Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב *Boker Tov*.This week, this week we have the privilege of a double פרשה *parsha*, תזריע *Tazria* and מצורע *Metzora*. The beginning of פרשת תזריע *parshas Tazria*, page 608 in the Artscroll Stone חומש *Chumash*, as always, we'll do our overview, maybe have the chance to look through some specific פסוקים *pesukim* together. תזריע *Tazria* begins with its own topic and then the remainder of תזריע *Tazria* and מצורע *Metzora* really deal combined with the same subject with which we are all familiar. I don't know that we're good at it, but we're at least familiar with it. So we'll get to that in one moment. But it begins with תזריע *Tazria*. וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר *Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe leimor*. קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* gave Moshe the following laws, the following instructions. אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר *Isha ki sazria v'yalda zachar*. If a woman conceives and she gives birth, and the Torah delineates the different laws, purity and impurity, the different sacrifices that she brings, and the differences between whether she has a male or a female, a boy or a girl, and so on. And the Torah tells us ביום השמיני *bayom hashmini* on the eighth day, ימול בשר ערלתו *yemol b'sar orlaso*. The eighth day is when the ברית *bris* takes place. הרב סולובייצ'יק *Rav Soloveitchik* in his חומש *Chumash* points out that when it comes to a ברית מילה *bris mila*, we have two ברכות *brachos* that are recited. We have the classic ברכת המצוה *birchas hamitzvah*, the ברכה *bracha* that's said on any מצוה *mitzvah* that we do. Before we lift the ד' מינים *daled minim*, we make a ברכה *bracha*. Before we light the מנורה *menorah*, before we hear the שופר *shofar*, before we light the candles, before we put on תפילין *tefillin*. Every מצוה *mitzvah* is preceded by a ברכת המצוה *birchas hamitzvah*, by a ברכה *bracha* that comes before it. In fact, just as an aside, הנודע ביהודה *Nodeh B'Yehuda*, רב יחזקאל לנדא *Rav Yechezkel Landau* was a great opponent. חסידים *Chasidim* introduced the notion of לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא *lesheim yichud kudsha brich hu*. Before you do a מצוה *mitzvah*, you say לשם יחוד *lesheim yichud*. You try to focus your intent, you try to harness your כוונה *kavana*, you try to concentrate on the deeper meaning and the energy in that מצוה *mitzvah*. And they argued that otherwise the מצוה *mitzvah* is an empty act. You're doing the מצוה *mitzvah*, but if you're not focused, if you don't remind yourself, if you're not mindful of the deeper meaning of it, then you're not going to connect or tap into the deeper energy of it. So if you look at the נודע ביהודה's תשובה *Nodeh B'Yehuda's teshuva* about this, when he rejects the introduction of saying לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא *lesheim yichud kudsha brich hu*, he argues, he says, \"Our rabbis already established a formula. We already have words that you say before you do a מצוה *mitzvah* in order to concentrate on the act. What are those words? A ברכה *bracha*. The ברכת המצוה *birchas hamitzvah*. So what do we do? Because we neglect, we don't concentrate on the ברכת המצוה *birchas hamitzvah*, you're going to add a formula before that? Then you'll get used to that formula. You'll have to add another formula before that. You'll be saying 20 formulas before you ever get to the מצוה *mitzvah*. Just embrace what חז\"ל *Chazal* gave us, a ברכת המצוה *birchas hamitzvah*. You say a ברכה *bracha* before the מצוה *mitzvah*. Say the ברכה *bracha* and do the מצוה *mitzvah*. So when it comes to ברית *bris*, we have the על המילה *al hamila*. If the מוהל *mohel* is doing the מילה *mila*, if the מוהל *mohel* is acting as a שליח *shliach*, as an agent for the father, the מוהל *mohel* makes the ברכה *bracha*. If the father is doing the מילה *mila*, even if the מוהל *mohel* is helping him, the father makes the ברכה על המילה *bracha al hamila*. But there's a second ברכה *bracha*. It's a ברכה *bracha* we don't find when it comes to other מצוות *mitzvos*. After מילה *mila*, after the cut, there's a difference here between אשכנזים *Ashkenazim* and ספרדים *Sefardim*, but at least אשכנזים *Ashkenazim*, after the cut is done correctly, hopefully, so a second ברכה *bracha* is recited. And that is, להכניסו בבריתו של אברהם אבינו *le'hachniso b'vriso shel Avraham Avinu*. The father has merited to bring the child into the covenant of אברהם אבינו *Avraham Avinu*. And that's the one to which we respond not only אמן *amein*, but כשם שנכנס לברית *kasheim shenichnas labris*. We offer a ברכה *bracha* that just as the child has entered the ברית *bris*, כשם שנכנס לברית, כן יכנס לתורה לחופה ולמעשים טובים *kasheim shenichnas labris, kein yikaneis l'Torah l'chuppah u'l'maasim tovim*. So too, what's the כשם *kasheim* by the way? כשם *Kasheim*, just as. Just as. I mean just as with crying and tears and screaming and should שלעפּ *shlep* him to Torah and to school, should be crying on his way down to the חופה *chuppah* screaming, מעשים טובים *maasim tovim* every time he has to give צדקה *tzedaka*, should have to pry open his hand, he's crying, he's screaming. What's the כשם *kasheim*? What does it mean כשם *kasheim*? It means that just as this child without a consciousness, child is just brought, כשם שנכנס לברית *kasheim shenichnas labris*. The child is just part of a family that has brought him to the ברית *bris* where it's natural. It's simply something that is unfathomable that he wouldn't. So too his entrance to תורה, חופה, ומעשים טובים *Torah, chuppah, u'maasim tovim* should be just as natural, just as smooth, just as instinctual, just as expected as the way that he entered into the ברית *bris*. So we say this ברכה *bracha*. Why do we say these two ברכות *brachos*? According to רבנו תם *Rabbeinu Tam*, תוספות בפסחים דף סז *Tosafos b'Pesachim daf samech zayin* says the second ברכה להכניסו בבריתו *bracha lehachniso b'vriso* is not a ברכת המצוה *birchas hamitzvah*. על המילה *Al hamila* is the ברכה *bracha* of the act of doing the ברית *bris*. להכניסו בבריתו *Lehachniso b'vriso*, says רבנו תם *Rabbeinu Tam*, is the change of status that is the result of the ברית *bris*. Before the ברית *bris*, the child is an ערל *arel*. He's an uncircumcised. Now it's not just uncircumcised. You wouldn't say, oh here's somebody who hasn't lit חנוכה *Chanukah* candles. Here's somebody who didn't hear שופר *shofar*. We don't give a status or a title or a name. We don't preclude them from participation in the community or in certain מצוות *mitzvos*. If you didn't put תפילין *tefillin* on, you could still bring a קרבן פסח *Korban Pesach*. If you didn't light the חנוכה *Chanukah* candles, you could still bring a קרבן פסח *Korban Pesach*. But if you don't have a ברית מילה *bris mila*, you are excluded. You have not fully, you're a Jew, but you don't have the full קדושת ישראל *kedushas Yisrael*, you haven't entered the covenant. So the second ברכה *bracha* corresponds with the change of status. And the רב *Rav* quotes the מדרש *midrash* which tells us the evil Roman governor טורנוס רופוס *Turnus Rufus* once asked רבי עקיבא *Rabbi Akiva*, if God dislikes the uncircumcised, rejects the uncircumcised, why didn't he just create man circumcised? If he wants or prefers after the ברית *bris*, if he rejects the ערל *arel* from full participation in the community, well why didn't he just make all men circumcised? So רבי עקיבא *Rabbi