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torahtantra · 1 year

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49. Parsha Ki Setzei. "Into the Fire." Part 7.

24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man,

3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,

4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

-> Any act of adultery- worship of a man who is not your husband as if he were a god are grounds for divorce from partner and the community.

The answer is to find a man who actually looks and acts like a god and stick by him, he is very likely to do the same in return. The same is true within the self. If we look at all the marriages in the Torah, each one completes an epoch in life.

We cannot separate from life through divorce and then find a new one we need to grow up, settle, do the work and then Rest. This is what is meant by Shabbat, and why Shabbat is called the Bride, it is the culmination of one set of commitments to the Self in readiness for the next; the Seven Days are Preeminent as is Shabbat.

5 If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.

This is best explained here:

I. The Cosmic Roots of Marriage

When a man and woman unite in marriage, their personal union draws its power from the cosmic marriage that underlies the whole of existence — the bonding of the divine masculine and feminine energies emerging from the Creator's Infinite Light to generate existence, a world, and life.

Indeed, the entire Seder Hishtalshelut--the kabbalistic blueprint of the spiritual infrastructure of creation—is modeled on a male-female dynamic: masculine "lights" (orot) unite with feminine "vessels" (keilim), masculine "wisdom" (chochmah) unites with feminine "understanding" (binah), male "holiness" (kedushah) unites with female "immanence" (shechinah), and so on. On each level, masculine and feminine energies unite to "give birth" to the next link in the chain of spiritual "worlds" that channel the flow of divine vitality into our world.

Readings on the Cosmic Roots of Marriage:

Tzimtzum

A Wild Idea

Men are from Chochmah; Women are from Binah

The Chochmah/Binah Dichotomy II

Kabbalah of Love

This male/female dynamic pervades every level of existence. The relationships between spirit and matter, heaven and earth, G‑d and the people of Israel, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, the Jewish people and the Shabbat, soul and body, mind and heart—all these are "marriages" in which the coming together of contrasting forces results in the creation of life on every level.

The significance of this correspondence is twofold. One the one hand, "From my flesh I perceive G‑d" (Job 19:26) — we can use our own marriages as a metaphor and model through which to better understand the divine reality. This works in the reverse as well: because we know that human marriage derives from the cosmic marriage of G‑d and creation, studying the mystical texts which scrutinize these divine processes allows us to better understand the foundations of our gender differences, how to bridge the gender divide, and how to become better husbands and wives to our spouses and better actualize the tremendous potential of marriage.

To use the self to engage in war while trying to merge him with the Self through marriage to the temple, to work, to play, would undo the marriage.

6 Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.

Millstones or Sefirot, of which there are 5 pairs are found in the Kabbalah:

Chochmah - wisdom,

Binah - understanding,

Daat - knowledge,

Chessed - kindness,

Gevurah - strength,

Tiferet - beauty,

Netzach - victory,

Hod - splendor,

Yesod - foundation,

and Malchut - kingship.

Everything that happens in the spiritual worlds takes place through the medium of the Sefirot. However, as previously mentioned, they are not G‑d, and the Kabbalists warn that one should not pray to them. In the words of Tikkunei Zohar: Elijah opened his discourse and said: ‘Master of the worlds, You are One but not in the numerical sense. You are exalted above all the exalted ones, hidden from all the hidden ones; no thought can grasp You at all. You are He who has brought forth ten “garments,” and we call them ten Sefirot, and revealed worlds; and through them You conceal yourself from man.

You are He who binds them together and unites them; and inasmuch as You are within them, whoever separates one from another of these ten Sefirot, it is considered as if he had effected a separation in You.

7 If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.

=Christianity. Christianity is a standalone faith like Judaism. They are not gateways for each other. Judaism encourages interbreeding for the purposes of global unity but not at the expense of thought leadership of any kind in any one of the branches of religion.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints however is completely forbidden due to its beliefs the Torah mandates incest, sex with minors, which was forbidden in Eden, the minting and use of weapons and interference in secular government.

8 In cases of defiling skin diseases,[i] be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical priests instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them. 9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.

