34 April 11 • 2019
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T
he Torah goes into
significant depth when
exploring the categories
of ritually pure (tahor) and
ritually impure (tamei), partic-
ularly regarding the priests and
the state one must be in when
offering sacrifices.
In this week’
s portion, we
find the ritual cleansing pro-
cess for those who have come
into contact with various skin
(and other) afflictions, for
those who have nocturnal
emissions, for those who men-
struate, etc. Whether on their
own bodies, from the walls of
their homes or transmitted by
others; whether by direct contact or by
sitting on surfaces those deemed to be
ritually impure have sat, being ritually
pure for priests was a priority.
In today’
s world, it’
s hard to under-
stand the implications of ritual purity,
and many examples of what makes
one ritually impure seem downright
odd or counterintuitive. For exam-
ple, it’
s a mitzvah (sacred connection
opportunity) to help bury the dead,
even though doing so makes one
ritually impure. We learn that
one becomes ritually impure after
intercourse with one’
s spouse (also
a mitzvah). Thus, we learn that ritual
impurity is not an inherently negative
thing. In fact, given the realities of our
world, the Shulchan Aruch, the famous
16th-century code of Jewish law that
outlines much of contemporary tra-
ditional practice, suggests that we all
are presumed to be in a state of ritual
impurity (Yoeh De’
ah 322:4).
One of the spiritual technologies that
Judaism gets right is that of mourning.
We have beautiful, intense mourning
rituals, with different time segments
(traditionally seven days, 30 days, 11
months, multiple Yizkor services each
year and annually a yahrtzeit date).
When the second Temple
was destroyed in 70 C.E., the
need existed to mourn — to
mourn the loss of autonomy
and to mourn the Judaism that
was, as the Temple/sacrificial
period of Judaism gave way to
the prayer construct of Judaism.
Having that regular recollection
of the Judaism that was remains
comforting for many and can
still impart lessons and values
relevant to today.
At the same time, it also cre-
ates the space and permission
for us to stop doing certain
things that aren’
t working and to
mourn for them while finding
ways to study and learn about them
post-practice as we adopt new prac-
tices. For example, on Yom Kippur,
we no longer slaughter one goat while
putting the sins of the nation on a sec-
ond that is sent out into the wilderness
for the demon Azazel. However, there
is a special service on Yom Kippur
afternoon where we read about the
practice. Just because we are not prac-
ticing ritual purity and impurity the
way it was practiced in biblical times
doesn’
t mean it isn’
t worth studying
and learning about, especially if we
frame continuing to learn about it as
a mechanism for allowing those upset
at its falling out of practice to mourn,
which then creates opportunities for
new practices to develop to better meet
contemporary needs.
There are many things we as a
Jewish community are currently doing
ritually that are not working; are we
ready to acknowledge which those are,
mourn for them and create annual
memorial rituals that involve studying
them, so we can move into a new era
of Jewish life and practice? ■
Rabbi Dan Horwitz is the founding director of The
Well. For information, visit meetyouatthewell.
org.
Rabbi Dan
Horwitz
Is Purity The Question?
Parshat
Metzora:
Leviticus
14:1-15:33;
Malachi 3:4-
24. (Shabbat
HaGadol)
spirit
torah portion
For more information please contact
Jaime Bean at Bean@jfmd.org or
248-205-2561
Yo
m
H
a
Z
i
k
a
r
o
n
ISRAEL
‘S MEMORIAL DAY FOR
THE FALLEN SOLDIERS AND
VICTIMS OF TERROR
Tuesda
y,
Ma
y
7,
2019
2
Iya
r
,
5779
|
6:00
pm
The Berman Center for The Performing Arts
6600 West Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
We kindly ask that you be seated by
6:15 pm in order to start promptly.
There is no charge for this
community-wide event.