Akiva* said, does the earth yield bread? Does the earth grow bread? What was רבי עקיבא *Rabbi Akiva* saying? The earth doesn't grow bread. It grows wheat. It's a מדרש תנחומא *Midrash Tanchuma* in תזריע *Tazria*. In this rhetorical response writes the רב *Rav*, רבי עקיבא *Rabbi Akiva* conveyed that just as God desires that man bring forth bread through effort, it is only man who can sanctify himself. If man wants to attain holiness, the initiative rests with him. He must circumcise himself. בדמייך חיי *B'damayich chayi*. We mentioned last week the קלויזנבורגער רבי *Kloisenberger Rebbe*. Only through the blood of his personal sacrifice shall man live on a holy plane. Without toil and suffering, there is no holiness. Holiness is the result of effort, of עמלות *ameilus*, of toil. This is a theme which is lost in our generation. I'm not going to elaborate now, but there was an amazing article written several months ago, even though it appeared in the New York Times, there was an amazing article that talked about the generation of convenience. They quoted scientific studies, research about our generation's passion, need for convenience. If it's inconvenient, they don't do it. Everything is, we've been trained now by technology and so on that it has to be convenient. We don't like מסירות נפש *mesiras nefesh*. We want everything to come, you be able to download it from the app store. We want everything to be able to be replaceable every two years or three years. We want to be able to upgrade. We want everything to be able to come simply and conveniently, comfortably. But real קדושה *kedusha*, sanctity, אין קדושה בלי הכנה *ein kedusha bli hachana*. There is no sanctity without effort, without toil. That's the beginning of במדבר *Bamidbar*. You can only acquire תורה *Torah* ממי שממית עצמו עליה *mi'mi she'meimis atzmo aleha*. You have to be willing to die for it, you have to work for it. Holiness is the result of effort, of מסירות נפש *mesiras nefesh*. And that's the imagery, says the רב *Rav*, the beginning of פרשת תזריע *parshas Tazria*, the notion of the ברית להכניסו בבריתו של אברהם אבינו *bris lehachniso b'vriso shel Avraham Avinu*, the idea of the ברית *bris*, the change of status. השם *Hashem*, when רבי עקיבא *Rabbi Akiva* was saying was, we only merit to eat bread when you plant the wheat, and you nurture the wheat, and then you harvest the wheat, and then you winnow the wheat, and then you sift the wheat, and then you grind it into flour, and you knead the flour with water, and you allow it to rise and you bake it into bread. After what our חז\"ל *Chazal* call the סידורא דהפת *sidura d'hapas*, the many steps that are the beginning, the first 13 process of the of the 39 categories of creative labor, only after we exert such effort and toil, then you could eat bread. But bread doesn't grow from the ground. That's lost to us because we think bread grows on the shelves of Publix and Winn-Dixie and you know, when's the last time any of us tended to a field? To us it's as convenient as going. We're suffering a little bit now because we're learning that there's very few breads that have הכשרים *hechsherim* left. I don't know if you've noticed that. So, we're learning that you can't take bread for granted. It's hard to find bread with a הכשר *hechsher* anymore. There's very few. But the farmer understood that bread doesn't grow from the ground. It takes great effort. And that's what רבי עקיבא's *Rabbi Akiva's* response was to טורנוס רופוס *Turnus Rufus*. קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* who loves us to be מהול *mahul*, גמלת *g'malt*, he wants us to have a ברית *bris*, but he wants us to show that effort. That's the בדמייך חיי *b'damayich chayi*, the two דם *dam*, that we were merited to leave מצרים *Mitzrayim*. I can't get out of פסח *Pesach*. We merited to leave מצרים *Mitzrayim*, the blood of the קרבן פסח *Korban Pesach* and the blood of ברית מילה *bris mila*. What the two have in common was both took initiative, they took effort. You can't sit back and wait for השם *Hashem*. Jewish destiny believes, Jewish redemption believes, it's not something that happens to us. We're not passive to it. That is the biggest difference, the biggest, among the enormous differences between us and Christianity as a theology. They believe that they are entirely and wholly, WH, unworthy, and it's only in the merit of a certain someone and his suffering that redemption can happen, but they are entirely unworthy. And we believe משיח *Mashiach* will come when we prove our worthiness. בכל יום אחכה לו *B'chol yom achakeh lo*, I wait for him. הרב סולובייצ'יק *Rav Soloveitchik* in על התשובה *Al ha'Teshuva* says, what do you mean? How can you have faith? אני מאמין *Ani ma'amin*. What do you mean I have faith משיח *Mashiach*'s going to come? חז\"ל *Chazal* tells us משיח *Mashiach* will come when we're worthy. I know there's two versions of משיח *Mashiach*, but משיח *Mashiach* will come when we are worthy. So how can you say אני מאמין *ani ma'amin*, I believe משיח *Mashiach* will come? Said the רב *Rav*, implicit in the אני מאמין *ani ma'amin* that I believe משיח *Mashiach* will come is I believe in our worthiness. I believe we will one day prove worthy. I didn't say the class is dedicated. לעילוי נשמת *L'ilui nishmas*, our שיעור *shiur* this morning is dedicated לעילוי נשמת חיה חנה הינדא בת אברהם שלמה *l'ilui nishmas Chaya Chana Hinda bas Avraham Shlomo*, so her נשמה *neshama* should have an עלייה *aliyah* through the דברי תורה *divrei Torah* that we are sharing. So redemption, גאולה *geulah* comes not passively, not, we're not spectators to it. We don't sit waiting for it to happen, we cause it, we bring it, we're the catalyst for it, we make it happen. בכל יום אחכה לו *B'chol yom achakeh lo*. הרבי זצ\"ל *The Rebbe Zatzal* brought all these campaigns. He wanted משיח *Mashiach*, so he didn't say sit back and wait, let's just sing a song and he'll come. We have to be able to initiate, we have to bring. So the בדמייך חיי *b'damayich chayi*, the דם *dam* of קרבן פסח *Korban Pesach*, the Jews didn't sit back waiting to be redeemed. השם *Hashem* said it's all set. I've done nine plagues, there's one more to go, we're getting out of here. I bought the tickets, flights on time, we're booking out, it's all set after 210 years of suffering, we're ready to go. There's just one thing you need to do. You got to take the animal that your oppressor feels is their God, and you've got to show the courage to tie it to the bedpost for four days and then slaughter it. Sprinkle its blood on the doorpost, identify as a Jew. When you show that courage, when you take that initiative, then we're ready to go. I've done everything else, but you've got to take that step. So whether it's, and the same is true for our body. We complete the process of the perfection of the body, and that is our partnership with the רבונו של עולם *Ribono shel Olam*, we partner with him in the creation of man through through the ברית מילה *bris mila*. That's why we get up and open the door when אליהו הנביא *Eliyahu Hanavi* comes. When we recite at the end of the הגדה, שפוך חמתך אל הגוים *Haggadah, shfoch chamascha el hagoyim*. Say, God, pour out your wrath against חמאס *Hamas* and חיזבאללה *Hezbollah* and the Iranians and Syria, maybe even the Russians who are supporting the Syrians. I don't know if it's included in שפוך חמתך *shfoch chamascha*. If they're real news or fake news, I don't know. But שפוך חמתך אל הגוים *shfoch chamascha el hagoyim*, and what do we do when we say it? We sing אליהו הנביא, אליהו *Eliyahu Hanavi, Eliyahu* is coming, משיח *Mashiach*. Can't wait. What do we do? Did you see the cute picture of the kid who says he didn't want to open the door for אליהו *Eliyahu*? He remembers what happens the last time he sat in אליהו's *Eliyahu's* lap. Anyway, so, speaking of ברית מילה *bris mila*. So, why do we get up to open the door? The answer is because if you're waiting for redemption, if you want גאולה *geulah*, you can't sit back reclining. הסיבה *Haseiba*, recline when you drink the four cups, recline when you eat the מצה *matzah*. But when you want redemption, stop reclining. Get up, go open the door, you've got to do something if you're going to bring משיח *Mashiach*. The role of man and the endowment of holiness is an essential theme in הלכה *halacha*. Says the רב *Rav*, for example, if a סופר *sofer* writes a תורה *Torah* scroll and does not explicitly note the sanctity of the י-ק-ו-ק *Yud Kei Vav Kei* while writing the name, neither the name nor the scroll have any sanctity. Sometimes, lately, it's once every couple of months, I get an email or call, there were Christian missionaries knocking on the door, they left a Bible at the door. What's the status of the Bible? Does it have to go in שמות *shaymus*? I said put it in the garbage. Put it in the garbage, Rabbi? It's got God's name, it's תנ\"ך *Tanach*, it's it's the Bible. They said, no, it's not. Because the הלכה *halacha* is, the words themselves don't intrinsically or implicitly have holiness. The words have holiness based on the intent of the one who writes them or publishes them. If a סופר *sofer* has the wrong כוונה *kavana* when writing a ספר תורה *sefer Torah*, those learning the דף *daf*, the beginning of זבחים *Zevachim* we're talking about לשמה *lishma*. The לשמה *lishma* with קדשים *kodshim*, the לשמה *lishma* with גיטין *gittin*, you also have a לשמה *lishma* with ספרות *safrus*. You have to write it לשמה *lishma*. If they don't have the right intent, then the ספר תורה *sefer Torah*, it can look exactly like another ספר תורה *sefer Torah*. The letters are the same, the ink is the same, the parchment's the same, the spacing is the same, it can look identical to a ספר תורה *sefer Torah*. But if the person doesn't have the right intent, the לשמה *lishma*, the תורה *Torah* is פסול *pasul*. It doesn't need גניזה חמורה *geniza chamurah*, you don't have to bury it. You put it in the garbage because intent matters. Intent matters. That's where the Jew comes in. We contribute the intent. It's not just an empty act, it's the intent of the act which is transformative. Torah scrolls invested with holiness by man. A sacrifice is consecrated through man's designation. It's כנסת ישראל *Knesses Yisrael* who sanctifies יום טוב *Yom Tov*. מקדש ישראל והזמנים *Mekadesh Yisrael v'hazmanim*. קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* is מקדש ישראל *mekadesh Yisrael*, he sanctified us, we are מקדש הזמנים *mekadesh hazmanim*, we then sanctify the new moon. So ברית *bris* is the ultimate. We enter the covenant with the ultimate exercise or expression of our partnership, of our participation, that we're not spectators, that we're not passive, that we are fully engaged and invested in in the process. And you see a similar thing as our פרשה *parsha* continues, because what comes after the woman is pregnant, she gives birth, a lot of הלכות *halachos* you derive from here, very fascinating מחלוקת *machlokes*, I think I've mentioned this, I'm not gonna mention it, we don't have time. But we we continue that the woman who gives birth has to bring what? והקריבה לפני השם וכפר עליה *v'hikriva lifnei Hashem v'chiper aleha*. She brings the קרבן *karban* and she achieves כפרה *kapara*. She achieves atonement. Why in the world does a new mother need atonement? This woman only שלעפּט *shlept* the baby around for nine months. Her ankles swell, she lived with this comfort, she couldn't sleep at night, she gained weight, nausea. I haven't personally experienced it, but I've I've been present next to someone who did several times. So she has to וכפר עליה *v'chiper aleha*? What does she need atonement for? She created life, she brought life. The greatest imitation of השם *Hashem*, the closest we come to creating like השם *Hashem* is childbirth. So where do we need her כפרה *kapara*? So the רמב\"ן *Ramban*, נחמנידיס *Nachmanides* makes a famous statement. Why does the woman need atonement after she's given birth? Because while experiencing the pangs of childbirth, she swears to herself that she is never going near her husband ever, ever again. As those contractions are coming closer and closer together and more and more intensely, she is swearing out loud, she's cursing her husband who did this to her and she is swearing she will never come near him again. So she needs כפרה *kapara* because due to her marital obligation, the oath cannot be annulled, and she obviously will have regret for the cursing, for that vow, for that promise. So says the רמב\"ן *Ramban*, that's why after childbirth, she needs a כפרה *kapara* for some of the things that she said during the experience of childbirth. The כלי יקר *Kli Yakar* in our פרשה *parsha* gives another suggestion. The כלי יקר *Kli Yakar* says, what's the כפרה *kapara*? Why is she receiving atonement? It is an atonement by the mother, why? For the חטא *cheit* of חוה *Chava* in eating from the עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*. What? When she experiences the pain of childbirth, somehow that's a כפרה *kapara*? That's an atonement? So my first daughter רחלי *Rochelly* was born in ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*. She's a צברה *sabra*, I guess, she's not technically an Israeli citizen. And she was born in שערי צדק *Shaarei Tzedek* in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. And we had a wonderful midwife. My wife wanted to have a midwife, this first childbirth, who would usher her through it. And it was all a wonderful idea beforehand. But as the contractions came, she said, \"Epidural. I'm ready.\" Subsequent to that I joke, I'm saying this because she's not here, so I can, that I always say my wife asked for the epidural when she sees the second line come back on the pregnancy test. That's when she was ready for the epidural in anticipation. All a result of this first time. So this wonderful, spiritual, very incredible midwife, someone had recommended, was trying to convince her that you can't get the epidural. This is a כפרה *kapara* for the עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*, for חוה *Chava*. You owe it to חוה *Chava*, you owe it to all women. You have to. She tried to convince her it's too late, you can't get it anyway, to which the doctor was telling me it's not true, she can absolutely get it. Anyway, so because of that, she had an anesthesiologist, nothing to do with where it happened. There's wonderful doctors in ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*, and bad doctors, wonderful doctors here, and bad doctors, and it wasn't either. It's obviously קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu*. She had an epidural that only took in half her body. So with each contraction, she felt the pain in half her body and didn't feel the pain. So it was half a כפרה *kapara*. A half a כפרה *kapara* for חוה *Chava*.So, what is this notion, the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar*? What is childbirth? What do the pains of childbirth have to do with חוה *Chava*? Now we know the obvious answer is, because after חוה *Chava* not only eats