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Parsha Perspectives by Ozer Alport

(כי תבאו אל ארץ כנען אשר אני נתן לכם לאחזה ונתתי נגע צרעת בבית ארץ אחזתכם (14:34

“When you arrive in the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I will place a tzara’as affliction upon a house in the land of your possession.”

Parshas Tazria introduced us to the laws governing the different types of tzara’as (a spiritual malady with physical manifestations of leprosy) which can afflict a person’s body. Parshas Metzora begins by teaching the elaborate procedure which a person with tzara’as must go through to purify himself. Then, we are introduced to a new type of tzara’as, one which afflicts a person’s home.

Curiously, Rashi comments that in warning the people about the possibility of tzara’as striking their homes, Hashem was actually conveying good news. Because the previous Canaanite inhabitants hid their treasures in the walls of their houses, the process of scraping a house with tzara’as would actually reveal to them valuable items. This concept seems difficult to understand. Although discovering the hidden treasures would certainly lessen their pain, why did Hashem choose to give them reward in this peculiar manner?

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky offers an inspiring answer to our question based on the following story. After the conclusion of World War 2, Rabbi Eliezer Silver (1882-1968) was active in visiting DP camps to give physical and emotional support to the survivors of the Holocaust. One day Rabbi Silver was organizing a minyan for the afternoon prayers in one of the camps, but one man refused to join.

The man explained that when he was in a concentration camp, there was a religious Jew who managed to smuggle in a siddur. He “rented out” the siddur for use in exchange for a person’s food rations. When this man saw how a religious Jew could take advantage of his siddur at such a time, he resolved that he would never pray again. Rabbi Silver gently suggested that instead of focusing on the actions of the man with the siddur, perhaps it would be more appropriate to recognize how many Jews were willing to give up their precious food rations in order to be able to pour out their hearts to Hashem in prayer.

Rabbi Kamenetzky notes that one of the primary causes of tzara’as is lashon hara (evil gossip), which comes from focusing on the shortcomings of others. To the gossiper whose house is afflicted with tzara’as, the Torah hints to the importance of digging beneath the surface and not focusing on superficial deficiencies.

Although the house may appear at first glance to be stricken with tzara’as, a deeper look will uncover the presence of valuable gems waiting to be discovered just beneath the surface. Upon contemplating this, he will come to understand that his fellow Jews are just the same. If he only takes the time to adjust his perspective, he will be able to dig deeper and discover the beauty which lies beneath the surface!

Rashi writes (Exodus 1:1) that the Jewish people are compared to stars. Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, better known as the Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) explains that to a person looking up into the night sky, each star appears very small. However, if a person could approach a star, he would find that the closer he gets to it, the larger it appears. Similarly, when viewed from a distance, it is easy to dismiss another person as lacking worth or value. At times when we are tempted to view others in such a manner, we can remember the lesson of Parshas Metzora and the stars: there are valuable treasures waiting to be discovered – if only we allow ourselves to get a little closer and look under the surface. return to top
Ozer Alpert can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org  

talking points - parshas metzora
Rabbi Elazar Meisels

1. Brought To His Knees

“This shall be the law of the metzorah on the day of his purification: He shall be brought before the Kohen.” 14:2

• He Shall Be Brought Before The Kohen – This means that he is brought to the edge of the camp since he may not actually enter it, and the Kohen (Priest) meets him there. – Chizkuni (R. Chizkiya ben Manoach, mid 13th Century)
• However, he must come to a place that is easy for the Kohen to reach so that the Kohen should not be overly troubled to accommodate him. – Sforno (Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno, 1475-1550)
• He Shall Be Brought Before The Kohen – What is the meaning of the words, ‘This shall be the law of the metzorah?’ This shall be the law of one who is “Motzi Shem Rah” [gives others a bad name] – Talmud, Eiruchin 16a

Who is at risk of having his name sullied? Only one who already has earned a “good name” [i.e. good reputation]. This often includes those who serve as leaders of the congregation and are prime targets for the frustrations of others who seek any excuse to besmirch them. Rav Chaim Volozhin zt”l, explained that this is the reason that the metzorah (person afflicted with “tzaraas”) must “be brought” before the Kohen rather than appearing on his own. Through his critical words, he brought indignity to the Kohen [i.e. communal leader], and he therefore is unfit to appear before him except as a humble and inadequate being. Perhaps this vantage point will inspire him to regard the communal leaders in a new light, erase his bitterness toward them, and lead him to speak of them more positively in the future.

