Question:
Do we have to wait for the days of purification to pass and only after that to bring the children for the blessing in the Church? In other words, when do we need to bless children in the Church?
I assume you ask this question based on what is written in Leviticus 12, namely:
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and delivers a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; as she is in the days of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Then on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall stay at home in her condition of blood purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall stay at home in her condition of blood purification for sixty-six days. ‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering. Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female. But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young doves, the one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean. (Leviticus 12:1-8 NASB)
I just want to point out that this law was more about the mother’s condition than the child’s. The term was set for the mother and not for the blessing of the child. About the blessing of the child he writes:
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘In this way you shall bless the sons of Israel. You are to say to them: The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord cause His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face to you, And give you peace.’ So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and then I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27 NASB)
The Bible says that the circumcision of the boys was done on the 8th day, but it does not specify when the blessing should be done and if it should be done only at the Temple. These terms of cleansing for women are not mentioned in the New Testament except in the Epistle to the Hebrews, possibly, when it says:
The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:8-12 NASB)
However, it takes time for a woman to recover physically after giving birth to a baby. I think it is her and her husband’s decision when it comes to blessing the child in the Church.
Translated by Didina Vicliuc