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Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
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An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback/Subscribe: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
1. What A Beautiful Baby
Parshat Tazria opens with laws of ritual purity relating to childbirth. After the birth of a son, the mother is considered ritually impure for seven days. She then immerses in a mikvah (ritual bath), after which she assumes a new, slightly different status of ritual impurity for a further 33 days (Chap. 12, verse 4).
The question: What does the fact that ritual impurity accompanies the birth of a child teach us?
The answer: Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlap (1883-1951, Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav) says we can learn an important lesson from this - just because childbirth results in ritual impurity, does that mean women should stop giving birth? Of course not, because we recognize that the act of giving birth, with the attendant joy and hope of bringing a new life into the world, far outweighs the temporary impurity that results. Similarly, says Rabbi Charlap, Israel?s final redemption will come about in the same way ? there will be ritual uncleanliness, but there will also be great joy and faith in the future. Hence, we should not denigrate the onset of the redemption even if it is accompanied by some ritual impurity.
The lesson: As the modern State of Israel celebrates its 53rd birthday, there are still those who question its value in religious terms because the State and its institutions do not always abide by Jewish law. The issue is a difficult one, for the State is the embodiment of Jewish sovereignty and as such represents the Jewish people. Thus, if the State acts contrary to Jewish laws or values, it is understandable why some might be tempted to deny its role as a harbinger of the final redemption. But, as we see from Rabbi Charlap?s explanation above, we should not allow the impurity to dominate our view of the overall event or call into question its beauty and significance. Anyone who has been in a delivery room when a child is born knows it is a magnificent, albeit somewhat messy, event. And the majesty of the moment is no less grand as a result. The same holds true for the State of Israel ? even though its growth and development have not always been as clean or as pretty as one might have wished, we must bear in mind that such things are far outweighed by the miraculous and extraordinary nature of its birth. Just as one loves a child even when it gets a little soiled, so too must our love for the State of Israel be strong enough to withstand the occasional stain or blemish.
2. What A Beautiful Home
In Parshat Metzora, the Torah details the laws relating to the affliction of Tzara?at, an ailment that would strike a person who had committed certain sins, such as gossiping or slandering. The person stricken with the malady was known as a Metzora and his atonement process is described in the Parsha. Additionally, the Torah says that once the Jewish people would enter the Land of Israel, a person?s house could be stricken with Tzara?at. It would appear on the walls of the structure and would then have to be examined by a priest to determine if in fact it was Tzara?at (Chap. 14, verses 33-53). When a person noticed that his house was afflicted, the Torah says, ?the one to whom the house belongs shall come and tell the priest: ?Something like an affliction has appeared to me in the house?? (Chap. 14, verse 35).
The question: Why does the person tell the priest that ?something like an affliction? is in the house? Why must he qualify the statement?
The answer: Rashi notes that even a Torah scholar who is certain that it is a Tzara?at affliction is not permitted to say so definitively when he speaks to the priest. Rather, he may only say ?Something like an affliction.? The Iturei Torah (citing the Ish Yehudi) explains: we see from this that even if someone is a great scholar, he should not hurry to declare that there is something wrong among the Jewish people, the House of Israel. Instead, he must qualify his speech ? ?something like? or ?it seems to me?, because to cast aspersions on the Jewish people is improper.
The lesson: Living in Israel often requires a great deal of patience. The bureaucracy, the manners, the different style of driving on the roads ? it can be a major adjustment for a Jew from a Western country. The craziness of the political system and the pressures of daily life do not make the challenge any easier. Indeed, it is very easy for the difficulties to coalesce, building up into a crescendo of disgust that often leads one to criticize ?those Israelis?. While such sentiments may let off steam and make us feel better, we see from the case of the owner of the Tzara?at house that a person must be more careful in how he speaks with regard to the Jewish people. As Rashi pointed out, even if one is certain regarding the ?affliction?, one still must qualify it ? ?something like? or ?it seems to me?. Such an approach may seem anachronistic to us ? we are accustomed to speaking our minds or ?calling it like we see it?. But by restraining ourselves just a bit, by being more precise and more careful in how we speak about Israel and the Jewish people, we are implicitly demonstrating a level of respect (and self-respect) for G-d?s Chosen People. And toning down the rhetoric can only make the House of Israel a far nicer place to live.
3. The Hidden Treasures
In the case of the Tzara?at house (the home of someone who had sinned by gossiping or slandering could be stricken with Tzara?at - see above in #2), the Torah says that if the priest concludes the house is contaminated, then it is to be placed in a seven-day quarantine, after which the priest returns to examine it. If the affliction has spread on the walls of the house in the intervening period, the contaminated stones are to be removed from the structure and dumped outside the city, while the mortar must be scraped off the walls. And if after all of that, the affliction remains, then the owner is required to demolish the house (Chap. 14, verse 45).
