Category Archives: Tazria

5783, AI art, Bat Ayin, Leviticus, Metzorah, Parsha, Tazria

Idolatrous Self-Gratification (Tazria-Metzora)

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Idolatrous Self-Gratification (Tazria-Metzora)

Mankind are an incorrigible race. Give them but bugbears and idols — it is all that they ask; the distinctions of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, of good and evil, are worse than indifferent to them. -William Hazlitt

Mirrored Idol by BSpitz

The Torah readings of Tazria and Metzora delve into what may seem arcane laws of ritual impurity and the treatment of the physical-spiritual skin malady called Tzaraat (popularly mistranslated as leprosy). The Bat Ayin on Leviticus 14:34 explores some of the attitudes that a Jew may have in observance of these commands. While it is clear that the commands need to be observed, he explores what some of the inner motivations might be. One of the highest levels of service of God is to do so out of pure love and awe of God. It is God’s desire and that is motivation enough for a fully devoted servant.

It is still good, though not an ideal motive, to perform the commands because God will provide a reward to those who perform His commandments. There will be a reward both in our current world and in the world to come.

The Bat Ayin explains that even the performance of commandments for what might appear to be a transactional reward is still vastly different and superior to the idolatrous belief that there is no reward or punishment or that there is even a Creator who is involved continually in our lives. The idolatrous belief is centered around self-gratification, with little regard for truth, ethics, or compassion. An idolatrous belief is that as long as it makes them feel good, that defines their moral compass.

May we appreciate God’s presence and intervention and may we feel it more strongly.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Rabbi Leo Dee and the inspiration he is providing.

5782, Chidushei HaRim, Leviticus, Parsha, Tazria

The Proximity of Being Far (Tazria)

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The Proximity of Being Far (Tazria)

Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire. -Francois de la Rochefoucauld

The Torah reading of Tazria delves into what might be considered arcane laws of the ritual purity of a woman after childbirth. According to Torah law, a woman after childbirth becomes ritually impure for a determined period of time. After that time, she needs to bring a sacrifice as part of her purification process enabling her to once again access the Temple and visit that holy location.

The Chidushei HaRim on Leviticus 12:2 delves into what’s behind that period of distancing, of keeping a woman who has just given birth, far from the Temple. He draws on the story of Abraham bringing Isaac to Mount Moriah to be sacrificed as per God’s command. The verse there describes how Abraham had seen the place from “afar.” He was far away when he encounters some aspect of divinity. To make the quandary more poignant, the Chidushei HaRim implies that Abraham, who is about to undertake the most meaningful and trying moment of his life, the fulfillment of God’s apparent command to sacrifice his son, finds that God is “distant.” Nonetheless, Abraham pushes on, despite the distance, and aims to bridge that gap, not only geographically but spiritually as well.

After the fact, after Abraham successfully passes the challenge of obeying God’s command and after Isaac is spared, Abraham realizes that God’s apparent distance was a good and necessary thing. It made him tap into his love of God. It made him dig deeper into the inner recesses of his soul and realize that God is always with him, no matter how “distant” God may seem.

Abraham passed on this capacity to feel God to all of his descendants. It is one of the reasons that in the Amida prayer we reference the “shield of Abraham.” It energizes and invigorates our ability to connect to God, whether we are feeling near or distant. In a certain sense, there can even be an advantage to feeling distant as that can increase the yearning, the desire and the impetus to reach out to God and to explore our own inner reserves to find and connect with Him.

May we always find God, no matter how distant He may seem.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of Yazan Fallah from Kasra Samia, and Shirel Aboukaret from Netanya, the two Border Police officers killed in the terrorist attack in Hadera on Sunday.

5781, Bechor Shor, Leviticus, Metzorah, Parsha, Tazria

The Symbolism of Sin (Tazria-Metzora)

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The Symbolism of Sin (Tazria-Metzora)

 The essence of all immorality and sin is making ourselves the center around which we subordinate all interest. -Cecil J. Sharpe

The Torah reports regarding an unusual skin disease called Tzaraat (popularly mistranslated as leprosy). The person who suffered from Tzaraat was called a Metzora. The Talmud discusses what the causes of Tzaraat might be. While all are in agreement that Tzaraat is a physical manifestation of some internal, spiritual malady showing the Metzora that he or she did something wrong, the prime suspect as to the cause of Tzaraat is gossip.