of the עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*, but gives it to אדם *Adam* to eat as well, קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* gives each a punishment. The נחש *nachash*, the snake, crawls on his belly. אדם *Adam*, man, doesn't have the luxury of eating from the עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*, of I'm sorry, eating from anything in the Garden of Eden, doesn't have this endless פסח *Pesach* program smorg, but has to go work for his food. And חוה's *Chava's* punishment is בעצב תלדי בנים *b'tza'ar teildi banim*, pain in childbirth. So that is what would be the clear connection. But הרב סולובייצ'יק *Rav Soloveitchik* suggests a much deeper connection, and it relates to his suggestion about ברית *bris* as well. He says, every day we daven for knowledge and understanding. So why did השם *Hashem* prohibit אדם וחוה *Adam v'Chava* from eating from the עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*? אתה חונן לאדם דעת *Ata chonein l'adam daas*. We stand in front of השם *Hashem* and we say, השם *Hashem*, today help me keep my memory. There's people around me whose memory is fading. השם *Hashem*, help me retain my memory. Help me have insight. Help me be able to analyze. Help me able to learn and study. Help me be able to put together a good פרשה *parsha* class. Whatever we're asking for. השם *Hashem*, אתה חונן לאדם דעת *Ata chonein l'adam daas*. If דעת *daas* is something we so value that we daven for it, why didn't השם *Hashem* say, עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*, it's all yours, indulge, acquire. Why did השם *Hashem* say no? So the רב *Rav* suggests that השם *Hashem* wanted man to exert effort in order to attain knowledge. Effortlessly gaining knowledge violates his will. Right, you can't acquire תורה *Torah*. Who acquires תורה *Torah*? ממי שממית עצמו עליה *Mi'mi shemeimis atzmo aleha*. You have to be willing to toil for it. The mother acquires atonement because she rejects the exertion associated with childbirth, a rejection reminiscent of אדם וחוה *Adam v'Chava* when they refused to undergo the exertion required to attain knowledge. Says the רב *Rav*, that's the, that's the, that's the connection. In other words, the mother when she experiences the pain of childbirth, what she's saying is that the result is so worth it, it's worth enduring the pain. We say this by the way, the last קינה *kinah* we say on תשעה באב *Tisha B'av*, we sing אלי ציון *Eli Tzion*. What do we say? אלי ציון ובניה כמו אשה בציריה *Eli Tzion v'vaneha, k'mo isha b'tzireha*. We liken it to a mother with her labor pains that what we're waiting for, the גאולה *geulah*, the payoff is so great, is so wonderful, is so worthwhile that when the mother holds that healthy little baby in her arms, she says, you know what, the last hour, six hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, nine months, whatever it was, it was all worth it. I was cursing, I was swearing, I was miserable, but I'm holding this little baby, this little נשמה *neshama*, I'm holding a piece of myself, it's all worth it. It's all worth it. So the same is true with knowledge. It takes effort, it's toil. We have to work towards it, but anything that's worthwhile in life, anything that is lasting in life, takes effort, it's worthwhile. And says the רב *Rav*, that's the connection between the two. The need to wait so many days until the woman can become purified after childbirth can once again be traced to the first sin. According to the מדרש *midrash*, אדם וחוה *Adam v'Chava* ate from the tree of knowledge on a Friday. They waited a few more hours, had they waited a few more hours until שבת *Shabbos*, the fruit of the tree would actually have been permitted to be eaten. As a punishment for אדם וחוה's *Adam v'Chava's* impetuousness, a woman must wait many days until her need of impurity is removed, and man must wait three years before he can eat the fruit of a newly planted tree of ערלה *orlah*. Many of the מצוות *mitzvos* in the תורה *Torah* teach us the importance of discipline, of the ability to wait. Another connection. The ability to be סובל *soveil*, the סבלנות *savlanut*, we've talked about this before. סבלנות *Savlanut*, patience, the root of the word סבלנות *savlanut* is סובל *soveil*, the willingness to endure. You gotta prove that that which is worthwhile, you gotta be patient for. You have to be willing to endure the pain of patience. Being patient is painful. You have to endure, you have to be סובל *soveil* to express the סבלנות *savlanut* to get something. So this is the theme הרב סולובייצ'יק *Rav Soloveitchik* says is the opening of the פרשה *parsha*, whether it's the ברית מילה, להכניסו בבריתו של אברהם אבינו *bris mila, lehachniso b'vriso shel Avraham Avinu*, the status change that comes from our partnership, our participation, our contribution to the process of ברית *bris*, the perfection of man, or whether it's this connection of why the woman וכפר עליה *v'chiper aleha*, the כפרה *kapara* is that she didn't want to experience the pain of childbirth because like אדם וחוה *Adam v'Chava*, they just wanted the עץ הדעת *eitz hadaas*. They didn't want to have to go through the עמלות *ameilus*. They didn't want the טירחה *tircha*. They weren't willing to be ממית עצמו עליה *meimis atzmo aleha*. But good things come to those who wait. And good thing, great things come to those who are willing to be to to be מוסר נפש *moser nefesh*, willing to experience the pain in order to acquire it. Okay, so that is the opening of the פרשה *parsha*. It deals with the הלכות *halachos* of childbirth, of ברית מילה *bris mila*. ברית מילה *Bris mila* is דוחה שבת *docheh Shabbos* and so on and so forth. The פרשה *parsha* then continues and really the remainder of תזריע *Tazria* and almost all of מצורע *Metzora* deals with the laws of צרעת *tzaraas*, the affliction of leprosy. The laws of צרעת *tzaraas* apply in three ways. They apply on a person, they apply on his or her clothing, and they can apply to his or her house or his or her home. These laws of צרעת *tzaraas* are very, very interesting. When we read these פסוקים *pesukim*, this seems very archaic, arcane, inaccessible, strange. ברוך השם *Baruch Hashem*, we don't have leprosy rampant today at all, physical leprosy, let alone this spiritual leprosy. It's very, very clear all the מפרשים *mefarshim* point out left and right that we're not talking about a dermatological disease. We're not talking about physical leprosy, because if you were, what's the הלכה *halacha*? To whom do you bring the person who experiences the צרעת *tzaraas*? To the כהן *kohen*. Why are you going to a כהן *kohen*? Go to a dermatologist. Go to a doctor. Okay, the כהן *kohen* can also tell you to put some cortisone cream on it. But the point is, you go to a doctor. My father-in-law is a dermatologist. I'm allowed to make fun. You know the joke about dermatologist? If it's wet, dry it. If it's dry, wet it. Otherwise, put some cortisone cream on it. Okay. Anyway, I apologize, אבא *Abba*. But so the כהן *kohen* also can tell you that. But why are you going to a כהן *kohen*? You should be going to a doctor. And the whole process of healing. And what? If there's, if it's all white, then it's not leprosy. If there's two hairs that are white, it is leprosy. What do you mean? These don't follow the rules of of blemishes and wounds and and skin disease. It's not, it's not describing. The סלונים רבי *Slonimer Rebbe* points out that what is it talking about? The the diagnosis and the therapy to heal it are parallel