו]. While his garments may be immersed in a standard ritual bath [רד צ הופמן], the requirements for his body are exceptionally strict. He must bathe specifically in natural, flowing spring water [ביאור יש״ר, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Among all individuals requiring purification, the man with a discharge is unique in his absolute need for living spring water, whereas others may use a standard, stationary ritual bath [חזקוני, רש ר הירש, רד צ הופמן]. A spiritual dimension to this requirement suggests that because his impurity flowed from his body like a spring, his ultimate purification must likewise come from the waters of a flowing spring [שפתי כהן].

During this immersion, the water is only required to touch the external, visible parts of his flesh; there is no obligation for water to enter internal cavities like the mouth [תורה תמימה]. This immersion, performed on the seventh day, brings about an immediate, partial change in his status: he instantly ceases to impart impurity to earthenware vessels by shifting them. Nevertheless, his complete return to a state of total purity is only finalized later, once the sun sets on that seventh day [תורה תמימה, חזקוני, רש ר הירש, רד צ הופמן].