One of the repercussions of being diagnosed with Tzaraat was that the Metzora was expelled from the camp (or the town) until they had recovered, and after a clean bill of health and a purification process, they were allowed to return to their home and community.

What is perhaps more interesting than this unusual disease itself and everything it may symbolize is the ritual involved in declaring a Metzora purified and able to rejoin the community.

The Torah prescribes that the officiating Kohen take two live sacrificial birds, some cedar wood, red thread, hyssop, and a clay vessel filled with fresh water. One of the birds was slaughtered over the fresh water of the clay vessel. Then the live bird, together with the cedar wood, red thread, and hyssop was dipped in the vessel and used to sprinkle the mixture on the Metzora. The live bird was then set free.

The Bechor Shor on Leviticus 14:4-5 details the symbolism of the various components involved:

The cedar is among the tallest of trees, while the hyssop is among the lowest of plants, to represent that the Metzora has fallen from the highest heights to the lowest lows, but can return to those heights. And what caused this fall? Sin. The sin is represented by the red thread. The challenge of sin often starts as slim as a thread. The dead bird represents the Metzora whose sins have in a certain spiritual sense caused him to die. Mixing the live bird with both the fresh water and the blood of the dead bird represents the possibility of the Metzora’s rebirth and rehabilitation. He can leave his sordid past behind and become a new, sanctified person. Releasing the live bird to freedom, to rejoin its flock, symbolizes the former Metzora’s ability to both leave sin and rejoin his community.

However, the clay vessel symbolizes the fragility of his repentance. Just as a clay vessel is easily broken and cannot be mended, if a Metzora were to damage his hard-earned repentance, it may be that much more difficult for him to abandon his sins.

May we always have the strength to avoid both old and new sins.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of Israel’s fallen sons and daughters, as well as to Israel on the 73rd anniversary of its rebirth.

5780, Leviticus, Meshech Chochma, Metzorah, Parsha, Tazria

Spiritual First Responders (Tazria-Metzora)

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Spiritual First Responders (Tazria-Metzora)

A man of courage is also full of faith. -Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

It’s fascinating and even a little eerie, that the Torah, written more than 3,300 years ago, already prescribes ideas of quarantine, isolation, contagion and social distancing millennia before the modern world figured it out for itself.

This week’s Torah reading of Tazria-Metzora deals with the spiritual-physical malady known as Tzaraat. It was an unusual skin condition that was the result of a spiritual-ethical failing, most commonly attributed to gossiping, but could also be caused by a host of other shortcomings. Tzaraat should not be confused with leprosy, an incorrect translation that is often used.

The Torah further details the treatment protocol of someone infected with Tzaraat. The afflicted person needed to be seen by a Kohen who would determine if it was indeed Tzaraat. If the Kohen confirmed that it was Tzaraat, the patient needed to leave their house, leave the entire encampment of Israel and remain in isolation until the Tzaraat was gone. The Meshech Chochma on Leviticus 13:2 delves deeper into the disease and specifically those tasked with intervention, the Kohens.

According to the Meshech Chochma, quoting Talmudic sources, Tzaraat was highly contagious. It may be that it was not necessarily from the physical transmission, but rather because the infected person suffered from a defect of the spirit, an ethical virus, that could easily be transmitted to someone with a weak spiritual immune system or other underlying spiritual maladies. That is one of the reasons the infected person would have to call out “impure, impure,” so people would know to avoid him and practice social distancing from him.

Because of the danger of the disease, and its possibility to easily infect others, one group from within Israel, the Kohens, who had already been separated and sanctified from within the rest of the people of Israel, were tasked with treating Tzaraat. The Kohens were designated to be the first responders, the doctors, and nurses who would check, diagnose, treat and tend to these spiritually afflicted people, even though the job took them out of their normal working environment of the Tabernacle. The Meshech Chochma states that the special designation of the Kohens gave them unique protection against the corrosive danger of the spiritual virus at the heart of Tzaraat.