to the symptoms and the illness. The illness isn't a skin-deep illness. It's deeper. The סלונים רבי *Slonimer Rebbe* points out that note the פסוקים *pesukim* say that והנה מראיו עמוק מן העור *v'hinei mareihu amok min ha'or*. Its appearance is עמוק *amok*. What does עמוק *amok* mean? It's deeper than the skin. This is not a skin-deep malady. This goes deeper than the skin. The malady, the affliction, the problem is not מן העור *min ha'or*, it's not superficial, it's not only skin deep, it's עמוק מן העור *amok min ha'or*. It's deeper than the skin. What's the malady? What's the root? What's the core? What's the cause? What's going on inside? Something much greater. חז\"ל *Chazal* give us at least seven different causes. The one that we're most familiar with is לשון הרע *lashon hara*, gossip. לשון הרע *Lashon hara*, you bring birds, you bring two doves. Why? Just as birds chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, we too, לשון הרע *lashon hara*, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, or they were the birds twitter. I think is the way Artscroll translates. So the birds twitter, we tweet, and we use tweet. I won't make any references to people in distinguished positions and their use of the keyboard for Twitter. But the birds remind us that we got into a problem because we thoughtlessly, impetuously tweeted, whether literally or figuratively, we tweeted, and and therefore we bring the birds that twitter, that remind us of of that problem. So the סלונים רבי *Slonimer Rebbe* says, this is not a problem which is skin-deep. You can't put some cortisone cream on צרעת *tzaraas*. It's עמוק מן העור *amok min ha'or*. There's something deeper inside you. So לשון הרע *lashon hara* is one of them. The commonality of all of the seven things חז\"ל *Chazal* tell us is גסות הרוח *gassus haruach*, it's arrogance. It's I, it's ego, it's me, thinking the world revolves around me. So envy and jealousy and and seeking honor and gossiping about others and sitting in judgment of others, all of these at their root, at their core is a inflated sense of self. It's confusing that I'm in charge, I run the world, the world revolves around me. And that thought process, that mistake, that illness is עמוק מן העור *amok min ha'or*. It's deeper. And what's the result? The פרשה *parsha* says at the end of מצורע *Metzora*, והזרתם את בני ישראל מטומאתם *V'hizartem es bnei Yisrael m'tumasam*. We are cautioned from our טומאה *tumah*. ולא ימותו בטומאתם בטמאם את משכני אשר בתוכם *V'lo yamosu b'tumasam b'tam'am es mishkani asher b'socham*. And the סלונים רבי *Slonimer Rebbe* says, what does it mean ולא ימותו בטומאתם *v'lo yamosu b'tumasam*, lest we die in our טומאה *tumah*? He says, קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* created us, he invested within us a חלק אלוקה ממעל *chelek eloka mima'al*. There is a piece of God himself in us. We are a physical being, but we are animated by a godly soul. But you know, there's only room inside us for God or for our ego, not for both. So when we sublimate our ego and we live our lives in service of his will, of his vision, קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* dwells within us. ושכנתי בתוכם *V'shachanti b'socham*. השם *Hashem* expresses himself within us. Where can you find השם *Hashem* in this world? Look for his angels, people with extraordinary acts of kindness. I don't know if anyone saw the story from the Boston Marathon yesterday. Of the winner. Anyone see the story of the winner? You'll hear about it next in the אילע *Eila*, before נילע *Ne'ila* because it's a great נילע *Ne'ila* story. She helped her friend, she stopped for her friend to be able to go to the bathroom and she still came back and won. But who does that? Risks their chance to win for a friend? She said I want it. Amazing story. השם *Hashem* קדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* expresses himself through people. When people act in a godly way, that's where you can find השם *Hashem* in this world. That's השם *Hashem*. God dwells within us when we are godly, we give a house for ושכנתי בתוכם *v'shachanti b'socham*, השם *Hashem* dwells within us. That's why when a person loses a loved one, they say קדיש *Kaddish*. קדיש *Kaddish* doesn't include השם's *Hashem's* name. קדיש *Kaddish*, I'm sorry, קדיש *Kaddish* doesn't include death. קדיש *Kaddish* is the quintessential prayer for death. Right away, if I say death, קדיש *Kaddish*. I say קדיש *Kaddish*, אבל *avel*. What does קדיש *Kaddish* have to do with אבלות *aveilus*? It doesn't even mention death once. I once heard Dr. Lamm, זאָל זיין געזונט *zol zein gezunt*, say... Why? Because what's Kaddish about? יתגדל ויתקדש שמה רבא Yisgadal v'yiskadash shmei raba. May Hashem's name be made great. May Hashem's presence be felt. What is death? Death is erasing a unique expression of Hashem in this world. Every human being when they act in a godly way, they are a unique expression of godliness in this world. And when that person passes from this world, when that soul is extracted from the body and moves on, God has, so to say, lost a voice, an expression in this world. And so the response, our prayer, Kaddish in the response is יתגדל yisgadal, that may Hashem's presence be expanded once again. May that void be filled with godliness once again. Very, very beautiful interpretation. So says the Slanimer Rebbe, that within us, our body is a vehicle that's meant to house godliness. We are to act in a godly way, a disciplined way, show patience, be in control, be מוסר נפש moiser nefesh, toil and effort, be Hashem's partner for his vision and mission in life in this world. When we do ושכנתי בתוכם v'shochanti b'socham, Hashem is among us. But when we don't, if we gossip, if we judge, if we're envious, if we're arrogant, if we act in all these ways which lead with to צרעת tzaraas, what happens? ולא ימותו בטומאתם v'lo yamusu b'tumasam. Says the Slanimer Rebbe, we experience a spiritual death. Why? בטמאם את משכני אשר בתוכם b'tam'am es mishkani asher b'socham, because we have contaminated God's משכני mishkani, ושכנתי בתוכם v'shochanti b'socham. God wants to be a temple within us. We have purged God from us. Because if our ego is so great, Hashem says I'm out of here. I don't need this. I don't need to compete with you. I'm greater than you, I made you, I am everything. I'm not going to lower myself to compete with you. So if your ego is so great, if you're so arrogant, God withdraws his countenance from within us. And what happens when Hashem withdraws from within us? Then לא ימותו lo yamusu. We experience a death, literal or figurative. So, every Jew is a vehicle to house ושכנתי בתוכם v'shochanti b'socham. That's what the pasuk means, ולא ימותו בטומאתם בטמאם את משכני אשר בתוכם v'lo yamusu b'tumasam b'tam'am es mishkani asher b'socham. We are not to push Hashem out from from within, from within us.In fact, at the root of at this notion of צרעת tzaraas is to realize that not only does Hashem dwell within us and we are to act godly, sublimate, subjugate our ego, our arrogance, our envy, our desire, our temptation, but to live a life of service, of patience, of mission. But to also realize that everything that happens to us is the result of Hashem. Within the whole process of the of the מצורע metzora, the one who was מוציא רע motzi ra, who brought bad into the world. They weren't מוציא טוב motzi tov, they weren't a vehicle for good, they were a vehicle, an instrument for bad. מצורע Metzora is מוציא רע motzi ra. They brought bad into the world. The whole therapy process