Metzorah 5784-2024
"And You Think that Tzara'at is Weird?"
(updated and revised from Metzorah 5765-2005)
The ancient Biblical claims that a person could contract a dermatological disease by speaking l’shon hara (evil), strains our rational credibility. And, yet, every day scientific knowledge uncovers new, incredible discoveries that seem to be as absurd as the Biblical disease Tzara’at. Yet, many of these scientific discoveries are valid. In fact, we could not conduct our lives without utilizing these new scientific powers and discoveries. So, let us not be so quick to dismiss the Biblical disease, Tzara’at. In light of what we’ve already discovered scientifically, Tzara‘at may not at all be in the realm of impossibility.
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Metzorah 5782-2022
“The Nidah--Affirming the Infinite Value of Human Life”
(updated and revised from Metzorah 5763-2003)
The laws of the menstruant woman are extremely complicated and are frequently misinterpreted and misunderstood. The Nidah has nothing to do with impurity. To the contrary, the rituals of The Nidahserve as an affirmation of life, underscoring the basic Jewish tenet that the sanctity of human life is the bottom line of all of Judaism.
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Metzorah 5779-2019
“The Ultimate Value and Sanctity of Human Life in Judaism”
(Revised and updated from Metzorah 5760-2000)
In ancient times, not only a menstruant woman, but also a man who has had a seminal emission, were rendered ritually impure. These complex laws of emissions and purification, that seem so crude at first blush, are truly enlightened. They come to underscore the sanctity of human life and Judaism’s ultimate regard for the value of life.
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Metzorah 5776-2016
“G-d Has Pity on the Property of Israel”
The Kohen who comes to inspect the house that may be afflicted with Tzara’at (the spiritual/dermatological disease), orders that all the home’s furnishings be removed prior to the inspection. Our sages teach that this is done because the Al-mighty has pity on the possessions of Israel.
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Metzorah 5774-2014
“The Peddler and Evil Speech”
A well known Midrash tells of an encounter between the Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Yannai, and a peddler who taught the sage much about the importance of proper speech and the serious transgression of wanton, hurtful speech.
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