=Do not listen to propaganda. Do not treat men like gods, do not long for the afterlife.

10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. 11 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.

=We all borrow from God:

G‑d entrusts us with our soul and strength, and allows us to exploit them for our own purposes. We can choose to spend our time wisely, or to dissipate ourselves in sloth and negligence. We are liable for the state of our own souls, and the final debt will devolve on no one but ourselves.

As we awake every morning, we beg loan of our souls from G‑d; and as we retire to sleep at night, our spirits are restored to their rightful place. Yet, who among us can claim to have honestly and conscientiously guarded this gift of life, or truly lived up to the promise that the new dawn brought? I am guilty of carelessness and neglect, and the scars and stains of existence reflect badly on my conscience.

I am afraid. I have damaged my soul, and will eventually be held accountable for my mistakes. My only hope is to take my G‑d with me. He redeems my soul in peace, and as long as I shelter in His shade, I am never truly alone.

I resolve to be better in the future. I pledge to turn my life around, and I will cherish and guard that which is not mine. However, as I undertake this commitment, I am comforted to know that G‑d is with me on my journey, and just as I set out accompanied by Him, He will accept me back under all circumstances and in any condition.

14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.

-> to die for a sin is to trade acts associated with the Ten Plagues for those found in the Ephod. The actor and the act must both die at the same moment.

17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

-> At the end of the Exodus during the Instructions for Pesach, God said no one is to be left behind.

The Orphan, the Widow, and the Stranger: Our Obligation to Defend the Defenseless| Sefaria

SEFARIA.ORG

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fortunatelynervousrunaway · 2 years

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A Oitava Dimensão

“Aconteceu no oitavo dia…” Assim, abre a seção da Torah de Shemini (“O Oitavo”), que descreve os eventos do dia em que o Tabernáculo, o santuário portátil construído pelo povo de Israel no Deserto de Sinai, foi inaugurado.

Era o “oitavo dia” porque seguia um período de “treinamento” de sete dias, durante o qual o Tabernáculo era erguido todas as manhãs e desmontado todas as noites, e Aarão e seus quatro filhos eram iniciados no kehunah (sacerdócio). Mas foi também um dia que nossos sábios descrevem como possuindo muitos “primeiros”: era um domingo, o primeiro dia da semana; foi o primeiro da Nissan, marcando o início de um novo ano; foi o primeiro dia que a Divina Presença veio habitar no Santuário; o primeiro dia da kehunah; o primeiro dia de serviço no Santuário; e assim por diante. Existe até uma opinião de que este foi o aniversário da criação do universo.

Com tantos “primeiros” associados a este dia, por que a Torah se refere a ele – e por extensão, a toda a Parashá – como “o oitavo dia”?

O ciclo

O número sete figura de forma proeminente em nosso cálculo e experiência do tempo. Mais familiar, é claro, é o ciclo de trabalho / descanso de sete dias que compreende a nossa semana, uma reconstituição dos originais sete dias da criação, quando “em seis dias D-us fez os céus e a terra… e no sétimo dia Ele descansou.” Cada Shabat, portanto, completa uma revolução completa do ciclo original, após o qual começamos de novo desde “o primeiro dia” – yom rishon, como o domingo é chamado na Língua Sagrada.

É por isso que muitas observâncias do ciclo de vida judaica são acontecimentos de sete dias. Dois festivais de sete dias marcam nosso ano – Páscoa, que vai de 15 a 21 de Nissan, e Sucot, que ocorre exatamente seis meses depois, em Tishrei 15-21. Um casamento é celebrado por uma semana cheia de sheva brachot (“sete bênçãos”), e a morte de um ente querido, D-us nos livre, é lamentada por sete dias (Shivah). Existem os sete dias limpos de niddah (mulher menstruada), o período de treinamento de sete dias antes da inauguração do Santuário (shiv’at yemei milluim), o período de purificação de sete dias da impureza ritual e vários outros “setes”. Assim, a liberdade da Páscoa, a alegria de Sucot, o vínculo do casamento, a reconciliação com a perda e todas essas outras características da vida judaica são assimiladas em todas as sete dimensões do tempo criado.

