Spirituality
TORAH PORTION
Am
e
The Plagued House
Parshat Tazria-Metzora: Leviticus
12:1-15:33; Numbers 28:9-15; Isaiah
66:L1-24.
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his week, we have the double sion ..." . Thus, the "plague" can only
Torah Portion of Tazria and
come to houses in the Land of Canaan,
Metzora. These portions deal and after the Jewish People take pos-
with various types of tuma, a state
session of it (Yoma 14A).
that limits one's activities
The Torah is describing
in regard to sanctified
a circumstance where the
objects and places.
Jewish community, having
In Tazria, among other
settled and taken residence
tuma, we learn about
in the land promised by
tzoraas, a type of skin
God, behave in such a way
affliction that does not
that may ultimately result
correspond to any identifi-
in the destruction of their
able organic disease, and
habitation there.
a type of tuma of fabrics,
One can see these verses
again not identifiable.
as
a symbol of the even-
Rabbi Eliezer
In Metzora, we are taught
tual
exile of the Jewish
Cohen
where the tzoraas is cured,
People,
described again
Special to the
and this is followed by a
in
Lev.
26:14
26 and Deut.
Jewish News
different tuma — that of
28:15-68, and 29:21-27. The
houses. According to the
"plagued house" is a symbol
verses (Lev.14:33-53), if the walls of
of the Jewish People refusing to cre-
one's house become discolored in
ate in their land the holy community
certain ways, the priest will declare it
mandated by the Torah.
tuma and a procedure either "cures"
The Torah is a program for building
the tuma or results in the house
a community of justice and mutual
being demolished. Traditionally, these
concern and respect. It is a guide for a
"plagues" are understood as punish-
nation that supports, protects and pro-
ment for sins committed.
vides for even the least among them.
There is a fascinating Talmud pas-
It demands a community that loves
sage (San.71A) that states, accord-
the strangers and must treat them
ing to at least one opinion, that this
accordingly. It requires a community
"plagued house" "never was and never whose leaders — especially its reli-
will be. Why is it written? Learn from
gious authorities — realize and fulfill
it and be rewarded!"
their awesome responsibility to the
This Talmud passage shows that in
entire people with truth, respect, righ-
this case and others, the rabbis could
teousness and humility for the benefit
interpret parts of the divine Torah in
of the whole community.
ways to make it purely hypothetical.
It is a community where all cooper-
According to this Talmud passage,
ate for the general good and the wel-
these verses were written to learn
fare of all. This is the community that
what lessons we can from them.
the Torah bids us to create, and which
It seems to me that the possibility
the "plagued house" warns us that
of tuma of the house represents the
if we do not fulfill these command-
possible corruption and destruction of ments, we do so at our own peril. r:
the Jewish settlement in the Promised
Land. The verse (Lev. 14:34) states:
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi at Congregation Or
"When you come into the Land of
Chadash of Oak Park/Huntington Woods.
Canaan that I give to you as a posses-
Conversations
1560250
The Talmud (San. 71A) makes it clear that the rabbis can interpret the
verses in a way that makes them impossible to implement. What does
this tell us about the authority of the rabbis and the Oral tradition?
What can we learn from the "house of tuma" to make it meaningful to us?
How does the State of Israel measure up compared to the type of
community mandated by the Torah? How can it improve?