The preceding section of the Book of Leviticus discussed the laws of ritual defilement imparted by dead animals. In this section, the Torah proceeds to the laws of defilement associated with human beings. It first discusses the defilement that automatically rests upon any Jewish woman who gives birth (Tazri’a, in Hebrew). The justified pride that a woman is likely to feel after the miracle of giving birth prevents her from feeling the absolute humility before G‑d required in order to enter His Tabernacle. She is therefore obligated to undergo a fixed period of recuperation and a purification process, after which she can again visit the Tabernacle and participate in its rituals. The second type of defilement discussed in this section is an extinct disease known as tzara’at, that appeared on a Jewish man or woman’s skin, garments, or home.

Continuing the content of the preceding section, the fifth section of the Book of Leviticus opens with the rituals that someone who was afflicted with tzara’at (Metzora, in Hebrew) must undergo in order to be allowed into the Tabernacle again. It then describes how tzara’at can appear on buildings and how affected buildings are purified from it. Finally, it discusses the various forms of ritual defilement that result from certain bodily discharges.