Nossos anos também seguem o ciclo da criação: seis dias de trabalho são sucedidos por um ano sabático de Shemittah (“suspensão”). Na Terra de Israel, todo trabalho agrícola é suspenso no sétimo ano e a produção da terra é declarada gratuita para todos. Também suspensos no ano de Shemittah estão todas as dívidas privadas e os termos de servidão de servos contratados.

Por fim, nossos sábios descrevem toda a história humana como uma semana de sete milênios, consistindo em 6.000 anos de trabalho humano no desenvolvimento do mundo de D-us e um sétimo milênio que é “totalmente Shabat e descanso, para a vida eterna” -a era de Mashiach.

Os cabalistas explicam que os sete dias da criação incorporam as sete sefirot (atributos divinos) que de D-us emanaram de si para definir e caracterizar sua relação com a nossa existência. Portanto, sete não é apenas o número elementar do tempo, mas de todas as coisas criadas e da realidade criada como um todo. Isto é especialmente verdadeiro do ser humano, que foi criado à “imagem de D-us”: o caráter humano é composto por sete unidades (amor, restrição, harmonia, ambição, devoção, conexão e receptividade), espelhando os sete atributos que D-us assumidos como do criador do universo.

Matéria e Espírito

Cada uma das sete unidades de tempo incorpora as características particulares de sua respectiva sefirah. Mas, em termos mais gerais, o ciclo consiste em duas fases principais: mundanidade (chol) e santidade (kedushah). Seis dias de trabalho mundano são seguidos por um dia de descanso espiritual; seis anos trabalhando a terra, por um ano de suspensão e desvinculação do material; seis milênios dedicado à lutando com e desenvolvimento do mundo físico, por um sétimo milênio em que a única ocupação de todo o mundo será o conhecimento de D-us.

A palavra da Torah para “santo”, kedushah, significa literalmente “removido” e “separado”. Seus nomes para o sétimo dia, Shabat, e para o sétimo ano, Shemittah, significam respectivamente “cessação” e “suspensão”. Pois a santidade requer total desligamento de todos os envolvimentos materiais. A fim de experimentar a santidade e espiritualidade do Shabat, devemos cessar todo trabalho material; a fim de entrar em contato com a santidade da terra no ano Shemittah, devemos suspender todo trabalho físico em seu solo e todas as reivindicações de propriedade sobre sua produção; a fim de experimentar a bondade divina e a perfeição de nosso mundo na era de Mashiach, devemos primeiro alcançar um estado no qual não haja “ciúme nem competição” por sua riqueza material.

[Isso não quer dizer que o Shabat não tenha efeito sobre o resto da semana, que o ano Shemittah não influencia profundamente o relacionamento do fazendeiro com sua terra durante os outros seis anos do ciclo, ou que a idade de Mashiach é divorciada a jornada de trabalho das gerações da história. Pelo contrário: a função primária desses sábados é fornecer visão espiritual, fortaleza e propósito para os períodos mundanos de seu ciclo. Mas, para fazer isso, eles devem ser mantidos distintos e separados. Somente quando as fronteiras entre o sagrado e o mundano são estritamente impostas é que podemos experimentar a santidade em nossas vidas, e então estender sua visão e influência para nossos empreendimentos mundanos.]

No entanto, apesar de sua natureza transcendente, o sétimo dia, ano e milênio são partes constituintes dos ciclos da criação. A materialidade e a espiritualidade podem diferir muito – até o ponto da exclusividade mútua -, mas ambas são parte da natureza: ambas são regidas pela estrutura de leis que definem a realidade criada.

Na verdade, o próprio fato de que a santidade exige a cessação e suspensão de todas as coisas mundanas indica que ela também tem seus limites. Isso significa que, assim como existe uma natureza física que define e delimita o escopo das coisas e forças físicas, também o reino do espiritual tem sua “natureza” – seu próprio conjunto de leis que definem o que é e o que é não é, onde pode existir e onde não pode, e como e de que maneira pode se fazer sentir além de seus limites invioláveis. Assim, enquanto o conceito de transcendência parece a antítese da definição, a transcendência é em si uma definição, pois se define (e, portanto, se confina) como além e distinta do material.

