In Jewish ritual law, a zav (; lit. "one who[se body] flows") is a man who has had abnormal seminal discharge from the male sexual organ, and thus entered a state of ritual impurity. A woman who has had similar abnormal discharge from her genitals is known as a zavah. Purification requirements for the zav include counting seven days without seminal discharge, immersion in a spring, and bringing certain korbanot (sacrifices). In the realm of tumah and taharah law, the zav has the ability to create a midras and is prohibited from entering specific areas of the Temple Mount. Etymology The Hebrew verb stem zuv (Hebrew זוּב), in binyan Qal form, is zava (זָבָה). It means "to flow," as in "a land flowing with (זָבַת) milk and honey". Hebrew Bible Verses The laws governing zav status appears in the book of Leviticus, introduced as follows: This is followed by the laws relating to a zav: the impurity laws, the purification procedure when the flow has stopped, and the sacrifices to be offered after purification (). The similar laws of a zavah appear later in the same chapter (). The commandment regarding niddah, found in the same chapter, uses the same Hebrew verb meaning "to flow", even though its laws are somewhat different from that of the zav or zavah (). In the second year after the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites were about to travel, they were commanded to send the zav outside the camp (). Modern analysis Some modern Biblical scholars see these regulations as having originally derived from taboos against contact with semen, because it is considered to house life itself, and was consequently considered sacred; the seven-day period is thought to exist to ensure that the abnormality has genuinely ceased, the sin offering is considered to have originally been made as an apology for violating the taboo. In rabbinical literature Discussion of the physical situation The male zav'''s discharge is different from that of the female zavah: the zavah emits blood, while the zav emits a whitish fluid, which has a slight reddish tinge. According to Maimonides, the zav state as a disease of the male reproductive system while the man's general health remains normal, causing semen to ooze out without stimulation, erection, or pleasure; and to be discolored and have a thin consistency. Based on the biblical Hebrew word החתים (lit. “sealed”) Abraham ibn Ezra