Metzora - The Importance of Introspection

 

      “We are souls dressed up in sacred biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play.” – Albert Einstein

 

Last week’s Torah portions, Tazria and Metzora continue to address the laws of purity which began in Shemini. In Tazria, G-d instructs Moshe about the rituals of purification for mothers following childbirth.

The second parashah (Torah portion), Metzora, focuses on the laws of tzara’at which, according to our sages, is mistakenly translated as leprosy. “It is not a physical disease,” asserts Rabbi David Rosenfeld, of Aish, “…. it can appear on innate objects like clothing and buildings which is something physical diseases can’t do. Rather,” he continues, “tzara’at is a spiritual malady.” The parashah goes on to address the laws concerning the atonement and treatment of the condition, the healing process by the High Priest and the sacrifices which the afflicted person has to offer to G-d.

The notion that tzara’at is a spiritual condition rather than physical is also proposed by Rabbi David Agmon. According to him, were tzara’at a somatic malady, it would follow that it should be named after the doctor that is sent to heal the sick person. Instead, the parashah describes the ailments that are diagnosed and treated by the High Priest through the process of purification. “What does it tell us about the spiritual attribute of leprosy?” asks Rabbi Agmon.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, ZT”L, likewise, suggests that the Rabbis “moralized the condition of tzara’at.” According to them, it was a punishment rather than a medical condition and not for any sin but for one specific sin, that of leshon hara, evil speech. This interpretation, explains Sacks, “was based on the internal evidence in the Torah itself.” The first is described in Exodus 4:6-7 where Moshe’s hand became leprous after expressing doubt the readiness of the Yisraelites to believe him. The second incident is mentioned in Numbers 12:1-15 where Miriam was struck by leprosy after denigrating Moshe.

Though tzara’at may possibly be a type of skin infection, our sages claim that it is wreaked as a Divine message and not by natural means. They explain that the term “metzora” is an acronym for “motzi leshon hara” a person who speaks disparagingly about others (Babylonian Talmud, Erkin15:1).

 The Torah does not provide a clear directive against leshon hara, evil speech, it strictly prohibits gossip, “You shall not go about spreading gossip among your people” (Leviticus 19:16). Leshon hara, is considered one of the worst transgressions of all. Maimonides, one of our greatest sages, construes it as “There is a far greater sin that falls under this prohibition [of gossip]. It is ‘the evil tongue,’ which refers to whoever speaks derogatorily of his fellow, even though he speaks the truth.” (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 7:2). Evil speech, claim our sages, kills three people – the one who says it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is said. (Hilchot Deot 7:3). Nothing keeps us farthest from G-d than leshon hara, contends Ohr HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim ben Attar).

A close examination of the laws of tzara’at, its consequences and the peculiar purification process by the High Priest, as described in the parashah, reinforces the spiritual significance of the syndrome.

One of the consequences of having tzara’at requires that the contaminated individual is commanded to separate himself from the community and stay outside the camp by himself, “leave your home, go beyond the city limits and just sit alone with no one to talk to!” (Leviticus 13:46).

To an innocent bystander, this directive may seem harsh considering that the source of this ailment is spiritual, a form of punishment for sinful conduct rather than physical or contagious.

And this is the great lesson that our Rabbis wish to teach us. According to them, the process of isolation, which is consequential to leaving the camp, is meant to bring us to reflection, introspection and repentance.

Our body is our guide, our Scriptures teach us, the guide to our inner self. In the words of Job, “….in my flesh I will see G-d” (Job 19:26). Our body is the channel through which the Divine message is passed on to us. It is, as Einstein expressed in the above quote, “the instrument through which our souls play.” If part of us is impure, it tends to manifest itself physically to allow us to treat, mend and heal. Our first instinct, generally, is to blame outside factors for our ailments. The Torah instructs us to examine ourselves, search our inner self, not look at others or blame them. This is essential to commence our healing process. Remedy of the soul is the root of physical health.

Just as the Metzora cannot be part of his camp so long as he is diseased, so cannot those who sin against their fellow men and women be part of our society. Only after they wake up, amend their ways and heal can they embark on the path towards a healthy and fulfilling life for themselves and our society.

Is Being a Stiff-Necked People Bad?

