Metzora

The Role of Ritual in Restoring Protection
Jenny R. Labendz, 5763

A question to think about before we start: How many seconds does it take you to think of something difficult or painful that has happened to you, where it looked like suddenly all was lost, and you didn't do anything wrong to create it or deserve it? Next, how did you heal from that?

Last week we began talking about tzara‘at, a disease characterized by visible blemishes or spots, and that renders the afflicted person or thing impure. In the last parashah, Tazri‘a, we encountered tzara‘at of the skin, hair, and clothing and in this parashah, Metzora, we encounter tzara‘at of houses.

This is a very strange thing. We're not talking about just people getting a disease; clothing and houses can get it too. The same spots that appear on a person's skin appear on the walls of the house or the sleeve of a shirt, for example. And it's not a disease that is cured by taking pills and addressing the problem medically. (If it were simply a common medical problem, why would the Torah bring it up and ritualize it in this way?) Another strange aspect of the disease is that tzara‘at of houses occurs only in the Land of Israel.

In trying to figure out what is going on, we might first think about what is common to everything that is afflicted by tzara‘at-skin, hair, clothing, and houses in Israel. First, notice that we are moving progressively further away from a person's inside. Skin covers us, hair grows out from us, clothing goes on top of that, we situate ourselves in houses, and we locate those houses in Israel. What is significant about all of these things is that they are protective layers around us, keeping harm out. Skin encloses the delicate inner workings of our bodies, and hair - especially the tiny hairs all over our skin that we don't see - protects our skin from elements that might harm us. (Think of eye lashes keeping the dust out.) Clothing protects us physically, especially in the strong sun and in the cold winters, and houses give us shelter, protecting us more broadly from the elements. Being in Israel is a protection from straying too far from God and from losing ourselves among the nations of the world. These are all varied, crucial, and yet totally commonplace protections that we take for granted.

And then comes tzara‘at. These spots come and break right through our protective shield. Even the things we use as protection may be penetrated by this blemish that just appears. The language the Torah uses is totally passive; I don't get the disease because I haven't taken care of myself or my house physically. I simply find the disease suddenly: A person comes to the priest and says, "כּֽנֶגַע נִרֽאָה לִי בַּבָּיִת"-"the affliction has appeared to me in the house" (Vayiqra 14:35). This sort of passive language appears numerous times in this parashah and last. Moreover the item becomes tameh - impure in some way, requiring a purification ritual to bring me back to it and for it to function again as my protection.

The first thing that tzara‘at does is remind us that as protected as we are or as we may think we are, sometimes, even when we live in Israel, life throws us things that are difficult, that render us tamei all of a sudden, unable to function in our communities and the world in the way we normally do. In other words, life is tough.

But that is not the end of the tzara‘at story. We are given a purification ritual - a way of protecting ourselves, restoring ourselves - even when all of our natural protections have been penetrated. We don't lie down and die and imagine that all is lost. Things strike us and we get back up and work to recover. Vayiqra 14, the beginning of our parashah, describes this process. Look specifically at 14:14: "וְלָקַח הַכֹּהֵן מִדַּם הָאָשָׁם וְנָתַן הַכֹּהֵן עַל תְּנוּךְ אֹזֶן הַמִּטַּהֵר הַיְמָנִית וְעַל בֹּהֶן יָדוֹ הַיְמָנִית וְעַל בֹּהֶן רַגְלוֹ הַיְמָנִית"-"The priest shall take some of the blood of the Asham offering and the priest shall put it on the right earlobe of the person being purified, and on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot." If you've read some previous parashiyot carefully this ritual should sound familiar. Look back at Vayiqra 8:23, in the context of the milu'im, the worship done by Aharon and the priests when they are installed as priests of the Mishkan. "...וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה מִדָּמוֹ וַיִּתֵּן עַל תְּנוּךְ אֹזֶן אַהֲרֹן הַיְמָנִית וְעַל בֹּהֶן יָדוֹ הַיְמָנִית וְעַל בֹּהֶן רַגְלוֹ הַיְמָנִית"-"...and Mosheh took some of its blood and put it on Aharon's right earlobe, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot." The ear, the hand, and the foot - those parts of ourselves with which we listen, act, and move forward.

Why all of a sudden in the middle of the purification for tzara‘at does the Torah evoke the milu'im of the priests?

All of our natural protections have been penetrated-they have failed us as protectors. With what are we to arm ourselves? With what are we to return to ourselves and our lives? With the ‘avodah, the Temple service, ritual. ‘Avodat Hashem - worship of God - is how we continue. It protects us and heals us from tum'ah (impurity), and allows us to see the potential for taharah (purity, elevation, life).

We need to think hard about how the mitzvot we do affect us, and how they affect others. We focus a lot on our own active doing of mitzvot. This is energy well-spent. But we shouldn't lose sight of what our avodah can be providing us with: protection, restoration, taharah.

I thank my friend Jason Herman for sharing with me his thoughts on the parashah, which are the basis of this devar Torah.