Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Tazria Volume 22, No. 27 29 Adar II 5768 April 5, 2008 Sponsored by Abe and Shirley Sperling & William and Ruth Konick on the yahrzeits of Tzvi Dov ben Avraham a"h (Harry Sperling) and Mindel bat Tzvi Dov a"h (Mildred Klessmer) Mrs. Helen Spector and family in memory of husband, father and grandfather Avraham ben Nussan Nuta a"h The Katz family on the yahrzeits of grandfathers Yitzchak ben Yisrael Hakohen Katz a"h Menashe Yaakov ben Klonimus Kalman Reiss a"h Today's Learning: Avot 5:8-9 O.C. 114:7-9 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Nazir 16 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Yevamot 44 This week's parashah is the first of two that discusses tzara'at. Our Sages teach that tzara'at comes as a punishment for a number of sins. The best known of these is lashon hara; however, tzara'at also may occur as a punishment for haughtiness. R' Yaakov Leiner z"l (the Izbica Rebbe; died 1878) finds this alluded to in the words that the Torah uses to describe the various tzara'at wounds. The first is "se'ait" (Vayikra 13:2). R' Leiner notes that this word shares the same root as "hitnas'ut" / "elevating oneself." This, he writes, is the source of all sins. A person who thinks highly of himself feels entitled to enjoy all types of pleasures. On the other hand, a person who recognizes that he is "merely" a creation of Hashem's hand will be satisfied - indeed, happy - with whatever Hashem gives him. Another condition of tzara'at is "baheret" (also in Vayikra 13:2). Based on a passage in the Zohar, R' Leiner writes that this refers to being so immersed in the goodness of this world that one actually lacks the free will to accept adversity. A person who suffers from this affliction will automatically become angry when things do not go his way because he cannot imagine life any other way. Another condition is "michyah" (see Vayikra 13:24). This term is related to the word "chai" and refers to a person who thinks that he is very "alive," i.e., he thinks of himself as a great tzaddik. Such a person is quarantined - as is the law regarding one who has tzara'at - in order to send him the message that he is in fact quite distant from Hashem. The last term that R' Leiner discusses actually provides consolation to the afflicted. That term is "nega" (found repeatedly in the parashah). This is related to the word "nogai'a" / "touching" and conveys the message that one who experiences tzara'at is not necessarily mired in sin, in which case his situation would be nearly hopeless. Rather, he is merely "touching" sin and is able to pull himself away and purify himself. (Bet Yaakov) ******** "On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." (12:3) It is customary at a brit milah / circumcision to express the wish: "Just as the young boy has entered the Covenant, so may he enter Torah study, marriage and good deeds." The following story relates to this custom. The future R' Bezalel Hakohen of Vilna (19th century) was a child prodigy, and long before his bar mitzvah, matchmakers were vying for the privilege of arranging a shidduch for him. By the time he reached his twelfth birthday, he was already engaged. At the engagement celebration, one of the local scholars said, "I have always wondered why we say, `so may he enter Torah study, marriage and good deeds'? Shouldn't good deeds precede marriage? Now, I understand. We pray that the child should be so special that long before his bar mitzvah, before his good deeds begin to be counted in the Heavenly accounting books, he should already be pursued by marriage proposals." (Quoted in Ve'karata La'Shabbat Oneg) ******** "Upon the completion of the days of her purity . . . she shall bring a sheep within its first year for an elevation-offering, and a yonah or a tor for a sin-offering." (Vayikra 12:6) R' Yaakov Ba'al Ha'turim z"l (14th century) comments that, of the two potential bird offerings, the yonah is mentioned before the tor because it is preferable to bring a yonah rather than a tor. Why? Because the species known as tor mourns when its spouse dies and never takes another spouse. R' Akiva Yosef Schlesinger z"l (1835-1922; rabbi in Hungary and Yerushalayim) writes that in this light we can understand why the announcement of the eventual redemption is referred to in Shir Ha'shirim (2:12) as the "kol ha'tor" / "voice of the tor." We, too, mourn for the closeness to Hashem that we once enjoyed and we have remained loyal to Him until He returns to us. (Tosfot Ben Yechiel) ******** "He [the metzora] is to call out, `Tamei, tamei!'" (13:45) The Gemara (Shabbat 67a) explains that the metzora must bring his suffering to the public's attention so others can pray for him. This, writes R' Moshe Sternbuch shlita (rabbi in Johannesburg, South Africa and Yerushalayim and author of several popular works) is the source for the custom that the congregation prays for those who are ill. However, R' Sternbuch adds, it appears from the Gemara that it is not enough for the congregation to know that someone is sick. In order to pray effectively, the congregation must know of the person's suffering. Why