The Kohen’s ancient role in Israel was to facilitate a Jew’s connection with God in the Tabernacle and later on in the Temple in Jerusalem. They braved an encounter with the dangerous virus of Tzaraat out of faith. The Kohen’s mission of being the spiritual physician of the people in turn provided him with protection against the spiritual virus.

May we all achieve and maintain spiritual and physical health and avoid viral infections of any sort.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of the Holocaust survivors, including my grandparents, Jakob and Ita Spitz z”l.

5779, Berdichever, Leviticus, Parsha, Tazria, The Times of Israel

Two Dates of Redemption (Tazria)

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Two Dates of Redemption (Tazria)

Time is Too slow for those who wait, Too swift for those who fear, Too long for those who grieve, Too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love, time is not. -Henry Van Dyke

The beginning of the Torah reading of Tazria describes the ritual laws about a woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby boy or a baby girl. There are different periods of ritual impurity depending on the gender, as well as accompanying sacrifices that the woman must bring as part of the ritual purification process.

There is a popular Midrash on those verses that explains that the timing of the act of procreation can determine the gender of the child. The Midrash states that if the woman “gives seed” first, a boy will be born, while if the man “gives seed” first, the resulting child will be a girl.

The Berdichever explains that the above Midrash is a hint as to the form and timing of the future prophesized redemption. In the Talmud there is a debate as to when the promised redemption will occur. One opinion states that it will happen in the Hebrew month of Tishrei (September-October) when we have the holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yomi Kippur and Sukkot. The other opinion is that the future redemption will happen during the Hebrew month of Nissan (April-May), when the festival of Pesach occurs, the same season of our original redemption from the slavery of Egypt.

The Berdichiver connects the timing of the redemption to the actions of the Jewish nation. The case of the woman “giving seed” first is parallel to our own successful human efforts for which no fault is found. However, the case of the man “giving seed” first is parallel to God’s direct intervention in providing for the Jewish nation, when we couldn’t provide for ourselves or didn’t make the necessary effort. In that case, fault can be found.

Similarly, when the nation of Israel makes its own efforts in getting closer to God, in performing good deeds, in bringing the redemption closer, then the redemption will occur in the month of Tishrei, even though it is a month intertwined with the concept of divine justice. However, when we fall short, when God needs to pick up our slack, then the redemption will occur in the month of Nissan, a month when the attribute of justice doesn’t hold sway, but rather the attribute of mercy.

May we merit redemption, speedily in our days, as quickly and as powerfully as possible.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Rabbi Osher Weiss. An inspirational figure.

5778, Leviticus, Metzorah, Parsha, Rabbeinu Bechaye, Tazria, The Times of Israel

Easy Murder (Tazria-Metzora)

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Easy Murder (Tazria-Metzora)

Murderers are not monsters, they’re men. And that’s the most frightening thing about them. -Alice Sebold

The Torah spends several chapters on the ritual treatment of a biblical spiritual malady called “Tzaraat” popularly mistranslated as leprosy. The person who suffered from the Tzaraat, called a “Metzora”, while not a leper, did suffer from an unusual skin condition that was cured in biblical times by exile from the camp and then a ritual purification and sacrifice process.

Most rabbinic commentators explain that the malady of Tzaraat affected primarily those guilty of gossiping. Gossiping was so onerous a crime that God Himself would alter the laws of nature and personally intervene to strike the offending gossiper with this strange and unusual malady.

Rabbeinu Bechaye on Leviticus 14:2 (Metzora) quotes the Talmud that states that gossiping is so horrendous that it is actually worse than murder, illicit relations and idolatry COMBINED.

I always thought this Talmudic dictum somewhat of an exaggeration, until I had the misfortune to witness first-hand the destruction caused by gossip. It has to do with cutting bonds.

Murder is the cutting of the bond of life; cutting off or destroying the connection between a body and a soul.