The question: How can we understand the phenomena of a house being stricken by an ailment?
The answer: Commenting on Chap. 14, verse 34, Rashi cites the Midrash, which notes that the affliction of the houses with Tzara?at is in fact good news for the Jewish people. The Midrash states that the Emorites (one of the seven nations that resided in the Land of Israel until the arrival of the Jewish people) had hidden their treasures of gold in the walls of their homes, fearful of the impending arrival of the Jews after the Exodus from Egypt. After the Jews entered the Land of Israel and conquered it, the Emorite homes became Jewish property, and Jews moved right in to them. By subsequently forcing people to demolish the homes, the Tzara?at affliction enabled the Jews to discover the hidden treasures buried within which they might otherwise have overlooked.
The lesson: Imagine the worry and concern that the owner of a Tzara?at house would be experiencing ? he must wait seven days for the priest to examine the house, to see if the affliction has spread. He may have to undertake some renovations, removing some stones, and he may then be forced to knock down his entire house. All because of the sin of gossip or slandering. It seems harsh. But imagine the owner?s relief, even his joy, when he knocks down the house and finds within it a hoard of wealth and valuables. We see from this that even the most trying of circumstances contains within it the potential to enrich us. This lesson is true both on a personal level and on a national level. For the individual, the trauma of the Tzara?at forced the owner of the home to look deep within himself and his residence, to tear down the unhealthy bricks and stones, enabling him to start over again, enriched and purified beyond his previous state. Applying this lesson on a national level, we can gain an insight into the pain and suffering that the State of Israel has endured in the past 53 years. Indeed, it is hard to understand why the country?s walls have repeatedly been shaken or why, at times, it has seemed that the entire structure was on the verge of collapsing. But ultimately, these troubles have forced us as a nation to confront head on why we are here and what it means. We have seen in recent years how quickly a nation can forget its history and how easily it can hand over parts of its historic homeland to an unrepentant foe. The resulting difficulties have been painful, and will likely get worse before they get better. But they have also awakened within many a dormant sense of Jewish pride and patriotism, which had previously been lulled into slumber by lullabies of a false peace. Like the owner of the Tzara?at house, the challenge now for Israel is to seize upon those buried treasures of national confidence and faith, and to use them to rebuild.
Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback/Subscribe: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
1. What A Beautiful Baby
Parshat Tazria opens with laws of ritual purity relating to childbirth. After the birth of a son, the mother is considered ritually impure for seven days. She then immerses in a mikvah (ritual bath), after which she assumes a new, slightly different status of ritual impurity for a further 33 days (Chap. 12, verse 4).
The question: What does the fact that ritual impurity accompanies the birth of a child teach us?
The answer: Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlap (1883-1951, Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav) says we can learn an important lesson from this - just because childbirth results in ritual impurity, does that mean women should stop giving birth? Of course not, because we recognize that the act of giving birth, with the attendant joy and hope of bringing a new life into the world, far outweighs the temporary impurity that results. Similarly, says Rabbi Charlap, Israel?s final redemption will come about in the same way ? there will be ritual uncleanliness, but there will also be great joy and faith in the future. Hence, we should not denigrate the onset of the redemption even if it is accompanied by some ritual impurity.
The lesson: As the modern State of Israel celebrates its 53rd birthday, there are still those who question its value in religious terms because the State and its institutions do not always abide by Jewish law. The issue is a difficult one, for the State is the embodiment of Jewish sovereignty and as such represents the Jewish people. Thus, if the State acts contrary to Jewish laws or values, it is understandable why some might be tempted to deny its role as a harbinger of the final redemption. But, as we see from Rabbi Charlap?s explanation above, we should not allow the impurity to dominate our view of the overall event or call into question its beauty and significance. Anyone who has been in a delivery room when a child is born knows it is a magnificent, albeit somewhat messy, event. And the majesty of the moment is no less grand as a result. The same holds true for the State of Israel ? even though its growth and development have not always been as clean or as pretty as one might have wished, we must bear in mind that such things are far outweighed by the miraculous and extraordinary nature of its birth. Just as one loves a child even when it gets a little soiled, so too must our love for the State of Israel be strong enough to withstand the occasional stain or blemish.
2. What A Beautiful Home
In Parshat Metzora, the Torah details the laws relating to the affliction of Tzara?at, an ailment that would strike a person who had committed certain sins, such as gossiping or slandering. The person stricken with the malady was known as a Metzora and his atonement process is described in the Parsha. Additionally, the Torah says that once the Jewish people would enter the Land of Israel, a person?s house could be stricken with Tzara?at. It would appear on the walls of the structure and would then have to be examined by a priest to determine if in fact it was Tzara?at (Chap. 14, verses 33-53). When a person noticed that his house was afflicted, the Torah says, ?the one to whom the house belongs shall come and tell the priest: ?Something like an affliction has appeared to me in the house?? (Chap. 14, verse 35).