has, we're not going to get into it in depth this morning, but we have in the past and you can listen online, is filled with beautiful symbolism of how to once again restore a sense of humility, a sense of faith, of אמונה emunah. So I give you one example. I saw a beautiful that Rav Melech Biderman quotes from the Ben Ish Chai. One of the steps of the purification for the מצורע metzora is he has to shave all of his hair. Pasuk says, והיה ביום השביעי יגלח את כל שערו את ראשו ואת זקנו ואת גבות עיניו ואת כל שערו יגלח v'haya bayom hashvi'i y'galach es kol s'aro es rosho v'es z'kano v'es gabos einav v'es kol s'aro y'galach. On the seventh day, he shaves off all the hair of his head, his beard, his eyebrows. All of his hair is removed. The pasuk in מצורע Metzora. The Ben Ish Chai says, he quotes a Gemara in Bava Basra. The Gemara in Bava Basra דף טז daf tes zayin says Hashem Hashem says, I created many hairs in man. Many hairs in man. And each hair has its own pore, so that two hairs don't draw nourishment from the same pore. If two hairs would grow forth from the same pore, it would blind the person. That's the Gemara in Bava Basra. Is that meant literally, figuratively? I don't know. Is there a medical disease that a person has two hairs grow from the same pore that that ruins their vision, a correlation between the two? I don't know. I never heard of such a thing. So, whether it means literally or figuratively, but the Gemara says, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, I created separate pores, each hair comes from its own pore. No two hairs should come from the same pore. If they would, a person would go blind. Based on this, the Ben Ish Chai says, what happens when the מצורע metzora shaves his head? He discovers what's left when you shave your head or your hair falls out, what's left? You discover each hair has its own root. And you realize that no hair takes away nourishment from another hair. And you understand that just like every hair has its own root and no two hairs have to compete for nourishment from the same pore, so you realize that each person has his own source of פרנסה parnassah from Hashem, and no two people have to compete for פרנסה parnassah. No other person can take the פרנסה parnassah that was meant for me. And I can't take someone else's פרנסה parnassah. Isn't that beautiful? The מצורע metzora shaves his head and sees the pores and realizes each pore, each hair has its own pore, and it reminds him. I spoke לשון הרע lashon hara about my competitor because I was trying to gain an upper hand. What a mistake. You know, because at the root of that is a lack of אמונה emunah, is a lack of faith. The Chazon Ish brings down very beautifully in אמונה ובטחון Emunah u'Bitachon. Chazon Ish brings down very beautifully. He says, you know, there are a lot of people who when they're in shul, when they're in the beis medrash, they excel at אמונה ובטחון emunah u'bitachon. בעזרת השם B'ezras Hashem, ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, חסד השם chesed Hashem. They're such בעלי אמונה baalei emunah, such בטחון bitachon. They love Hashem, they love Hashem, they love Hashem. They שקל shakel, they שקל shakel, they שקל shakel. They דאווען daven, they דאווען daven, they דאווען daven. They cry, they cry, they cry. They go out to work and they are a ruthless businessman. And they try to crush the competition. And they try to monopolize the business. And they threaten the distributor, if you give my competitor, I won't work with you. And the advertising agency, if you advertise my competitor, I won't work with you. And they try to undermine and undercut and crush the competition, ruthlessly. Says the Chazon Ish, such a person, no matter what they say in shul, they have no אמונה ובטחון emunah u'bitachon. They have no faith at all. Because if they have אמונה ובטחון emunah u'bitachon, they realize הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the one who provides and no one can touch what is meant for me. The Chazon Ish says something astounding. He says, in fact, that business person, if they really have אמונה ובטחון emunah u'bitachon and competition opens across the street, you know what they do? They don't threaten, they don't undermine, they don't undercut, they don't compete. You know what they do? They walk across the street, they introduce themselves to their competitor and they say, how can I help you? Let me introduce you to my distributors. Let me tell you my strategy. Let me tell you my web host. Let me give you some suggestions how you can succeed. Because they realize, I know you're all looking at me like I'm crazy. This is the Chazon Ish. And if you just think about it for a moment, it's so true. If you in fact, that's the proof. It's easy to say, ברוך השם, בעזרת השם Baruch Hashem, b'ezras Hashem. That's easy. But when you go to the business place, are you willing to help your competition? That, that is the proof of whether you really live a life of אמונה ובטחון emunah u'bitachon. Are you willing to really say, you know what? I do my best and Hashem's the one who provides. And there's enough business out there for Hashem to make us both rich. It's enough that Hashem could provide for both of us. The Gemara in Yoma says, דף למ\"ח daf lamed ches, no one can touch what is destined for his friend, not even a hair's breadth. No one can touch it. הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu designates what's for each of us and no one can touch it. Ten competitors could open across the street. If they take away from me, it's because I wasn't meant to have more. And if I'm meant to make to be wealthy nonetheless, then they can't touch what I'm meant to have. So the proof, the challenge, the test of אמונה ובטחון emunah u'bitachon is not in shul, it's not how much you שקל shakel. It's not how worn out the pages of your siddur get. It's when you leave and you go into business, are you a ruthless, cutthroat business person or are you even willing to help the competition? So the Ben Ish Chai says, this מוציא רע motzi ra, this מצורע metzora, who was מוציא רע motzi ra. This ruthless businessman who spoke לשון הרע lashon hara because they were jealous of the competition, because they were threatened by others, because they had lust and temptation for more wealth and to amass more material goods, they shave their head. And when they see that each hair gets its own pore, they realize each person has their own source of nourishment from the from the ריבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam, a very, very beautiful idea, very beautiful image.We mentioned that the מצורע metzora goes to the כהן kohen. The מצורע metzora goes to the כהן kohen. But it doesn't just go to any כהן kohen. Pasuk tells us, והובא אל אהרון הכהן או אל אחד מבניו הכהנים v'huva el Aharon ha'kohen o el echad mi'banav ha'kohanim. Could go to any כהן kohen, but the Torah formulates it as they're brought to the Aharon or one of his sons. Why would it tell us Aharon? Just say you go to any כהן kohen. You got to take up Aharon's time to diagnose leprosy? What are you taking up Aharon's time? So the Tolner Rebbe, שליט\"א shlita, in ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael, the Tolner Rebbe, the current Tolner Rebbe says, that the Torah is emphasizing that the greatest כהנים kohanim are the ones who have to descend from their lofty heights of sanctity, who leave their holy work in order to go to the מצורע metzora who has fallen to the lowest depths of impurity. When someone has fallen lowly, when someone has has now