Shabbat Tazria & Metzorah
This week two Sedrot combined, are Tazriah and Metzorah. And although the titles are different, the message is similar.
The human body is an amazing organism. And a vehicle for spirituality. But we do tend to take it for granted until something bad happens. Either from outside or from within. What I find interesting is the extent to which the Torah is actually concerned with health and the well-being of the body. Although there are other sources in the Torah to support this contention, what we read this week is particularly relevant. Even if the way it is presented here may seem outdated and irrelevant. But many other parts of the Torah are either outdated by circumstances or indeed by advances in medical theory and practice. It is the idea behind them that counts.
We start with the dislocation that comes with childbirth and the need for recuperation. Which is just one of several examples of dislocation in the Torah. But physical change and recovery are only one aspect of the process. There is also a spiritual dimension. Recuperation whether from childbirth or from any dislocation within the human body requires not just the technical side of healing. It also requires a spiritual side. How do we deal with challenges to our bodies when faced with something unusual? It is not just finding a cure in the physical sense. But how we deal mentally and emotionally.
The Gemara says that if something bad happens, we should examine our ways. (Brachot 5a). This does not necessarily mean that we have done anything wrong. But rather that we should look at this as a challenge to do better. Not only should one try to see if one has indeed done something one should not have. But also to give the opportunity for reflection, to see what could be improved. And to summon up the emotional strength to fight for recovery. How often have we seen that people have been able to recover from the direst situations because of their personal determination and commitment to heal ? We should not simply be thinking in terms of a cure, but also in terms of raising the quality of our lives.
This explains why both with regard to childbirth and physical illness the priests were engaged in important rituals to help resolve things. As part of the transition from one state to another. The role of the priesthood was not just to perform ceremony but also to be the healers and teachers. Although these roles ultimately were removed from them, at the time of the Torah their role was crucial. And we can learn a lesson from it.
The Torah then goes into what is called leprosy. Which really means any serious disease or infection of the body. The priest would first look at the problem and then advise as to how to proceed. If it were necessary to put somebody into quarantine. The word used is Tsaraat, that is usually translated as leprosy. That was the most contagious and problematic of the diseases that ordinary people encountered at that time. But here the Torah talks about clothes and buildings not just humans. Clearly it was not the leprosy we think of.
Torah is saying in its own way, that we have to take care about our bodies, homes and the atmospheres in which we live. Cleanliness and sanitation. And not just wait for something to go wrong. The role of priesthood is to remind us of the spiritual dimension. We need doctors and priests metaphorically, to help us overcome the challenges we face. All the tools, spiritual as well as the physical to survive and thrive. The detail the Torah goes into over these chapters underlines how seriously health, cleanliness and the spiritual qualities are for us.
Which is why in introducing the chapters on diseases the Torah uses the unusual phrase “This is the Torah, the Law of the Metzorah” (Leviticus 14:1). Even such seemingly minor matters are an essential part of the Torah.
Vayikra Chapters 12-17
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