Isso oferece uma visão sobre uma passagem chave no relato da Torah sobre a criação. Em Gênesis 2:2, lemos: “D-us concluiu no sétimo dia a obra que Ele tinha feito.” Isso parece contradizer a segunda parte desse mesmo versículo, que diz: “E no sétimo dia descansou de toda a obra que havia feito”. Se a obra da criação foi concluída no sétimo dia, então o sétimo dia foi um dos dias da criação; mas se o sétimo dia é o dia em que D-us descansou de toda a obra que Ele tinha feito, havia apenas seis dias da criação e um sétimo dia de Shabbat- cessação do trabalho.

Nossos sábios explicam: “O que estava faltando no mundo? Descanso. Quando veio o Shabat, veio o descanso.” O descanso – transcendência e espiritualidade – é uma criação própria. Embora removido da natureza do material, é parte de uma natureza maior – a natureza da realidade criada, que inclui o reino do espiritual, bem como o reino do material.

Círculo e Circunferência

Se o número sete define a realidade natural, o oito representa aquilo que é superior à natureza, a circunferência que abrange o círculo da criação.

Sete inclui matéria e espírito, mundanidade e santidade, envolvimento e transcendência, mas como componentes separados e distintos do ciclo da criação; a sétima dimensão exercerá sua influência sobre as outras seis, mas apenas de uma maneira transcendente – como uma realidade espiritual e sobrenatural que nunca será verdadeiramente internalizada e integrada no sistema. Em contraste, oito representa a introdução de uma realidade que está além de toda natureza e definição, incluindo a definição de “transcendência”. Esta oitava dimensão (se podemos chamá-la de “dimensão”) não tem nenhuma limitação: ela transcende e permeia, além da natureza, mas também totalmente presente nela, igualmente além da matéria e do espírito e igualmente dentro deles.

Assim, o pacto da circuncisão, que liga o judeu a D-us em um vínculo que substitui todas as naturezas e convenções ao mesmo tempo que permeia cada canto e fissuras da vida, é celebrado no oitavo dia de vida. O Santuário (Tabernáculo), cujo papel era fazer com que a realidade infinita de D-us uma presença habitando no mundo físico, foi inaugurada no oitavo dia após um período de treinamento de sete dias. O festival de Shemini Atzeret (“Oitavo Dia de Retenção”), cuja função é internalizar a luz transcendente e abrangente da sucá, ocorre no oitavo dia seguinte aos sete dias de Sucot. Sete ciclos de Shemitah são seguidos por um ano de Jubileu caracterizado pela liberdade (ou seja, liberdade de todos os limites) em vez de apenas “suspensão”. E o sétimo milênio messiânico da história será seguido pelo supra-histórico “mundo vindouro” (olam ha-ba), no qual a realidade divina se unirá à realidade criada de maneiras que não podemos nem mesmo especular em um mundo onde finito e infinito são mutuamente exclusivos. Nas palavras do Talmud (Berachot 34b), “Todos os profetas profetizaram apenas a respeito dos dias de Mashiach; em relação ao mundo vindouro, “nem com os olhos se viu um D-us além de ti, que trabalhe para aquele que nele espera” (Isaías 64:4).