 

   

“And G-d said to Moses, I have seen this people and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!” Exodus 32:9

There are a few themes in last week’s Parashah, “Ki Tisa.” One of them dwells on the grave and calamitous episode of the “golden calf.” In His rage at Am Yisrael, G-d promises to punish it for this sordid affair. “Now therefore,” He tells Moshe, “let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation” (Exodus 32:10). Am Yisrael, according to G-d, clings to idolatry and are not ready to commit themselves to the covenant they entered with G-d.

Moshe tries to soothe G-d’s anger and pleads with Him to forgive Am Yisrael. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favour in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin and take us as your inheritance" (Exodus 34:8-9).

Rabbi Sacks, ZT”L, suggests that Moshe’s words may sound somewhat odd. Moshe cites as a reason for G-d remaining with the Yisraelites the very trait that G-d had previously given for wishing to abandon them.

 In other words, in both quotes, the term “stiff-necked” is used to portray Am Yisrael. In both, this quality is used as an excuse for two opposing goals. How is it possible that Moshe raises specifically the stubbornness of the Yisraelites, their obstinacy as a rationale for the resumption of G-d’s presence in their midst?

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, also known as the “Piasetzno Rabbi” (1889-1943) was, likewise, bewildered by the same issue. He offers his own understanding of the use of the term. In his view, being “stiff-necked” is one of the greatest qualities one could possess. In his view, anyone who is not “stiff-necked” is fickle and insecure. …No one knows what the outcome might be when, G-d forbid, that person will not be able to withstand a calamitous trial (which relates to the decision to abandon the Jewish faith). On the other hand, per the Piasetzno Rabbi, the stiff-necked individual is an honest person. If that person decides to worship G-d, one can rest assure that he would adhere to his decision. The more "stiff-necked" he is, the more likely he will withstand that same trial (Aish Kodesh, Parashat Noah).

Being “stiff-necked” means being stubborn. It also means being dedicated and committed to a certain cause. To be “stiff-necked” means that one can meet their obligations and duties against all odds. When the pressure rises and the burden gets heavier, one can rely on a stiff-necked person to do what he is expected to do.

On the other hand, as the Piasetzno Rabbi contends, one who is not “stiff-necked” is like a leaf blown away in the wind. One day, he says that he will be by your side, but what will happen, asks the Rabbi, if on the following day, he faces hardships that he himself cannot handle? Moshe’s argument, asserts the Rabbi, was as thus: “Yes, Am Yisrael is a stiff-necked nation. They stubbornly cling to idolatry. However, you, G-d should know that when they fully commit themselves to you, they will never leave you. Their commitment to the Covenant is absolute.” In other words, explains Zecharia Robof, in his article, “A Stiff-Necked Nation in Times of Crisis,” no matter how much the Children of Yisrael suffer, their stubbornness means that they will never give up on their love for you. Now, they are “stiff-necked” in their rebelliousness, but the day will come when they will be, likewise, “stiff-necked” in their loyalty. The gentiles will order them to convert, but they will refuse. They will suffer humiliations, persecutions and torture because of their beliefs, yet they will continue to adhere to the Covenant that their forefathers undertook with G-d..

Am Yisrael and the Jewish People, as history has shown, has, on more than one occasion, reverted to the old ways of their ancestors in the Sinai desert. Yet as hard as it has been for them to withstand the temptation of idolatry and the absence of a physical image of G-d, it has been just as hard, if not harder, for them to forsake their ancestral Covenant with G-d. In the words of R.Isaac ben Redifa who said them in the name of R.Ami, “you might think that this [“stiff-necked”] is a negative attribute, but in fact, it is praiseworthy, for it means: ‘Either be a Jew or prepare to be hanged’” (Beitza 25b;Shemot Rabbah 42:9).

Jewish survival throughout history, despite the catastrophes that befell our People, is the result of two important factors. One is our insistence to maintain our “stiff-necked” attribute when it comes to the desire of nations, by way of pogroms, crusades, Inquisition or any other attempt to annihilate our faith. The second is the everlasting promise that has accompanied Am Yisrael on our journey through the ages, “The Eternal of Yisrael shall never lie.”

I Am That I Am - The Personal G-d

 

 

“Shemot” (names) is the first parashah of the second book (Exodus) of the Chumash (the five books of Moshe). It bears the Hebrew title of the book.