living the consequence of the mistakes they made, when someone feels on the outskirts, literally and figuratively as we'll get to in a moment, you don't just designate some other lowly person to take care of them. But you designate the highest person. אהרון Aharon, אחד מבניו echad mi'banav. They leave their sacred work, they leave the cocoon of their holy place and they go to that person who is so lowly. What's even more, while in the beginning of the process, the מצורע metzora is brought, והובא אל הכהן v'huva el ha'kohen, comes to the כהן kohen, and the כהן kohen interrupts his holy עבודה avodah in order to deal with this lowly person and their problems. But what happens at the end? ויצא הכהן מחוץ למחנה v'yatza ha'kohen michutz la'machaneh. So when the person is confirmed to have צרעת tzaraas, בדד ישב מחוץ למחנה מושבו badad yeshev michutz la'machaneh moshavo, and they live alone isolated outside the camp. Now, ויצא הכהן מחוץ למחנה v'yatza ha'kohen michutz la'machaneh. Now it's the כהן kohen who goes outside the camp in order to check on in order to check on him. So the כהן kohen who normally spends his time in matters of קדושה kedusha in the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash leaves the camp to deal with this person. What's the idea? And again, the Tolner Rebbe says, the situation of צרעת tzaraas is when the כהן's kohen's love for every Jew is most manifest. The love does not come to the fore during normal times, when everything goes smoothly and the כהן kohen is together with his fellow כהנים kohanim basking in the glory of the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. But rather when the כהן kohen leaves the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash and goes מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh. This is when the powerful love for each and every Jew is put on full display. Torah is telling us that the greater a leader you are, the more you have to concern yourself with the lowly, dispirited, the one who feels rejected and isolated, even the holy כהן kohen goes מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh to show that to show that love, to show that concern.And he writes the Tolner Rebbe, this is in translation. Although today we do not have מצורעים metzoraim, we do have many lost souls whom we must all try to bring back, show our utmost genuine love for these individuals, even for those whom we needed to send away so they would not cause harm to others. Just as the מצורע metzora sent away to isolation and others must keep a distance from him, yet the כהן kohen is commanded to love him with the same intensity as David HaMelech's love for Yonason, similarly we must arouse in our hearts genuine love for each and every Jew, even for those who needed to be distanced. You'll say, if you love them so much, why'd you send them מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh? Let them stay in the מחנה machaneh. The answer is sometimes someone has to be מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh. Sometimes there's tough love. Sometimes you have to practice tough love with someone. בדד ישב badad yeshev, you need to be alone, you need to be isolated. You don't have the comfort and protection of the מחנה machaneh, of the camp. Sometimes, sometimes you have to ask a שאלה shailah, these are דיני נפשות dinei nefashos, life and death. A school has to say to a child, you can't continue here anymore. That child is too negative an influence on others, they threaten others. Sometimes a person in the community is misbehaving in such a way, they have to be told, I'm sorry but you can't continue to participate in the community. Sometimes within a family, a person is such a negative influence, the family has to do what is the unthinkable and practice tough love and send them מחוץ למחנה בדד michutz la'machaneh badad. You have to live alone. But the Tolner Rebbe says, but even when that's true, ויצא הכהן v'yatza ha'kohen. You have to go outside and show love and concern and care and loyalty, even to those who needed to be distanced. And the Gemara in Megillah teaches במידה שאדם מודד מודדים לו b'midah she'adam moded mod'dim lo, הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu treats a person the way we treat others. So says the Tolner Rebbe, if we show our love for those Jews who are far and distant and work to bring them closer, if we're willing to go מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh, we're willing to be יוצא yotzei, to leave our comfort zone in order to show them love. You could say this about our whole unaffiliated population, who maybe live in מחנות machanos, they live in camps that we don't want to contaminate ourselves by participating in. But you have to go and bring them back. And if we do, he says, then we have the merit, we will merit הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu showing or showering that love to us as well.Why is it in fact his consequence? Why does the מצורע metzora sit מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh? Why is he sent outside of the camp? So Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says a very simple answer. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz in שיחות מוסר sichos mussar says, because מידה כנגד מידה midah k'neged midah. The Torah only prescribes punishments and consequences which are therapeutic, which help teach. What does it teach the מצורע metzora when you sent him מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh, when he lives בדד badad, when he lives alone and isolated? Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz learns this from the Gemara. The Gemara said there are four people who are dead even while they're alive. The commonality of these four people, poor person, a blind person, childless person, and a מצורע metzora. The commonality of all four people, and the the Gemara is not it's not judging the person that they're dead as if they're alive. It's not prescriptive, it's descriptive. It's saying that those people are in such pain, profound pain, it can only be described as if they're suffering death even while they're alive. So just Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, what's the commonality of all four? The feeling of aloneness. A person craves to connect with others, but often they feel very, very alone because of that challenge that they are experiencing. The מצורע metzora, how does the מצורע metzora feel alone? So Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says, the מצורע metzora by gossiping about others made the other feel alone. You told gossip about someone, you made that feel, you know, you know what it's like? Maybe you don't. As a rabbi, you get spoken about a lot. And sometimes you even hear about it. You have such wonderful, wonderful people, good friends who come over to you and say, Rabbi, I don't know what would make a person do this, I have no idea, but sometimes it makes them feel good. They say, Rabbi, I want you to know at the Shabbos table this past week, everyone was talking about you. But you should know, I didn't participate. Everyone was talking about you, but I want you to know, I wouldn't say one word. Believe me, there are people like that who tell you that. So, you know, when you when you hear people talking about you, it makes you feel very alone. It makes you very suspicious of all your relationships in life. It makes you wonder, does everyone think that? Does everyone feel that? Is everyone saying that? Is everyone talking that way? That's how you feel when when