7906. Shall no leaven be found in your houses. That this signifies that nothing whatever of falsity shall come near good, is evident from the signification of “leaven,” as being falsity (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “house,” as being good (see n. 3652, 3720, 4982, 7833-7835). That “leaven” denotes falsity can be seen from those passages where “leaven” and “leavened” and also “unleavened” are mentioned, as in Matthew:

Jesus said unto them, See ye and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Afterward the disciples understood that He had not said that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:6, 12); where “leaven” manifestly means false doctrine. As “leaven” signified falsity, it was forbidden to sacrifice upon what was leavened the blood of the sacrifice (Exodus 23:18; 34:25); for by the “blood of the sacrifice” was signified holy truth, thus truth pure from all falsity (n. 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7846, 7850). It was also ordained that the meat-offering which was to be offered upon the altar was not to be baked leavened (Leviticus 6:17); and that the cakes and wafers also should be unleavened (Leviticus 7:11-13).

[2] As further regards what is leavened and what is unleavened, be it known that the purification of truth from falsity with man cannot possibly exist without fermentation so called, that is, without the combat of falsity with truth and of truth with falsity; but after combat has existed, and truth has conquered, then falsity falls down like dregs, and the truth comes forth purified, like wine which grows clear after fermentation, the dregs falling to the bottom. This fermentation or combat exists chiefly when the state with man is being changed, that is, when he begins to act from the good that is of charity, and not as before from the truth that is of faith; for the state has not as yet been purified when the man acts from the truth of faith, but it has been purified when he acts from the good which is of charity; for then he acts from the will; previously only from the understanding.

[3] Spiritual combats or temptations are fermentations in the spiritual sense; for then falsities are desirous to conjoin themselves with truths; but truths reject them, and finally cast them down as it were to the bottom, consequently they purify. In this sense is to be understood what the Lord teaches about leaven in Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened (Matthew 13:33);

“meal” denotes the truth from which is good. Also in Hosea:

They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker; the stirrer ceaseth from the kneading of the dough until it be leavened (Hos. 7:4).

Because, as before said, such combats as are signified by fermentations arise with man in the state previous to newness of life; therefore it was also ordained that when the new meat-offering on the feast of the first-fruits was offered, the bread of waving was to be baked leavened, and was to be the first-fruits to Jehovah (Leviticus 23:16-17).

3464. And showed him concerning the well which they had digged; and they said, We have found waters. That this signifies interior truths by means of these things, is evident from the signification of a “well,” as being the Word (n. 3424); and from the signification of “waters,” as being truths (n. 2702t is, truths which are from the Word; thus to “show him concerning the well which they had digged,” signifies concerning the Word from which they had doctrinal things; “and they said, We have found waters,” signifies that in them, that is, in the doctrinal things, there were interior truths. For as before said, there are interior truths in all the doctrinal things that are drawn from the literal sense of the Word, because the literal sense of the Word is like a well that contains water; for in each and everything of the Word there is an internal sense, which is also in the doctrinal things that are from the Word.

[2] As regards the doctrinal things that are from the literal sense of the Word, the case is this: When a man is in them, and at the same time in a life according to them, he has a correspondence in himself; for the angels who are with him are in interior truths, while he is in exterior ones, and thus through the doctrinal things he has communication with heaven, but according to the good of his life. As for example, when in the Holy Supper he thinks in simplicity of the Lord from the words then used, “This is My body, and this is “My blood,” the angels with him are in the idea of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; for love to the Lord corresponds to the Lord’s body, and to bread; and charity toward the neighbor corresponds to the blood, and the wine (n. 1798, 2165, 2177, 2187); and because there is such a correspondence, there flows an affection out of heaven through the angels into that holy state in which the man then is, which affection he receives in accordance with the good of his life.

[3] For the angels dwell with everyone in his life’s affection, thus in the affection of the doctrinal things according to which he lives; but in no case if his life disagrees therewith; for if the life disagrees, as for instance if he is in the affection of gaining honors and riches by means of doctrinal things, then the angels retire, and infernals dwell in this affection, who either infuse into him confirmations of the doctrinal things for the sake of self and the world, thus a persuasive faith-which is such that it is regardless whether a thing is true or false provided it captivates the minds of others-or else they take away all faith, and then the doctrine of his lips is only a sound excited and modified by the fire of these loves.