לזכות רפואה שלימה אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה
This week, the reading of the Torah will consist of the parshiot of Tazria and Metzora; both parshasdeal with the fundamental theme of human holiness and purity, and contain many of the laws relating to childbirth and t’sara'at, the leprosy-like skin condition that is associated most often with the sin of lashon hara [evil speech about another-see Eiruchin 16A].
When dealing with the possibility of an individual suffering from t’sara'at, which typically consists of blemishes of various shades of colors on the skin, there are several steps that may be necessary; one of the possibilities includes the shaving of the hair on the skin around the blemish to ascertain if, in fact, the diagnosis of t’sara'at is needed. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for "shave" in the possuk [Vayikra 13’ 33’] is “והתגלח"--with the letter gimmel of the word traditionally being written larger than the other letters.
Chid"a in Nachal Kedumim explains, that this possuk is the midpoint of the pesukim of the entire Torah, and therefore is emphasized; he notes as well, that the halfway point of the words in the Torah [Vayikra 10’ 16’] are the words “דרש דרש", which translates as, "continuously seek out." Taken together, the acronym of the words that form the exact center of the Torah, as well as the large "gimmel" at the halfway point of the pesukim of the Torah, are gimmel and daled. The Gemara in Shabbat [104A] tells us that the letters gimmel and daled represent the words “גומל דלים", which translates as “pursue the mitzvah of charity [and chessed, lovingkindness]." Thus, the centrality of the Torah serves to allude to the great emphasis that Judaism places on the performance of chessed! Beyond the exacting nature of the letter of the Torah law is the underpinning of the concept that kindness for others is the foundation of all of the ideals of the Torah. As Rabbi Akiva states [see Rashi, Parshat Kedoshim 19’ 18’], the great rule of the Torah is, "Love your fellow as you love yourself."
Astoundingly, the Gemara in Sotah [14A] notes that the beginning and ending of the Torah also are designed to specifically allude to the potency and import of chessed, as the Torah begins with the story of Hashem crafting wondrous garments for Adam and Chava after their sinning, and ends with the burial of Moshe done by none other than Hashem Himself [as it were]! Hence, it is demonstrated that the beginning, middle, and ending of the Torah are all symbolic of the great need to perform chessed.
While this Devar Torah is certainly relevant to this week’s parshiot, as these parshiot contain the allusions mentioned earlier, they also connect beautifully to the time of year: We are in between Pesach and Shavuot, and the mitzvah specific to this time is the mitzvah of Sefirat Ha'omer. This period was originally the most joyous, for it served as a lead-up to the greatest event in Jewish history, the national acceptance of the Torah. As Rashi points out [see Shemot, Perek 19], one of the necessary preconditions to the acceptance of the Torah was the total and complete unity of Am Yisrael at that moment; in the words of Rashi, "As one person, with one heart." Approximately 1,000 years after the giving of the Torah, these special days became days of mourning, when Rabbi Akiva’s students failed to live up to the unique ideals required to maintain the authentic legacy of Judaism; rather than emulate our ancestors, who stood at Har Sinai as one, dissent and disagreement broke the ranks of Rabbi Akiva’s students, and they instead did not treat each other appropriately, and 24,000 of his students died as a result.
As per the perspective presented here, the primary component that allows for the acceptance and continued loyalty to the Torah must be undergirded by an authentic and sincere commitment to the pursuance of kindness to others; without this foundation, there is no beginning, middle or end to the Torah. Hence, Jewish tradition would negate itself without earnest and sincere dedication to the performance of chessed and sensitivity to our fellow Jews. It is for this reason, that during this precise time, Rabbi Akiva’s students died: As great as they were in Torah, without proper adherence to the laws of kindness, they could not serve as the conduit for the transmission of Torah traditions.
Dedicated in memory of all those who have perished and sacrificed for Am Yisrael.
Have a Great Shabbat!