you're become aware that there's a לשון הרע lashon hara chain, an email or text message or people are speaking at a Shabbos table. So Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says, the מצורע metzora was guilty of isolating another. The one whom he spoke לשון הרע lashon hara about was made to feel alone and isolated. What is the what is the therapy for that מצורע metzora? To experience what he made someone else feel. בדד ישב מחוץ למחנה מושבו badad yeshev michutz la'machaneh moshavo. He has to be alone. He has to live a life of feeling isolated, alone or judged. The Chofetz Chaim has a similar interpretation. Says the Chofetz Chaim, לכולי עלמא אדם נעשה טמא אפילו בשתי שערות לבנות בלבדה l'chulei alma, adam na'aseh tamei afilu b'shtei sa'aros l'vanos bilvada, if when within the blemish, two hairs turn white, that makes you gives you the diagnosis of צרעת tzaraas. כשכל הנגע נהפך לבן, ודאי צריך להיות טמא k'shekol ha'nega nehpach lavan, vadai tzarich l'hiyos tamei. So why when the whole thing turns white are you not טמא tamei? It should be a קל וחומר kal v'chomer. If when two hairs turn white, you are declared טמא tamei, so certainly when the whole thing is white, you should be טמא tamei. מדוע טיהרתו התורה madua tiharaso ha'Torah? So why when the whole thing is white are you in fact טהור tahor? So listen to what he answers. He says, אחרי התבונן איש בלבו מה זאת, כמה מתועבת לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא מידת הגאווה acharei hisbonen ish b'libo mah zos, kamah m'to'eves lifnei Hakadosh Baruch Hu midas ha'gaavah. You can see from here just how despicable and rejected by Hashem the character trait of arrogance is. וכה רצויה לפניו מידת הענווה v'chamah retzuyah l'fanav midas ha'achnavah v'ha'anavah. And how much Hashem craves, desires, approves within us when we are humble. Why? מכיוון שאחת הסיבות שמביאות לאדם צרעת, גסות הרוח, הגאווה mekeivan she'achas ha'sibos she'm'vi'os l'adam tzaraas, gasus ha'ruach, ha'gaavah, מה איפוא הפתרון למצורע mah efo ha'pitaron la'metzora? If the cause of the צרעת tzaraas is arrogance. You know, to speak gossip about someone, you're arrogant. Takes arrogance. Arrogance to think you're in a position to judge someone else. You have nothing but about you. How would you feel if this were being done or said about you? It takes arrogance. So אם יש לו שתי שערות לבנות, אז יוכל להורות את שרוולו עליו im yesh lo shtei sa'aros l'vanos, az yuchal l'horid es sharvulo alav. If he has two white hairs, you could lower a sleeve and cover them up. So therefore the Torah says no. Such a person, מחוץ לשלוש מחנות michutz l'shalosh machanos. If all you had were two white hairs in that one little blemish, so then you could cover it up. You could hide it. You could say, yeah, I have a dermatology problem, no one needs to see it. I can hide it, I could cover it up. So the Torah says, no. Such a person, once it's diagnosed, טמא tamei, מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh. Everyone is going to know about you that you're outside the You tried to make someone else feel outside the camp? You tried to exclude someone with your gossip? You're outside the camp. Everyone's going to know that you're a gossiper. However, a person who all their hair turns white, they can't hide it. They don't need to be sent מחוץ למחנה michutz la'machaneh. It's even worse. While they remain in the מחנה machaneh, everyone will see it about them and everyone will say it about them. And so says the Chofetz Chaim, the laws of צרעת tzaraas correspond with the ultimate goal of this עמוק מן העור amok min ha'or, this disease which is deeper than the skin, which is to heal a person and help them realize the mistake they made and bring them back. You made someone else feel isolated and alone, so therefore you have to experience that isolation and come back and and uh and come back and only want to connect with with others. Rav Soloveitchik also talks about this. בדד ישב badad yeshev. Many commentaries have noted the similarity exists between the requirement of מצורע metzora and those that apply to the mourner. There are a lot of parallels between a מצורע metzora and someone who is an אבל avel. I don't think we're going to get to looking at the psukim this morning. So maybe we'll end with this. What are the connections? Both have to do קריעה kriah. Both tear their garments. Both allow their hair to grow. Before the מצורע metzora shaves his head as the process of of coming back, first the hair has to grow. Just as the מצורע metzora lives in isolation outside the city, so too the mourner is confined to his home. The אבל avel doesn't leave his house in the period of mourning. There are a lot of parallels, a lot of similarities between the מצורע metzora and the אבל avel. But at the same time, says the Rav, there is one crucial difference between the two. In the case of the מצורע metzora, there's a requirement of בדד ישב badad yeshev. The מצורע metzora lives in solitude, not engaged in any form of social activity. According to some views, the מצורע metzora may not even reside together with other מצורעים metzoraim. The מצורע metzora is ostracized from the community. When a person observes אבילות aveilus, however, although he remains in his home, he's not barred from social contact. To the contrary, the community comes to him. It's obligated to care for and visit the mourner to ensure he's not left to deal with his loss on his own. There's another significant difference between a mourner and a מצורע metzora. Mourning observance are suspended on יום טוב Yom Tov because as the Gemara explains, the public festival celebration overrides the private personal obligation of mourning. The מצורע metzora is not permitted to re-enter the city or go to ירושלים Yerushalayim to offer the festival sacrifices. In this case, the public מצוה mitzvah, the holiday celebration does not override the individual's personal restrictions. These distinctions are related. The nature of יום טוב Yom Tov festival is עמידה לפני השם amidah lifnei Hashem, standing before the Almighty. It is the experience of being in God's presence that triggers the obligation of שמחה simcha on the festivals. Although a mourner on a personal level feels distant from God as a result of his loss and the trauma he endures, he's nevertheless part of עם ישראל Am Yisrael, who collectively experience the joy of עמידה לפני השם amidah lifnei Hashem. The public festivity overrides his personal restrictions. The מצורע metzora is excluded from the community. It's likewise distant from the מקדש Mikdash. As such, he cannot experience עמידה לפני השם amidah lifnei Hashem. He must therefore continue his observance of the צרעת tzaraas restrictions even on יום טוב Yom Tov. So on the one hand there are a lot of parallels, on the other hand there's an enormous difference between the two. The מצורע metzora, by the way he treated other people, his גסות רוח gasus ruach, like the Slanimer Rebbe said, he purged the חלק אלוה ממעל chelek Elokah mima'al from within him. Hashem is no longer ושכנתי בתוכם v'shochanti b'socham. So therefore, he can't feel the לפני השם lifnei Hashem and he doesn't participate in שמחת יום טוב simchas Yom Tov. The אבל avel, however, was not the result of anything he did. So therefore, he's not made to feel alone. He doesn't need to experience, he does not need to relearn that process to be able to come back. A lot more to say on these two פרשיות parshiyos, but we will end it here. Uh next week, I have a conference I'm away at, so there is no פרשה שיעור parsha shiur next week. Have a wonderful.
