For the most part, the Law describes life situations characteristic of the female sex, as well as various situations in the relations between the sexes. Among them the following areas can be singled out:
childbirth (Lev. 12)
discharge of blood (Lev. 15:19-30, Lev. 18:19, Lev. 20:18)
nakedness (Lev. 18)
relations with men, the choice of a husband (Lev. 19:20, Lev. 21:7-14, Num. 5:12-31, Num. 36)
vows (Lev. 27:3-8, Num. 6, Num. 30:3-16)
falls into sin (Lev. 19:20, Lev. 20:10-21)
Let us consider these areas separately, in the order given.
Childbirth
After the birth of a child the Law sets for the woman a number of days of purification, and they differ depending on the sex of the child born. After the birth of a male infant the woman is considered unclean for 7 days, and 33 days of purification are imposed on her, during which she may not touch anything holy or come to the sanctuary (Lev. 12:2-4). In the case of a female infant these days are doubled accordingly (Lev. 12:5).
Discharge of Blood
First it is worth mentioning that the Law says that any discharge from a person’s body makes him unclean:
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean’” (Lev. 15:2).
Nevertheless, for obvious reasons, women are mentioned separately and at considerable length.
In general, as long as a woman has a discharge of blood she is unclean, and afterwards 7 days of purification are imposed on her. If she always has a discharge of blood, she is always unclean. An unclean woman may not have intimacy with her husband, and if it is otherwise, the husband will be unclean in exactly the same way as the wife, and the same regulations apply to the husband as to the wife. All things on which a woman with a discharge of blood lies or sits become unclean, and whoever touches them will be unclean until evening. After the days of purification an offering of two turtledoves or two young pigeons must be brought (Lev. 15:29-30), after which the woman is considered clean.
There are also other regulations connected with women and the discharge of blood, but they will be discussed in the following sections.
Nakedness
“None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness” (Lev. 18:6).
Although this chapter also mentions the nakedness of a man (the father), logically it mainly lists prohibitions against uncovering the nakedness of women in various degrees of kinship, not only by blood:
“You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law — she is your son’s wife — you shall not uncover her nakedness” (Lev. 18:15).
Returning to the already mentioned provisions of the Law on the discharge of blood, let us also mention this prohibition to the husband:
“Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity” (Lev. 18:19).
Relations with Men, the Choice of a Husband
If a man seduces a slave woman betrothed to another man, he is not to be punished by death, unlike the case where he seduced a free woman (that is, not a slave) (Deut. 22:25), but must only bring a trespass offering — a ram (Lev. 19:20-21).
A husband and wife are considered unclean until evening after marital intimacy (Lev. 15:18).
Only virgins could become the wives of priests (Lev. 21:13), and not widows, divorced women, defiled women or harlots.
If a woman, in the absence of male heirs, inherits land, she may marry only someone from the tribe of her father (Num. 36:8), so that the inheritance would not pass to other tribes.
There is even an ordinance describing what is to be done with a wife whom her husband suspects of adultery (Num. 5:12-31).
Vows (Promises to God)
There were people who made certain vows to God, and some of them were called Nazirites (do not confuse: Jesus Christ was called a Nazarene because He was from Nazareth); they promised not to drink or eat any products made from grapes, not to cut their hair, and not to go near a dead body. Such a vow could be made either for a certain time or for life. This is mentioned only to emphasize the fact that both men and women were Nazirites.
The Law allowed what had been sold to be redeemed (Lev. 25:25), and by analogy a price is set even for one who has dedicated his life to God through service at the sanctuary. Here one can notice that the life of a man and of a woman are valued differently. For example, a man from 20 to 60 years old is valued at 50 shekels of silver of the sanctuary, and a woman at 30 shekels (Lev. 27:3-4). A. P. Lopukhin explains this difference by the unequal capacity for work of the person dedicated to the sanctuary in each case: physical work for the sanctuary was required of him — chopping wood, carrying water and so on.
“If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Num. 30:2).
Thus whoever has sworn must fulfill his oath, but with regard to a woman there are reservations. If a wife makes an oath or a vow, the husband who heard it can annul this oath, and it will be considered as never having been. So too a father can annul an oath of his daughter in her youth that he has heard.
Falls into Sin
A number of laws are described that impose severe punishments for falls into sin, such as:
adultery (Lev. 20:10-12),
bestiality (described specifically with regard to women: Lev. 20:16, Lev. 18:23),
sodomy (Lev. 20:13) and others.
Such crimes against the Law were punished by death.