Mindful Torah...and more

This week's parashah is Aharei Mot ( Vayikra /Leviticus 16:1-18:30). In addition, it is Shabbat Ha' Gadol , the Great Sabbath, which is the name for the Shabbat that immediately precedes Pesakh /Passover. That means that, following Shabbat, there is technically only one brief day left to finish preparing for Passover. I was thinking about this when I read R. Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev's 19th century commentary on a verse from the parashah : "You shall observe My statutes and My laws which, if a person do them, that person shall live by them; I am the Eternal" (Leviticus 18:5). In the rabbinic tradition, the hukkim /statutes are viewed as commandments that have no apparent rational reason, while the  mishpatim /laws are those that do have rational reasons. The prohibition against murder is one of the mishpatim . The prohibition against mixing linen and wool or meat and milk are among the hukkim . In his interpretation, Levi Yitzhak states that ...

This week's parashah is Metzora ( Vayikra /Leviticus 14:1-15:33). In this parashah , we continue the laws concerning the person with tzara'a t (skin afflictions) that began last week. Last week we read that the person suffering from skin afflictions (commonly translated as leprosy) is to be kept separate from the camp until the priest has determined that s/he is  healed. The person is considered tamei (translated as ritually impure, for lack of a better term) and in danger of contaminating the camp both physically and spiritually. The Torah does not distinguish physical illness as separate from the religious realm. Tzara'a t is viewed as a punishment from God for sin and so the priests, those in charge of the religious realm, must oversee the person's diagnoses, treatment (read: isolation) and reintegration into the community. The word  Metzora, one afflicted with this skin affliction, is read by the rabbis as an acronym for motzi shem ra , “ one who on...

This week's parashah /portion is Tazria ( Vayikra /Leviticus 12:1-13:59). It is the first of two portions dealing with issues of skin afflictions, purity and holiness.    Tazria tzara'at /skin afflictions. People with tzara’at must be kept outside the camp until the priests declare that they are healed.  The classic rabbinic interpretation of tzara'at is that it is the result of some type of moral or spiritual "impurity" or immoral actions, such as gossip or slander.   The idea that a physical affliction is an external manifestation of an internal flaw or impurity may seem anathema today. It reminds us too much of those who state that AIDS or other diseases are a punishment for "immorality." However, in ancient times it was a common belief that everything, including disease, was either a punishment or reward from God. However, the Hassidic commentator the Sefat Emet provides us with an alternative. His interpretation is a powerful m...