Metzora

Leviticus 14:1-15:33

The Subtleties Of One Letter

We can learn numerous lessons from the statement of the owner of a house that appears to be afflicted with spiritual defilement.

By Rabbi Avraham Fischer; Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.

The first signs of tzaraat [a disease often translated as leprosy] must be examined carefully.

Tzara’at is the collective name for afflictions that attack the body, clothing or house; the usual translation of “leprosy” is inaccurate. Tzara’at is a source of tum’ah (a hard word to translate as well; the best we might say is “spiritual defilement” determined by physical conditions), and requires purification (taharah).

The rabbis teach that Hashem incurs tzara’at on one whose character is flawed by, for example, speaking ill of others or selfishness (Tractate Arachin 15-16). At first his house is affected, then his clothing, and only after these manifestations is his body afflicted. Tzara’atis a “good pain,” punishing him at a stage when these faults can still be rectified.
House-Tzaraat

First comes house-tzaraat:

When you will come to the land of Canaan which I give to you for a possession, and I will put the plague of tzara’at in a house of the land of your possession. And he to whom the house belongs shall come and tell the priest, saying: ‘Something like a plague has appeared to me in the house.’ Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest comes to view the plague, so that all that is in the house be not made tamei (spiritually defiled); then afterwards the priest shall come to view the house (Vayikra 14:34-36).

Rashi refers to the Mishnah (Nega’im 12:5): Even if the owner of the house who notices the signs is a scholar, and is able to determine with certainty that this is tzara’at, he may not state categorically “nega”--“A plague has appeared to me in the house,” but rather “k’nega”--“Something like a plague has appeared to me in the house.” The Rambam codifies this in the Laws of the Uncleanness of Tzara’at (14:4).

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Shabbat Tazria HaChodesh

Lev. 12:1-13:59 and Ex. 12:1-20

Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb for the Orthodox Union

My Earliest Memory

Have you ever been asked the question, “What is your earliest memory?”?

I have been asked that question many times. There was a time, long ago, when I was a graduate student in psychology, when that question was posed. The answer was considered very revealing of the respondent’s deeper psyche.

Such exceptionally early memories were known in psychoanalytic circles as “screen memories” and were considered quite significant diagnostically. The scientific significance of such memories is now considered to have no basis, but they are certainly interesting and make for great conversation.

Considering the question posed, I had a clear image of my first memory. I was standing outside a brick building, looking up at my father, may he rest in peace, surrounded by a small crowd of other men. Everyone was looking at the moon.

This may have been my first experience, at age three or four, of Kiddush Levana, the monthly ceremony during which the congregation exits the synagogue and acknowledges the first appearance of the new moon.

I have another memory of the religious significance of this ceremony. I remember being told that the Hebrew word for “month” is “chodesh” and the Hebrew word for “new” is “chadash”. It was then that I learned of the significance of the new moon which commences a new month, and became aware for the first time that the Jewish people follow the lunar, not solar, calendar.

This week, we read the Torah portion of Tazria. But since it is also the very last Sabbath before the new moon of the month of Nisan, the month of Passover and spring time and the beginning of the new calendar year, we will also read an additional portion from Exodus 12:1-20, known as Parshat HaChodesh. Famously, according to Rashi, these verses are the true beginning of the Torah.

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Shabbat Parah

Shemini, Leviticus 9:1-11:47 & Num. 19:1-22

The Role Of The Elders

Several commentators discuss the relationship of the elders to the priests, the people, Moses, and God.

By Rabbi Avraham Fischer; Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.
The great day has finally arrived! All that preceded this day--the Exodus from Egypt, the Revelation at Sinai, and the building and dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)--was a process designed to bring Hashem’s uninterrupted Presence into the camp of Israel.

The shameful sin of the golden calf nearly brought about the destruction of the people of Israel.

However, after much painful soul-searching, Hashem and His people are reconciled. For seven days, Aaron and his sons have trained to serve as the Kohanim (priests); now, on the eighth day, nearly one year since the Exodus on the first of the month of Nisan, the moment of Divine union is here:

1) And it was on the eighth day that Moses called for Aaron and for his sons and for the elders of Israel.

2) And he said to Aaron: Take for yourself a young calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for an elevation-offering, complete without blemish, and offer them before Hashem.

3) And to the Children of Israel you shall speak, saying: Take a he-goat for a sin-offering and a calf and a sheep in their first year, complete without blemish, for an elevation-offering,

4) And an ox and a ram for a peace-offering to sacrifice before Hashem, and a meal-offering mixed with oil; for today Hashem appears to you.

