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spirit
torah portion
The Laws Of Impurity
A
s we open the Torah this
week, we find ourselves
reading the double portion
of Tazria-Metzora. As the natural
continuation of last week’s animal
purity laws, Tazria-Metzora contin-
ues describing the laws of impurity
for humans and our surroundings
and then provides the path toward
a return to a state of ritual
purification.
ment. When command-
The detailed descriptions
ments were followed,
of bodily discharges, inflam-
rewards were provided.
mations, burns and skin
When they weren’t, there
diseases cause many readers
were punishments —
and listeners to cringe. In
illnesses like leprosy. And
fact, I recall a congregant
while I don’t personally
who once used that to his
believe that idea of a God of
Rabbi Daniel
advantage. After being
reward and punishment in
Schwartz
assigned the role of chaplain
its literal sense, this is how
in his fraternity, a role he did
it has been interpreted for
not want, to ensure that he
generations.
would not be asked to read
The rabbis of old believed
biblical citations at future meetings,
that there were a number of causes
he read verses from these two por-
for leprosy. Miriam, Moses’ sister,
tions. He was successful.
provides us with one example in
So, why have a portion that
the Bible. In criticizing her brother,
describes in detail secretions from
she comments that he married
the body, skin inflammations and
a Cushite. It was considered an
mold that could take over one’s
attack on her ethnicity because the
home? Could it have been our foun-
Cushites were black. Her punish-
ment? Ironically, a skin disease
dation for dermatology and mycol-
which left her skin a flaky white.
ogy? Or, could the reading of this
Because of this story and others,
section have been our ancestors’ ver-
the rabbis connected the two and
sion of the contemporary YouTube
taught that the act of lashon harah,
and TLC show Dr. Pimple Popper?
gossip, or speaking negatively about
The simple answer is, “yes.” These
portions deal with topics that existed others resulted in an illness like lep-
rosy as a punishment from God.
during our ancestors’ lives and that
And so, maybe that’s the lesson we
still exist today. And these verses
learn from today’s portion. Not that
teach us how we have understood
were going to catch a skin disease
them. They teach us about contami-
as a punishment, but as a reminder
nation from blood and other bodily
that we should focus on the words
fluids. There is a truly practical piece
we use. That, as is taught in the
to reading these verses and under-
book of Psalms, the one who desires
standing how to properly deal with
good fortune in his life is the one
what was understood as an impurity.
who is able to “Guard your tongue
But our understanding can also
from evil, your lips from deceitful
take us beyond this straight-forward
speech” [34:13].
reading. As we look more closely,
We should commit ourselves to
we see that this text also teaches
words of kindness and compassion.
us about our behavior. One ritual
And that we use our words for good.
describes what should be done with
May that be our lesson. •
a person who contracts metzora,
leprosy.
Rabbi Daniel A. Schwartz is a rabbi at Temple
The Israelites believed that God
Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield.
was a God of reward and punish-
Parshat Tazora/
Metzora: Leviticus
12:1-15:33; II Kings
7:3-20.