2. Bittersweet Afflictions

“When you come to the land of Canaan, which I am giving to you as an inheritance, I will place the tzaraas affliction in houses in the land you inherit.” 14:34

• I Will Place The Tzaraas In Houses – “I will place” implies that this message contains good tidings for the Jewish people. Indeed, the Amorites hid their valuables in the walls of their homes in anticipation of the Jewish conquest of their land. Through the house afflictions and the subsequent deconstruction of the home, the treasures would be discovered. – Rashi
• Through The House Afflictions…The Treasures Would Be Discovered – This however, only explains cases where the discoloration reappears and requires the removal of portions of the wall. It does not explain situations in which the discoloration appeared but did not require the removal of the concealing stones? Furthermore, our sages taught that house afflictions appear due to stingy behavior not as a means of enriching us? Indeed, there is no question that the overall appearance of these afflictions is not a positive sign, as they stem from a negative behavior pattern. In His great kindness however, even a negative can result in a great positive if the person is worthy. One who regretted his stinginess and repented, merited to have the walls opened and a great treasure revealed, that he could now utilize in generous fashion. – Taz, Aruch HaShulchan

The idea that this very trying set of circumstances is designed to potentially result in great wealth and fortune, is indicative of the special nature of Hashem’s method of “punishing” His children. Even when He must exact severe measures and greatly inconvenience them, His ultimate goal is to make their situation even better than it was previously. This is a far cry from the concept of “revenge” that most people exercise against those who incur their wrath.

3. Torah: Always Safe

“Hashem spoke to Moses and Aharon saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: Any man who shall have a discharge from his flesh…’” 15:1,2

• Speak to the Children of Israel and Say To Them:

Speak To… - This refers to teaching them the basic law [of contamination]

And Say to Them – This refers to the in-depth study of the laws and their applications for the sake of “Torah Study”

The reason the verse added this unique instruction of “and say to them”, is because the subject matter under consideration is delicate, sensitive, and not always appropriate for public discussion. In light of this, one might have thought that anything beyond a basic discussion of the laws should be avoided. To emphasize that when discussed in the context of Torah study, no subject is inappropriate, the Torah emphasized that even after the essential discussion, we must continue to plumb the depths of these laws, for no spiritual harm can possibly result from Torah study, when motivated by purity and altruism. – He’emek Davar (Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, also known as the Netziv) return to top
Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org 

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The Passover Seder By: Rabbi Leiby Burnham 

Dear Rabbi,
My husband and I will be having a Passover Seder at our house this year for the first time ever. Until this year we always spent our Seders at one of our parents’ house, but this year our children are getting older and we want them to be more involved, so we invited our parents to our house for the Seder instead. We have two girls, ages 6 and 4, and in the past we felt the Seder was really more of a get together for adults, rather than anything geared toward the children. Now that we are making the Seder at home, do you have any suggestions of what we could do to include them in the experience?
Diane K .

Diane,
I’m glad to see that you are sensitive to the purpose of the Seder night, and it’s a good thing you asked this question in advance this year. The Seder night is much more than an opportunity for the family to convene over a good meal, it is the night we are charged with passing down our heritage to our children.

One of the most important mitzvot (commandments) on Passover is the telling over the exodus story to our children, as it says in the Torah, "And you shall tell your children on that day saying..." (Exodus 13:8). The Sefer Chinuch, one of the primary enumerators of the 613 mitzvot (written anonymously in the 13th century), explains that this mitzvah is a"major foundation and a pillar of our Torah and our faith." When we tell our children about the miracles that G-d performed in Egypt, and the wonders He displayed to the whole world, it fills our children with faith in G-d as an omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal Being, in total control of world events.

The problem is that all too often our children are not so interested in hearing the Haggadah intoned at them, especially if they are seeing their cousins for the first time in a few months. An even bigger problem is that often, the parents aren’t really so interested in intoning the Haggadah, especially when the smell of the brisket wafts in from the kitchen. They would rather race through the text, hit the “highlights”, and get to the meal as soon as possible. But that causes us to lose the most potential-rich night of the year. That being the case, how do we make sure that we capitalize on this night, and reap its full faith-instilling benefits?

Many people find that the best solution to making the Seder a lively and educational event, for both children and adults alike, is to expand out of the Hagaddah. There are a number of ways to do this, but we will discuss two of the tried-and-true methods here. The first method involves using all sorts of props to represent the different people and miracles. This is especially exciting for the Ten Plagues. While many Judaica stores sell full kits with props for each plague, it is much more fun if your family devises their own. You can use colored water or ketchup for the first plague, blood. For the plague of frogs you can use stuffed animals, for lice you can use a back scratcher, etc. From here on, I’ll let you and your children’s imagination run wild as you try to find the most creative symbols for the plagues. You can then have different children present the props and talk about the miracles.

Another idea that we tried at our Seder last year with great success, was to put on skits narrating the story of the Haggadah. This was alot of fun, and involved the entire family. The kids acted out some of the plagues, we had a room full of “frogs” hopping around, everyone groped around with blindfolds for the plague of darkness, and people pretended to shlepp heavy bricks as part of the slave labor. The more enthusiasm the adults put into this, the more the children will soak it up. For months after Passover, my daughter kept asking me to put on a Pharaoh play!