The parashah opens with this verse, “These are the names of the children of Yisrael who came to Egypt with Jacob. Hence, both the weekly parashah and the Book are called “Shemot.” The parashah marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Am Yisrael. Ya’akov, Yoseph and his brothers have passed away and the new Pharaoh decides to enslave their descendants who have grown and multiplied.

Names have power. They are the mark our identity. As we have seen, thus far, in the Torah, meanings of names, on many occasions, identify the essence and even predict the destiny of their bearer.

One of the names we are introduced to in this parashah is of the greatest leader Am Yisrael has ever had, Moshe. His name is given to him by Pharoah’s daughter when she finds him floating in a basket on the Nile. Since it is very unlikely that the Princess of Egypt spoke Hebrew, we can presume that she gave him an Egyptian name, Moses, as in Ramses, which, in ancient Egyptian, means “child.” Rabbi Sacks, ZT”L, suggests that “the etymology given in the Torah, that Moses means ‘I drew him out of water,’ tells us what the word suggested to Hebrew speakers.” I beg to differ with the esteemed Rabbi Sacks. Unlike him, I believe that the name was deliberately “Hebrewised” as the thought that the most prominent figure in Jewish history would bear a pagan name was intolerable.

The most enlightening revelation in the parashah, however, is the way G-d introduces Himself, by His Hebrew name, to Moshe. It happens when Moshe encounters the “burning bush” from within which G-d instructs him “to bring forth” His “People, the children of Yisrael out of Egypt” (3:10).

Though his modesty and humility push Moshe to challenge and object to G-d’s directive, he questions Him: “When I come to the Yisraelites and say to them, ‘The G-d of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say?”

Ramba”n (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman), the medieval Jewish philosopher, observes that Moshe knows who is talking to him at the burning bush. Ramba”n also suggests that Moshe probably understands that G-d has many names and attributes through which He interacts with humanity. What Moshe is merely asking, according to Ramba”n, is which of G-d’s spiritual attributes,  or which manifestation of G-d is sending him to fulfill that mission.

G-d’s response to this question is “Eheye Asher Eheye” (3:14). Though literally it says, “I will be what I will be,” it is usually translated as “I am that I am.”

G-d’s answer suggests that He will appear to the Yisraelites as he will appear to them. It is not just a name. It is an attribute that, in its essence, is multi-faceted, multi-layered, boundless, and abundant with energy, one that transcends a universe of time and space, one that is ever present.

Furthermore, what is revealed to us here is a G-d that is personal and accessible, not just a remote one who created the universe. It tells us that there are many ways to reach Him and that each of us can connect to Him and find in Him what we seek.

To crystallize this concept, G-d continues with the original directive he gives to Moshe, in verse 10. In this one, though, He adds another four-letter name to His host of names. That name, or what has come to be known as the “Tetragrammaton” (Greek: tetra- ‘four’ + gramma, grammat- ‘letter’) is referred to in Rabbinic literature as Hashem. These four letters, which are regarded by many Jews as too sacred to pronounce, form the root meaning of the verb “to be” and their original meaning is understood to be “He Who is,” or “He who brings being into being.” That four-letter sacred name has already appeared to Biblical heroes in the book of Bresheet (Genesis) which is further affirmation of G-d’s attributes and qualities rather than just the introduction of another name.

In his book “Sharei Orah,” Rabbi Yosef Gikatilia addresses over 300 names for G-d. He provides a systematic and comprehensive explanation of these names that indicate the various qualities and aspects through which G-d communicates with humans and reveals Himself in the universe.

Therefore, for the sake of clarity and to ensure that the Children of Yisrael fully grasp and internalize the newly introduced and verbalized concept which G-d has just expressed to Moshe, G-d repeats the directive, this time adding the Tetragammaton, “Hashem:”

Say to the Yisraelites, 'Hashem, the G-d of your fathers - the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov - has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation" (3:15).

G-d’s message is clear. This is the same G-d, the G-d of our fathers, the unified One G-d that we daily affirm in the following words of the “Shema”:

                                    " שמע ישראל, יהוה אלוהינו, יהוה אחד"

 "Shema Yisrael, Hashem, Eloheinu, Hashem Echad!” )Hear O, Yisrael The Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One).

Shavua tov.