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diwonmusic · 2 years

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“My kedushah (holiness) is greater than yours.” – The Maggid of Mezrich It’s not just an LA thing;), we’re all affected by vibes & energy. That’s why it’s so important to be mindful of the company we keep. I often place myself in what I call sacred spaces, cuz when people are there to reach higher levels of being, it means the base level of what’s expected is elevated. Life can be so precious if you’re truly present, & Torah is the present that presents the tools of how to sanctify time, space, & oneself. When we have full faith, we can tap more into our purpose & our spirit & worry less about the temporal “realities” of this material world. Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: religion begins with a consciousness that something is asked of us. It is in that tense, eternal asking in which the soul is caught & in which man’s answer is elicited. The parsha opens commanding us to be holy, קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ (“Be Holy [because, I, God your Lord am holy]”), implying that we should always seek greater levels of kedusha. We can also interpret the Hebrew words קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ as a Divine assurance that we will attain kedusha, if we sanctify Hashem’s name. As we read further in the parsha, “Observe My Shabbats & fear My Sanctuary; I am God.” Reb Natan teaches the main tool a person can use to subdue materialism & elevate their spirituality is awe/fear of Hashem, & that “Fear My Sanctuary” means that if one has fear, they can experience “My Temple [for they have ascended above materialism]. When the Maggid says, “My kedusha is greater than yours,” he’s not saying “I’m holier than you are,” rather, “My kedusha stems from your kedusha.” This connects to the concept, מצווה גוררת מצווה - that one good deed always pulls another one in its wake. The Maggid takes this to the realm of kedusha: if someone else does a holy act, it inspires you to be holier for yourself & for others, & so your holiness increases beyond the initial act. So, the Maggid is saying that your kedusha makes his kedusha greater, because each of us has the power to make others holier. & as Heschel reminds us, ‘Every Moment Is an Opportunity for Greatness.’ ** READ IT IN FULL @ www.lightofinfinite.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CdLggldLT_w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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anonymousdandelion · 2 years

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Shalom Aleichem

New ficlet, written for a Guess the Author game and inspired by a passage of Talmud!

Shalom Aleichem, by me (DandelionDrabbles)

Summary: Aziraphale and Crowley are invited to have Shabbat dinner at the home of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda. While there, they inadvertently inspire a Talmudic teaching.

Rated G, 500 words.

“Tell me again,” Crowley hissed in Aziraphale’s ear, lagging behind the cluster of humans they were accompanying, “why you agreed to Shabbat dinner.”

“Really, my dear.” Aziraphale lowered his voice too. “What did you think would happen, when you suggested going to synagogue tonight?”

“Nothing,” Crowley retorted. “Was just… bored.”

He didn’t add that there was something… comforting about being welcomed in, surrounded by familiar language and practice, in a community without overzealous would-be exorcists wielding that newfangled holy water and whatnot. Maybe he should have been bothered by the kedushah, the holiness of the prayers themselves. But he wasn’t. So long as he didn’t kiss the Torah, Crowley was fine.

Anyway. He didn’t have to admit any of that.

Although he did think, sometimes, that Aziraphale guessed some of it.

He even suspected — sometimes — Aziraphale might feel similarly. Not that the angel’s feet were in any danger from consecrated ground, of course. But there was something to be said for familiarity, and community.

“Yes, well,” Aziraphale was saying now, “you can’t show up at Friday Maariv services and not expect somebody to invite you home.”

Read the rest on AO3

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #dandelion fics #jewish omens #judaism #shalom aleichem #shabbat #aziraphale and crowley #talmud #rabbi yosei bar yehuda #jewish good omens #guess the author #ficlet #jumblr

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eretzyisrael · 2 years

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Parshat Tazria

This weeks Dvar Torah is based on ideas from Rabbi Twersky, Rav Mosheh Lichtenstien and some of my own brain’s inner thoughts.

The main theme of this week’s Parsha is Tumah and Taharah - purity and impurity. But what does that really mean? What makes something pure and what makes something impure?

We usually think of the purity spectrum as a neutral base, impurity below that and purity above that. However, R’ Moshe Lichtenstien argues differently. He says that being Tahor is our natural state, Tumah is below that and Kedushah is above that.

This really is not a radical idea, we say it in Birkot Hashachar every.

אלוהי נשמה שנתת בי טהורה היא

My God, the soul that you gave me is pure

This is one of the largest differences between Christian and Jewish theology. Judaism believes that every human is not only born neutral, but born pure. We believe all of humanity is born set on the path towards good naturally. Rambam says in Hilchot Teshuva that

ור במחשבתך דבר זה שאומרים טפשי אומות העולם ורב גלמי בני ישראל: שהקבה גוזר על האדם מתחילת בריתו להיות צדיק או רשע. אין הדבר כן אלא כל אדם ראוי לו להיות צדיק כמו משה רבינו או רשע כירבעם או חכם או סבל או רחמן או אכזרי..

