Dvar Torah Parashat Tazria-Metzorah
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Dedicated in Honor of Our New Grandsons, Eliot D. Tawil, Jesse M. Pava, and Eliot Z. Tawil By Lori and Eliot Tawil and Family _______________________________________________________ Parashat Tazria - Metzorah / Shabbat Rosh Chodesh A Woman’s Extra Kedusha The parasha begins with laws of birth and that which is tameh—impure. Rabbi Frand points out a very interesting observation in Gemara Nidda that there are three partners in the creation of a baby: Hashem, the mother, and the father. As a woman carries a baby for nine months from conception to the final stages of giving birth, she is on a very high level of kedusha-holiness. In essence she becomes a partner with Hashem in creating a newborn baby! When Chava gave birth to the first baby, she said, “Kaniti ish et Hashem.” She felt that she was a direct partner with Hashem in creating her son, and so she named him Kayin. This is one reason why women are at a higher level than men. But once the woman gives birth, at the precise moment that the baby leaves her womb, she loses her extra kedusha. What is tum’ah—impurity? The Kuzari explains that tum’ah is the void that occurs when kedusha leaves a place. When a baby is born, the woman’s extra kedusha leaves, which creates a void where tum’ah sets in automatically. According to the Torah, a woman is tameh for seven days after giving birth to a son, and fourteen days after giving birth to a girl. The difference in the days of impurity is because a son is “a creation,” but a girl is a “creation that’s also a potential creator.” Because of this, there’s much more kedusha when a baby girl is born. When all that kedusha leaves the woman’s body, it creates a bigger void than the birth of a boy (who has less kedusha), so there’s more days of tum’ah. Our Connections Rabbi Blickstein teaches that there is a connection between the halachot of kashrut, giving birth, brit mila and tzara’at. These mitzvot relate to various forms of impurity that interrupt our connection with Hashem.
Chazal tells us, “V’nitmetem bam—and you will become impure through them [eating nonkosher].” It can also be translated as “and you will become stopped up through them.” This blockage cuts off the connection between the soul and the body, reducing the body’s ability to be a conduit for the Neshama.
As previously mentioned, when a woman gives birth there is a vacuum of kedusha which makes her impure. When a baby boy leaves the womb of kedusha and enters the world he is overtaken by tumah. When he gets a brit mila the impurity is removed from his body leaving him open to be filled with kedusha.
Finally, this week’s parasha the punishment for speaking lashon hara. When a person sins with his speech Hashem will punish that person’s body, clothes and house as a sign that Hashem has removed his kedusha from this person.
Tzara’at Last week, in Parashat Shemini, we learned how careful we have to be about what food enters our mouth. In this week’s parasha, Tazria, we learn how careful we have to be about what words exit our mouths. Speech, too, needs to be “kosher.” Our Sages have pointed out that humans are the only beings who are blessed with the power of speech, and with that power comes the responsibility of proper speech. Our Sages link the disease of tzara’at, loosely defined as leprosy, to lashon hara—the act of speaking negatively about others. Hashem sends this disease as a punishment and a warning to stop saying bad things about others. The Torah explains that the tzara’at will first arrive on the walls of one’s home, then it will spread to one’s clothing, and lastly it will appear on one’s skin. The tzara’at comes to those three articles because they all act as a person’s protection: his house protects his family, his clothes protect his body, and his skin protects his organs. The disease comes in that order as an escalating warning to give him a chance to stop speaking lashon hara. If someone has tzara’at he must remain secluded from others for at least seven days, until the kohen declares him pure. Tzara’at is a nega—plague which is spelled nun-gimel-ayin. The word ayin means both the letter ayin, as well as “eye.” If you move the letter ayin to the beginning of the word nega, it reads oneg—pleasure, which is the opposite of plague. This is to say, that if one looks upon others with ayin tova— a good eye, it will be good for him and will lead to oneg. On the other hand, if one looks at people with a negative light and speaks lashon hara about others, then he will get the nega, and the plague of tzara’at will come to his home, his clothes, and ultimately his skin.