Illicit relations is the cutting of the bond of family. Adulterers destroy the bond between a husband and wife, sabotaging that basic unit of society.

Idolatry is the cutting of the bond with God. Idolaters sever the connection between man and the divine.

Then why is gossiping worse than all three of the cardinal sins put together? Because a gossiper destroys all of these bonds, and more. Gossip destroys the bonds of self, of family, of faith, and of community. It is a betrayal of the trust that is inherent in any group, destroying all the bonds that make us who we are. There are few murders that are worse than that.

Rabbeinu Bechaye adds another Talmudic dictum that gossip kills three people. It kills the gossiper, it kills the listener and it kills the person being gossiped about.

So the next time you want to share a juicy or even innocuous tidbit about someone you know, think again. You may be committing murder.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Devorah and David Katz on the opening of their new bakery location of Pat BaMelach in Efrat. Check it out!

5777, Hirsch, Leviticus, Metzorah, Parsha, Tazria, The Times of Israel

It’s not leprosy!

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It’s not leprosy!

When the world has got hold of a lie, it is astonishing how hard it is to kill it. You beat it over the head, till it seems to have given up the ghost, and behold! the next day it is as healthy as ever.  -Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

The Torah describes a condition called Tzaraat, which has continuously and erroneously been translated as leprosy. The only connection between these two terms is that they refer to some skin condition, but except for that they are dissimilar and incomparable.

One of the most important Roman historians, Tacitus, is guilty of a great crime against the Jewish people. Besides his anti-Semitic rhetoric, perhaps the most long-lasting damage has been his interpretation of the Hebrew word Tzaraat as leprosy. Tacitus, almost 2,000 years ago, wrote the following fanciful account in his history of the Jews:

“Most writers, however, agree in stating that once a disease, which horribly disfigured the body, broke out over Egypt; that king Bocchoris, seeking a remedy, consulted the oracle of Hammon, and was bidden to cleanse his realm, and to convey into some foreign land this race detested by the gods.”

“The people, who had been collected after diligent search, finding themselves left in a desert, sat for the most part in a stupor of grief, till one of the exiles, Moses by name, warned them not to look for any relief from God or man, forsaken as they were of both, but to trust to themselves, taking for their heaven-sent leader that man who should first help them to be quit of their present misery. They agreed, and in utter ignorance began to advance at random.”

Tacitus continues to spout further venomous nonsense, which centuries later was picked up by modern historians.  However, perhaps Tacitus’ greatest offense is that his characterization of Tzaraat as leprosy has even made it into modern translations of the Torah.

Rabbi Hirsch on Leviticus Chapter 13 attacks “Tacitus’ fairy tale” and provides a detailed and lengthy explanation of exactly how Tzaraat has nothing to do with the disease known as leprosy. Tzaraat is not contagious nor were those afflicted quarantined.  Tzaraat is a physical manifestation upon the skin of a spiritual malady. The result of a person contracting Tzaraat is that he is considered ritually impure, not sick.

In the words of Rabbi Hirsch, Tzaraat is the result of “such sins as arrogance, falsehood, avarice and slander which escape the authority of human tribunals.” As a result, God Himself intervenes and dispenses justice by affecting the sinners’ body, possessions and home.

May we distance ourselves from negative personality traits and acts and thereby be spared from God’s modern substitutes for Tzaraat, which contrary to popular translations have nothing to do with leprosy!

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Ed and Dalia Stelzer for their hospitality and more.

5776, Leviticus, Parsha, Sfat Emet, Tazria, The Times of Israel

Conservation of Intelligence

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Conservation of Intelligence

A large section of the intelligentsia seems wholly devoid of intelligence. -G. K. Chesterton

conservationenergyIn physics, there is a principle of conservation of energy, whereby the total energy in a closed system can never increase. It can be transformed, it can be transferred, but there must always be a balance. All the energy that went into the system is accounted for.