The key is to stay loyal to the story and messages of the Haggadah while reenacting them so that the lessons that are internalized are the ones intended by our sages. In this manner, you’ll find great success in instilling Jewish values in your children forever!

May we all celebrate our next Seder in Jerusalem!
Regards,
Rabbi Leiby Burnham
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Rabbi Leiby Burnham can be reached at rabbiburnham@partnersintorah.org

People are varied in their natures — some are naturally generous, some stingy; some are by nature compassionate, and some cold and unemotional, etc. Despite being born with certain predispositions in these areas, a person is required to work on himself and bring himself to the proper measure of each particular trait. Rambam (Maimonides), in the beginning of Hilchos Dei'os (the Laws of Attitudes) discusses what that proper measure is. As all extremes are harmful, Rambam writes that one should always aim for the middle path, the furthest possible from either extreme. For example, one should not become angry at any provocation, but at the same time, if something occurs that demands a strong response, it is proper to show anger to prevent it from happening again.

What should someone do if he finds himself leaning to one of the extremes? Rambam prescribes the following exercise. For a time, he should lean toward the extreme that is the opposite of his habit. This behavior will help to uproot the first extreme from his conduct and nature. After a while, when he feels that he has succeeded in moving away from his harmful behavior, he should go back to the middle path, which is the most advised.

There is an exception, however, to the rule of the golden mean. With regard to pride, Rambam writes that one should not pursue the middle path, but should behave in an exceedingly humble fashion. Another commentary, known as “Lechem Mishneh” explains that Rambam does not mean to advise acting in the absolute extreme of humility. Even humility at its most extreme is not advised. For example, one should not wear rags and position himself always at the lowest possible place. The only time when such behavior is warranted is for one who is afflicted with excessive pride. Rambam means to advise that with regard to humility, in contrast to the other traits, one should not behave in the middle path, but lean toward the side of humility.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky (in his Taama D'Kra) points out that this is hinted at in the verse that describes the three ingredients of the purification of the metzora (a person afflicted with tzaraas- “leprosy”). Rashi explains that the metzora is told to bring cedarwood (a branch of the grandest tree), to hint at his previous haughtiness that led him to tzaraas. What is his remedy? Crimson wool, which comes from a worm, and hyssop, from a lowly bush: he is to lower himself as a worm and as a hyssop.

The remedy for haughtiness prescribed by Rambam mirrors this process. One should first lower himself to the extreme, alluded to by the lowest of creatures, the worm. After a time of this, he should stop the absolute extreme, but continue to behave in a fashion that leans toward the extreme of humility. This is alluded to by the hyssop grass, which is of the smaller plants, but not the absolute extreme represented by the worm. In this way, he can atone for having imitated the cedar in his excessive pride. return to top

Hey, I never knew that! By Ozer Alport

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha   

Q: In Parshas Tazria and Metzora, we are introduced to an illness known as tzara'as. Tzara’as is a spiritual sickness, whose physical manifestations are similar to leprosy. The Torah requires (13:46) a person with tzara’as to dwell outside of the Jewish camp, and a house with tzara’as is boarded up (14:38) and its stones are scraped away and disposed of outside of the city (14:40). Does this mean that although tzara’as is spiritual in nature, it is still considered physically contagious?

A: The Ibn Ezra (13:2) and Rabbeinu Bechaye write that although it came as a spiritual punishment for sins, it was nevertheless contagious. The Meshech Chochmah by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk suggests that it was for this reason that tzara’as was viewed and ruled upon specifically by the Kohanim (Priests). Because it was contagious, Hashem wanted those who were separated from the rest of the people and enjoyed unique Divine protection to be in charge of it. In Derech Sicha, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky notes that this view seems to be rooted in the Talmud (Kesuvos 77b).

Q: Why is a house afflicted with tzara’as and destroyed if it is an inanimate object which lacks free will and which never sinned?

A: Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, known as the Beis HaLevi, explains that a person’s actions have influence upon his surroundings. If a person does mitzvot and kind deeds, his environs are uplifted, and if he sins, his surroundings are negatively affected. Conversely, a person is also influenced by his environment. Noah’s generation became so wicked that they corrupted the entire world, leaving Hashem with no choice but to destroy it and begin again anew.

In the case of the house, its owner spoke so much lashon hara (evil gossip) that it permeated the very walls and foundation of the home, rendering it impure to its core. As if that weren’t bad enough, the house has become transformed into a place with the potential to corrupt even pure and innocent people who enter its doors. As a result, just as in the times of Noah, there is no choice but to seal it off to prevent any further damage from occurring. return to top

Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org return to top

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