The Story of Mother's Doves

Leviticus 5:1-10

On a Monday after school, Beth was sitting in the living room, thinking about her mother's two snow-white doves, Isaac and Isaaiac. They lived in a pretty cage by the front window. A question got into Beth's head so she went to talk to her mother.
Beth's mother was scrubbing out the toilets. "Mother," Beth asked, " why do you keep those pretty doves if you never play with them or try and teach them tricks?"
"We have them because the Bible tells us we may need them some day," said her mother through a haze of cleanser fumes. "Here, let me tell you all about it."
And this is the story she told:

God tells us that there are many ways to get in trouble or get icky. If someone hears someone else swear and doesn't tell anyone, then he's in trouble. If someone touches anything icky like an icky dead wild animal, or an icky dead farm animal, or an icky dead bug, then he's in trouble. If someone touches an icky person, then he's in trouble. If someone swears, then he's in trouble.
Whenever a person is in trouble like this, then he should tell someone how bad he's been. After that, he should bring a lamb or a goat to the temple for the priest to kill and that will make things all better.
But if you can't find a lamb, then get a couple of doves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest. The priest will break one of the bird's neck and sprinkle its blood around. Then he'll set the other bird on fire. That will make things all better.

Beth thought about this for a moment. It made her sad that they might have to kill Isaac and Isaaiac some day, but as long as it was for a good reason she understood. "I guess I'll just have to be very careful not to do anything that makes me icky," she said.
"That's a good idea, Dear One," said Beth's mother, and went back to cleaning the toilets.
Then Beth smiled and she would have hugged her mother if her mother had not been so busy. All of Beth's questions had been answered.