The Sfat Emet in 567 (1836) states that there is a similar principle at work in how we use our time and our faculties. He claims that every person, amongst other things, is gifted with a certain measure of intelligence, as well as with a life-force to accomplish what they set out to do. If a person uses all of their intelligence and life-force in the pursuit of material and mundane matters, they will not have any to spare for Torah and commandments, for the eternal and the spiritual.

He associates this lack with the biblical ailment known as “tzaraat” (often, but inaccurately translated as “leprosy”). When a person was occupied with a superficial existence, the signs would start to show on their skin. In our own day, by realizing that we are overly engaged with fleeting and less important items, we have the opportunity to reprioritize our time and strengths and dedicate ourselves to what is truly healthy and important.

May we use our God-given intelligence and life-force only for good.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To our son Akiva who is starting his active military service this week.

5775, Baal Haturim, Leviticus, Parsha, Tazria, The Times of Israel

Animal Tension

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First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/tazria-animal-tension/

Baal Haturim Leviticus: Tazria

Animal Tension

Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them. -Samuel Butler

doves

There is an internal debate within the Torah as to the treatment of animals. There is an explicit command against cruelty to animals, known in Hebrew as “tzaar baalei chaim” – that we must refrain from causing anguish to animals. However, it is also a given in the Torah that we can eat kosher animals, sacrifice them and use their skins.

So where do we draw the line? The Torah in multiple places provides protection and great sensitivity to animals: you can’t muzzle an animal while it’s working, you can’t overburden the load on an animal, you cannot have two different species pulling a load together, and additional protections. But it seems clear that animals can be used for constructive purposes. They can be harnessed as beasts of burden. They can be killed for digestive, sartorial or ritual purposes.

The Baal Haturim on Leviticus 12:6 gives at the same time what is perhaps the finest dilineation of the sensitivity and the uses the Torah assigns to animals.

Amongst the various animal sacrifices that can be brought in the Temple, there are also birds. There are two types of birds that are mentioned: The “Torim” and the “Bnei Yona” (often translated as doves and young pigeons though there is some disagreement as to the exact nomenclature). Most often these bird sacrifices are brought in pairs, and the phrase that is used is “Torim o Bnei Yona”, with the “Torim” always before the “Bnei Yona”. However, in one instance, where only one bird is sacrificed, the order is reversed.

The Baal Haturim explains that the Torah has an extreme sensitivity to the well-being of the animals. The “Torim” are apparently a lifelong monogomous species and if one of them were to be sacrificed the partner would remain mate-less for life. So in the case of a single bird sacrifice it is preferable to bring from the faithless “Bnei Yona” that will not impact on any avian soul-mates.

May we treat animals with their due respect and understand their acceptable uses.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To our sons Akiva and Elchanan who’ve been taking care of the precious Jerusalem Biblical Zoo and its special residents.

 

 

5774, Leviticus, Netziv, Parsha, Tazria, The Times of Israel

A Secret of Jewish Marriage

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First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/tazria-a-secret-of-jewish-marriage/

Netziv Leviticus: Tazria

A Secret of Jewish Marriage

“Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you’ve conquered human nature.” -Charles Dickens

There is a commandment that is not spoken about frequently or openly due to its sensitive nature and as a result is also not well known amongst many people. It is the law of Family Purity (taharat ha’mishpacha).

In essence, what it legislates, is that a married couple cannot have any physical contact the days during which the woman experiences her monthly period of menstruation. The couple can only touch again after a suitable period of waiting and after the woman has gone to the ritual bath (mikveh).

This monthly cycle of separation and reunion can have a transformative effect on the couple’s relationship and marriage. The Netziv on Leviticus 12:2 explains that this is purposeful. By having a brief period of enforced separation from intimacy each spouse may become more attracted to the other. Besides increasing the physical attraction, it also frames the relationship as not just a physical one but also a spiritual one. It encourages the couple to talk to each other. It inspires the couple to find and do activities together beyond just the physical. Instead of focusing just on our bodies, we also focus on our souls.

Anyone wanting to know more about this important aspect of married Jewish life is invited to contact your local Rabbi or Rebbetzin.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Mikveh ladies who selflessly assist in this vital commandment.