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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by Rafi Jager
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Let us take a closer look at this disease. An individual has just been inflicted with a terrible illness. He has been forced to leave his family and live outside the camp in a state of embarrassment and shame. What is the purpose of this punishment? Wouldn't a public apology in the local Jewish paper have been more appropriate? We must realize that Divine punishment comes not out of revenge, but is rather a form of therapy. The metzorah is banished from the camp because he spoke evil about other people. In his current state, outside the confines of the campground and away from human contact, the inflicted individual cries out for companionship. He is in a type of solitary confinement. He will come to appreciate the sound of a human voice and how fortunate we are to share this world with other people.
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by d fine
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In parshas Tazria we first have the laws of a woman who has given birth, then a brief mention of bris milah, with the rest of the sedra dealing with tzara’as. What’s the connection between tzara’as and the previous bits of the sedra? The Sforno (13:2) writes that tzara’as often comes as a result of a woman’s ritual impurity. The Kli Yakar (13:1) goes down a different route in explaining that the bris milah mentioned at the start of Tazria is connected to milas ha’peh (I.e. keeping shtum at the correct times), which is an obvious reference to refraining from lashon hara - the prime cause of tzara’as. Furthermore, the bris milah is the removal of bodily sexual urges (Rambam), which are essentially the illegal desire to connect to people in a negative way. This is similar to lashon hara which is also a desire to come closer to others by telling them the latest gossip, but ultimately it is a negative drive that will break relationships down.
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by d fine
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The Torah writes (12:8) that after a woman has give birth she must bring a chatas offering ‘to atone.’ What exactly does this poor lady need atonement for - has she not been through enough pain in the birth? The Kli Yakar (12:8) suggests that this is a part-atonement for the original sin of Chavah - a sin which brought about the existence of labour pains in the first place. Alternatively, this lady might have shouted obscenities against HaShem during labour (I have heard interesting things whilst standing outside labour wards), or she might have vowed never to have relations with her husband again. Any of these reasons would warrant some atonement. However, the Da’as Zekeinim (12:8) disagrees, and maintains that the word ‘lechaper’ here does not mean ‘to atone’ - for this lady has not sinned - but rather to spiritually cleanse. Perhaps this adds a new dimension to Yom HaKippurim - apart from it being a day of forgiveness, it is a day on which we become spiritually cleansed.
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by Daniel Sandground
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Parashas Tazria/Metzora – Exposing the Misconception of Tzaraas
This week we have a double header with Parashas Tazria and Metzora being read. Parashas Tazria deals with the laws regarding human contamination with majority of the sedra focusing on the laws of tzaraas, a disease which we will discuss in more detail later on. Parashas Metzora gives over the stages and procedures with which the sufferer of tzaraas must purify themselves and concludes with a chapter which deals with the kinds of discharges from the human body that are contaminated to various degrees, and which may require offerings as part of the person's purification process.
The theme of human contamination flows on from Parashas Shemini in which we concluded with the laws regarding tumah (spiritual contamination) that results from dead animals. The Torah now turns to tumah that emanates from human beings. Before the Torah discusses the main tumah which is that of tzaraas, it begins with childbirth stating that... “when a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be contaminated for a seven-day period...” [12:2]
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by Administrator
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We would love to read your vort. Click "Submit your Vort" to send us your vort.
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by D Fine
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Parshas Tazria begins with women’s laws of impurity after having given birth. Actually, in pasuk 3 there is an important mention of bris milah: ‘and on the eighth day he shall have his milah skin removed.’ And important halachos about bris milah are learnt from this pasuk; that one may not perform bris milah at night, and that a bris milah may be done on Shabbos.[1] The question asked, however, is why exactly is bris milah mentioned here of all places; why not mention it amongst the psukim in Chumash Bereishis which are the source for the mitzvah of bris milah? What does a bris milah have to do with a woman’s impurity after birth?
The Sforno[2] answers that the juxtaposition between a mother’s post-birth impurity and bris milah being on the eighth day tells us that the former is a reason for the latter. Thus, the pasuk is telling us the reason a bris is on the eighth day of the baby’s life; because the ritual impurity (niddah)
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by Benji Landau
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וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו
(12:3)
The Gemora in several places teaches a halacha that although the posuk here would seem to imply that any time on the eighth day of a baby’s life is fitting to carry out Bris Mila, there is a preference in doing so as early as possible in the day. The source for this halacha is from Avraham Avinu, who when carrying out the command to offer his first-born son on the alter, wasted no time in arising early in the morning, saddling his donkey and making his way to Har Ha’Moriyah, as the posuk says,וישכם אברהם בבקר. This serves as a paradigm that we should always endeavour to carry out Mitzvos at the earliest possibility of doing so. This halacha is known famously as זריזין מקדימין למצוות, those who are alacritous rush to carry out Mitzvos
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Torah Portion -
tazria
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Written by Benjamin Rose
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There is a strange Halocha regarding Tzoraas: If tzoraas partially covers ones body they are tamei. But if the Nega has spread and now covers their entire body they are Tahor. What's the reason for this seemingly strange Halacha? A person who is covered from head to toe with tzoraas should be the most tamei. No?
The meforshim explain that Hashem created Tumah to challenge a person to greater heights. It is the weapon of the Yetzer Hora who seeks to suck the good out of a person. A nega is a spiritual blemish. When the Yetzer Hora sees this, he sees a weak victim and he sees great opportunity to further the damage. He wants to take what is left of this person’s good and turn it
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