The question: Why does the person tell the priest that ?something like an affliction? is in the house? Why must he qualify the statement?
The answer: Rashi notes that even a Torah scholar who is certain that it is a Tzara?at affliction is not permitted to say so definitively when he speaks to the priest. Rather, he may only say ?Something like an affliction.? The Iturei Torah (citing the Ish Yehudi) explains: we see from this that even if someone is a great scholar, he should not hurry to declare that there is something wrong among the Jewish people, the House of Israel. Instead, he must qualify his speech ? ?something like? or ?it seems to me?, because to cast aspersions on the Jewish people is improper.
The lesson: Living in Israel often requires a great deal of patience. The bureaucracy, the manners, the different style of driving on the roads ? it can be a major adjustment for a Jew from a Western country. The craziness of the political system and the pressures of daily life do not make the challenge any easier. Indeed, it is very easy for the difficulties to coalesce, building up into a crescendo of disgust that often leads one to criticize ?those Israelis?. While such sentiments may let off steam and make us feel better, we see from the case of the owner of the Tzara?at house that a person must be more careful in how he speaks with regard to the Jewish people. As Rashi pointed out, even if one is certain regarding the ?affliction?, one still must qualify it ? ?something like? or ?it seems to me?. Such an approach may seem anachronistic to us ? we are accustomed to speaking our minds or ?calling it like we see it?. But by restraining ourselves just a bit, by being more precise and more careful in how we speak about Israel and the Jewish people, we are implicitly demonstrating a level of respect (and self-respect) for G-d?s Chosen People. And toning down the rhetoric can only make the House of Israel a far nicer place to live.
3. The Hidden Treasures
In the case of the Tzara?at house (the home of someone who had sinned by gossiping or slandering could be stricken with Tzara?at - see above in #2), the Torah says that if the priest concludes the house is contaminated, then it is to be placed in a seven-day quarantine, after which the priest returns to examine it. If the affliction has spread on the walls of the house in the intervening period, the contaminated stones are to be removed from the structure and dumped outside the city, while the mortar must be scraped off the walls. And if after all of that, the affliction remains, then the owner is required to demolish the house (Chap. 14, verse 45).
The question: How can we understand the phenomena of a house being stricken by an ailment?
The answer: Commenting on Chap. 14, verse 34, Rashi cites the Midrash, which notes that the affliction of the houses with Tzara?at is in fact good news for the Jewish people. The Midrash states that the Emorites (one of the seven nations that resided in the Land of Israel until the arrival of the Jewish people) had hidden their treasures of gold in the walls of their homes, fearful of the impending arrival of the Jews after the Exodus from Egypt. After the Jews entered the Land of Israel and conquered it, the Emorite homes became Jewish property, and Jews moved right in to them. By subsequently forcing people to demolish the homes, the Tzara?at affliction enabled the Jews to discover the hidden treasures buried within which they might otherwise have overlooked.
The lesson: Imagine the worry and concern that the owner of a Tzara?at house would be experiencing ? he must wait seven days for the priest to examine the house, to see if the affliction has spread. He may have to undertake some renovations, removing some stones, and he may then be forced to knock down his entire house. All because of the sin of gossip or slandering. It seems harsh. But imagine the owner?s relief, even his joy, when he knocks down the house and finds within it a hoard of wealth and valuables. We see from this that even the most trying of circumstances contains within it the potential to enrich us. This lesson is true both on a personal level and on a national level. For the individual, the trauma of the Tzara?at forced the owner of the home to look deep within himself and his residence, to tear down the unhealthy bricks and stones, enabling him to start over again, enriched and purified beyond his previous state. Applying this lesson on a national level, we can gain an insight into the pain and suffering that the State of Israel has endured in the past 53 years. Indeed, it is hard to understand why the country?s walls have repeatedly been shaken or why, at times, it has seemed that the entire structure was on the verge of collapsing. But ultimately, these troubles have forced us as a nation to confront head on why we are here and what it means. We have seen in recent years how quickly a nation can forget its history and how easily it can hand over parts of its historic homeland to an unrepentant foe. The resulting difficulties have been painful, and will likely get worse before they get better. But they have also awakened within many a dormant sense of Jewish pride and patriotism, which had previously been lulled into slumber by lullabies of a false peace. Like the owner of the Tzara?at house, the challenge now for Israel is to seize upon those buried treasures of national confidence and faith, and to use them to rebuild.