The Snake’s Split Tongue We learned in Parashat Beresheet that the first case of lashon hara was when the snake told Chava that she could eat from the etz hadaat—Tree of Knowledge. In doing so, the snake spoke lashon hara against Hashem. We saw how Hashem punished the snake by making him crawl on his belly for the rest of his days, condemned to eat the dust of the earth. Our Sages teach us that Hashem also gave the snake dotted skin, a form of tzara’at, and a split tongue. The split tongue is significant because the snake used its tongue to speak wickedly and create a rift. In this case, he told Chava that it was okay to eat from the etz hadaat — which went directly against Hashem’s commandment not to eat from the tree — and this caused a rift between Adam and Hashem. If you look at all disputes, either between a husband and wife or between business partners and so on, they all originate from lashon hara, where one speaks ill of the other. We’re all aware that lashon hara is a terrible sin, yet we continue to do it. The question is, why are we so compelled to speak lashon hara when we know how bad it is? One answer is that lashon hara stems from our own insecurity, because by speaking negatively about others, we think we’re elevating ourselves. The remedy for not speaking lashon hara is to focus only on the good in people, and then we will have no need to make negative comments! The Hafetz Hayyim dedicated his life to the laws of lashon hara and wrote a book about it, which is essential reading for everyone, young and old! Feathers in the Wind There’s a parable about a man who spoke lashon hara all his life. Towards the end of his life, he asked the Rabbi if there was a way for him to do teshuvah. The Rabbi told him to take a feather pillow to the top of the Empire State building, rip it open, and let all the feathers fly out into the wind and blow all over the streets. The man did as he was told. He then reported to the Rabbi and asked, “Is that it?” The Rabbi said, “Oh, I forgot to mention — now that you’ve scattered the feathers into the wind and all over the streets, you must go and pick them all up!” The man protested, “That’s impossible!” The Rabbi answered, “That’s exactly what teshuvah is for lashon hara — impossible.” The scattered feathers — impossible to take back —is a symbol of the negative speech which is impossible to take back once it has been spread. People who engage in lashon hara have no control over the effects of their words. They do not know where the words will land, they cannot track the progress of those negative words, and they don’t know what damage the words have done, or whose reputation or happiness they have destroyed. Lashon hara spreads out in many directions which the original speaker can never foresee or know. And, most importantly, once you let out the negative speech, it is impossible to take it back or unsay what you have said, and thus you cannot make amends for all the damage you have done! Do Not Judge Others Rabbi Shlomo Landau tells a powerful story that happened in an ancient Arabian kingdom. A man was caught stealing and after his swift trial he was sentenced to death. The king decided to make a spectacle of the event to deter further thieves in his kingdom. He himself attended the execution. Right before his execution he was brought before the king and asked if he had any final words. The thief told the king he possessed a powerful secret that no one else knows-something that could change the kingdom forever. Intrigued, the king asked what it was. The man answered he knows how to grow apples from seed to fruit in ten minutes. The king incredulous of the idea raised an eyebrow, “Is that so? Very well. Your execution will be delayed. Show us.” The man requested apples, cinnamon, honey and spices. He made a mixture and cooked it over the flame. After a few minutes he declared it ready. He gave the mixture to the king and told him to plant it in the soil. The king, confused, asked the thief to plant it. The thief responded that only a man who has never stolen anything in his life can plant the mixture to make it work. The thief asked the court judge to plant it, but he refused. Stuttering, he said he might have taken something as a child. The thief asked around the room at the top officials, but everyone had an excuse. Finally, the thief turned to the king and asked him to plant the mixture. The king paled and admitted when he was a child he took something that was not his. The thief stood tall and addressed the court. “Look around you. In this entire court, not one person can say they are completely free from guilt. Even the king has erred. I am no worse than any of you, and yet I am the one you chose to condemn.” When a person speaks lashon hara he tells himself that he is more righteous than his fellow man. No one is perfect. We are not angels without sin. Yet we judge ourselves favorably and give excuses for why our negative actions were necessary. Yet to our fellow man we are hasty to judge and seal that person or their actions as bad. We must first look inward and judge ourselves, and then we will see the goodness of others. A Frightening Idea
Rabbi Frand brings down a frightening chiddush—idea from the Chovot HaLevavot. The idea is that if Reuven was to slander Shimon, it is said that all of Reuven’s mitzvot and merits that he accumulated up until that point will be transferred over to Shimon, and all of Shimon’s sins will be transferred to Reuven. The Chovot HaLevavot goes as far to tell a story about how Shimon sent Reuven a fruit basket as a gift for Reuven saying lashon hara about him, to thank and repay Reuven for transferring all his merits over to Shimon.
The Hafetz Hayim discusses a particular minhag—custom in one of his books. It is customary in the Amidah to say a passuk that begins and ends with the first and last letter of one’s name, in case he forgets his name when the Day of Judgement arrives, at least he will remember the passuk he recited thousands of times in his life. The Hafetz Hayyim asks, “Will a person really forget his name?”
He explains, when someone goes to the Heavenly Court and is suddenly credited with a whole range of mitzvot and averot he did not commit, the angels will call him by the many names of those who slandered him and whom he had slandered. He will become so confused! The passuk will have the first and last letter of his name, to remind him of who he really is. May we all be careful with the words that come out of our mouths. Words can be very dangerous; they can break up families and cause irreversible harm! May we all strive to cast a good eye on others and to avoid speaking lashon hara, and thus protect all of Klal Yisrael from the severe penalties that come from speaking ill of one another! And may we be able to turn this plague around and find the treasure of Mashiah who’s waiting just around the corner! Amen! Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Amram Sananes, written by Jack Rahmey Discussion Point:
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This book is a compilation of Divre Torah from the weekly parasha classes from Rabbi Sananes’ teachings over the last 10 years along with my own experiences in those classes which has stimulated my Torah growth. I’ve included many pertinent stories and life lessons to grow from at your Shabbat table. There’s also questions and discussion points at the end of each Parasha to stimulate a Torah conversation at your Shabbat table for the whole family to participate in. Also, included is a holidays section at the end of the book to use for all of our special holidays and Yomiim Toviim. Now available in all Jewish bookstores and Amazon! Scan the barcode on the right to purchase from Amazon. |
Rabbi Sananes and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Sincerely, Rabbi Amram Sananes and Jack E. Rahmey AmramSananes@me.com and jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com (917-226-6276) |
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