does the Torah teach the idea of praying for others in the context of a metzora? R' Sternbuch suggests: Tzara'at is a punishment for speaking lashon hara. One who speaks lashon hara is separating himself from society. [As our Sages taught: A metzora's punishment is to sit alone outside the city's walls because his actions were anti-social, destroying marriages and friendships.] In contrast, prayer is most effective when it is done as part of a group. That is why Shemoneh Esrei is worded in the plural. It is fitting that the metzora, who behaved in an anti-social way, should be made to recognize the benefits of being part of society. (Ta'am Va'da'at) ******** Chovat Ha'shemirah ("The Obligation to Be On Guard") As is well known, the affliction of tzara'at, the subject of most of this week's parashah, is most commonly though of as a punishment for the sin of lashon hara. R' Yisrael Meir Hakohen z"l (approx. 1838- 1933; the Chafetz Chaim) did more than any person to bring this sin to our consciousness. Below, we present an excerpt from chapter 3 of Chovat Ha'shemirah, one of the Chafetz Chaim's many books on the subject of avoiding lashon hara. Know, also, that being on guard [against lashon hara] does not involve primarily making a firm commitment in one's heart; rather, it means setting aside time every single day to study the laws and ethical teachings relating to the proper use of speech. Commenting on the verse (Bemidbar 15:39, also in the Shema), "Remember all the commandments of Hashem and perform them," our Sages teach that remembering the mitzvot brings to their performance. This, they said, means studying the sections of the Torah relating to each mitzvah. I [the Chafetz Chaim] heard similarly from R' Bezalel Hakohen z"l of Vilna that studying the laws of proper speech is a fulfillment of the commandment (Devarim 24:9), "Remember what Hashem, your G-d, did to Miriam [who spoke lashon hara] on the way, when you were leaving Egypt." [The Chafetz Chaim continues:] Even if studying the laws and ethical teachings does not cause an immediate change in a person's behavior, it still is worthwhile. Our Sages teach that every sin that a person commits creates a prosecuting angel in heaven. Thus, if a person is inspired to speak only ten fewer words of lashon hara every day, he will be creating 3,650 fewer prosecuting angels this year than he created last year. Moreover, our Sages teach that a person who has the opportunity to sin but does not sin is treated as if he had performed a mitzvah at that moment. Thus, the person who speaks ten fewer words of lashon hara than he previously did will not only have 3,650 fewer angels testifying against him at the end of the year, he will have an additional 3,650 angels testifying in his favor. ******** Pesach While discussing the laws of bedikat chametz / searching for chametz, the Gemara (Pesachim 8b) states: "If there is a hole in the wall between a Jew's home and an Aramean's home, one should examine [for chametz] as far [into the hole] as his hand reaches, and the remainder, he should nullify in his heart. The sage Plaimo says: He should not search there at all, because it is dangerous. [The Gemara asks:] What is the danger? If you are concerned that the neighbor will think the Jew is practicing witchcraft against his neighbor, then how did the chametz get there in the first place? [In other words, one is required to search for chametz only in places where he might have put chametz. If you argue that a person should not use the holes in the walls because his neighbor might suspect him of practicing witchcraft, then how could there be chametz there and why should the place be searched at all? The Gemara answers:] Perhaps he placed chametz there in daylight, whereas the neighbor will not suspect the Jew of witchcraft until he sees the candle light [from bedikat chametz] coming through the hole." Obviously, on a most basic level, the above passage is a legal discussion. However, R' Yitzchak Dadon shlita (a senior kollel member at Yeshivat Merkaz Harav in Yerushalayim) finds another message there as well. He writes: The Gemara's discussion obviously involves the Jewish People in a state of exile, where gentiles have the upper hand. In such a state, a Jew cannot fully differentiate himself from his neighbors in order to realize the level described in our Yom Tov prayers: "Atah vechartanu mi'kol ha'amim . . ." / "You have chosen us from among the nations . . . ." Nevertheless, one must examine as far as his hand reaches, i.e., a Jew must differentiate his thoughts and behavior to the extent that he can. To the extent that he cannot, he must at least nullify in his heart the chametz, i.e., those negative elements of the surrounding culture that deserve to be nullified. The sage Plaimo argues that even that is too much to ask of a Jew in exile. Only in the daytime, i.e., when the Jewish People are secure and tranquil in their homeland, is it safe for the Jew to hold himself out as a light onto the nations. In the darkness of the exile, the "candle" that the Jew holds out may itself cause antagonism from his neighbors. (Haggadah Shel Pesach Ayelet Ha'shachar p.10)