5) And they took that which Moses had commanded before the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congregation drew near and they stood before Hashem.

6) And Moses said, “This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do, and the glory of Hashem will appear to you” (Vayikra, chapter 9).

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Tzav

Leviticus 6:1−8:36

The Obligation To Give Thanks

The thanksgiving offering teaches us the importance of thanking God as a communal sharing of faith and appreciation.

By Rabbi Lawrence S. Zierler, Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.

Much can be learned, in terms of social graces and religious etiquette from the korban todah, the thanksgiving offering detailed in this week’s parshah.

Rashi, basing himself on the Talmud, lists the four who bring a todah: one who returns from travel at sea; one who returns from a journey in the wilderness; one who is released from prison; and one who recovers from an illness.

This comment of Rashi requires an explanation. We know that bringing a thanksgiving offering is not obligatory; it is a voluntary heartfelt gesture. The priests and the courts could never demand that someone bring a todah.

How can Rashi then imply that specific cases require one to offer an animal as evidence of his thanks?

Moral, Not Legal

We might better understand the korban todah as a moral requirement, not a legal one. Accordingly, the Gemara uses the term tzrichin (should), implying that one is expected to bring a todah as prescribed by the Gemara.

If the Gemara intended to obligate one to bring an offering in these four cases, it would have used the term chayavim, which indicates a halachic (Jewish legal) imperative. This distinction not withstanding, one can still claim that offering thanks is, in fact, required.

Our need to thank Hashem and be cognizant of His kindness in an actively expressive way is an ethically binding commitment. The Chovos Halevavos (Duties of the Heart by Bachya ibn Pakuda, 11th century Spain) explains that the entire foundation of our service to God flows from our recognition that we owe the A-mighty our thanks.

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Vayikra

Leviticus 1:1−5:26

The Role Of Sacrifices

Sacrifices allow us to reach out to God using our physical and emotional drives.

By Rabbi Steven Weil; Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.

The theme of Sefer Vayikra (The Book of Leviticus) is korbanos, the animal sacrifices brought in the Tabernacle and, later, in the Temple.

The Rambam (Maimonides), in his Guide to the Perplexed, writes, "The purpose of sacrifices being incorporated into the Divine service of the Jewish people was to accommodate the transition of the people going from the extreme falsehood of idol worship to the extreme truth of worshipping one true God.

“The Jewish people had been steeped in an idolatrous culture and could only free themselves from it by utilizing the same form of animal sacrifice that they were accustomed to.

Now, through strict rules and regiments, they could direct it toward the service of God."

Misunderstood Statement

Unfortunately, this statement has been grossly misunderstood. The Rambam never meant to imply that korbanoswere a temporary means of service, whose practice would be abandoned as soon as the Jewish people were weaned from their idolatrous ways. Noach and his sons offered korbanos after the flood; Avraham offered various sacrifices. Neither of them needed to be weaned from idolatry.

Though the concept of animal sacrifices seems foreign, almost antithetical, to our notion of avodas Hashem (serving God), korbanoswere offered in the Temple on a daily basis. The detailed rituals of sacrifices played an essential role in the celebration of each Yom Tov (festival), and various sacrifices were offered to mark significant events in the lives of people.

Korbanos obviously played a major role in avodasHashem. How are we to understand that role?

Ultimate Way to Serve God

The ultimate way to serve God and come closer to Him is through prayer and Torah study, for those methods involve one’s heart and one’s intellect. At the same time, we are created with physical drives, and we are therefore driven to relate to God in a physical, tangible way. Offering a korban(from the word karov--to come close) is a hands-on project. But this very human need is not given free reign; rather, the offering of sacrifices is governed by strict regulations, in order that we tangibly relate to God in a true, proper way.

Furthermore, korbanos address the human emotion of guilt. After a person sins, it is natural for him to feel guilty about having done wrong, having failed to live up to expected standards of behavior. Instead of allowing a person to wallow in guilt, to feel disappointed and disillusioned and to succumb to a sense of hopelessness, the Torah requires the sinner to bring a sacrifice. He must purchase an animal--a living creature--bring it to the Temple, confess his sin, express a firm resolve never to repeat it, and then offer the sacrifice upon the altar. These steps allow for the individual to express his natural guilt in a constructive manner, to improve and cleanse his character instead of tarnish it.

Even in today’s times, in absence of korbanos, the Torah continues to challenge us to use our yeitzer hatov (good impulse) to control our yeitzer hara--our physical and emotional drives--and always channel them to achieve a higher purpose, to relate to God in a way that allows us to grow and improve and approach perfection.