(הלכות Don’t think that at the beginning of each human’s life God decrees whether he will be righteous or wicked. This is not the case; rather, each man can choose whether to be righteous like Moshe or wicked like Yeravam, wise or simple, compassionate or cruel.

(Hilchot Teshuva 2:5)

In contrast to this, Christianity believes in the concept of Original Sin.

If we’re all born pure, and being Tahor is our natural state, what makes something Tamei?

R’ Moshe Lichtenstien explains that the largest violation of the natural system is death. Therefore, all impurity is somehow connected to death. This is clearly demonstrated by Tumat Nidah and Tumat Zav which are both connected to death through the loss of potential life - by menstruation of seminal emissions.

But this week’s Parsha teaches that a Yoledet, a woman who gives birth is Tamei! How is this possible? Childbirth is not only natural, but it bringing life into the world, how is this Tamei? Furthermore, the bloods of childbirth are even referred to as “bloods of purity”.

וּשְׁלשִׁיםיוֹםוּשְׁלשֶׁתיָמִיםתֵּשֵׁבבִּדְמֵיטָהֳרָהבְּכָלקֹדֶשׁלֹאתִגָּעוְאֶלהַמִּקְדָּשׁלֹאתָבֹאעַדמְלֹאתיְמֵיטָהֳרָהּ:

4. And for thirty three days, she shall remain in the blood of purity; she shall not touch anything holy, nor may she enter the Sanctuary, until the days of her purification have been completed.

Rashi explains that a woman’s bleeding is accompanied by sickness.

ואה דם שלא תחלה ראשה ואבריה כבדין עליה

flow: Heb. דְּוֹתָהּ This expression denotes a substance that flows from her body. Another explanation: It denotes illness (מַדְוֶה) and sickness, for there is not a woman who sees [menstrual] blood without feeling ill, [since] her head and limbs become heavy upon her.

(Rashi on Leviticus 12:1)

I believe that this does tie in to the idea of Tumah being unnatural. Our natural state of being is healthy, sickness is a deviation from that and therefore unnatural.

Furthermore, just as we said that our natural state is purity and goodness, the pains of childbirth are related to sin which is unnatural. Chavah was cursed

בעצב תלדי בנים

You will bear children with pain

A Yoledet is Tamei because the pain of childbirth is rooted in unnatural sin and unnatural sickness.

But most of this week’s Parsha deals with Tzaraat which is a type of Tumah? How is Tzaraat considered Tumah? It doesn’t seem to be connected to death and some would even argue that gossiping is natural!

We learn from the story of Yehuda and Tamar the importance of saving face. Rather than immediately reveal that Yehuda was the man that impregnated her, Tamar risked being burnt alive to prevent embarrassing Yehudah. The word Rashi uses for embarrass is להלבין which literally means to make white. When a person is humiliated and shocked, their blood drains from their face and they’re as white as a corpse. From here we learn that using words incorrectly is akin to murdering a person.

Furthermore, the prohibition against gossip in the Torah is juxtaposed with the prohibition of allowing someone to be killed in front of you.

There shouldn’t be a gossiper in your nation and you shouldn’t stand by the blood of your brother

(Parshat Kedoshim)

These two concepts in the same pasuk draw a clear relation between improper use of speech and murder. If Lashon Hara is so serious that it is like killing someone, it explains the punishment of Tzaraat and Tumah. Like we said earlier, death is always the theme behind impurity and this remains relevant in relation to Tzaraat.

What’s the most important thing we can learn from this week’s Parsha? From the themes of Tumah and Taharah, purity and impurity, natural and unnatural?

Personally, I think it’s the idea that we are created pure. Being Tahor is our natural state - every wrong action we do is a deviation from our nature. R’ Kook explains that Teshuva which comes from the word return does not only mean returning to Hashem, but returning to our authentic selves, our Tahor, natural selves.

May we all have an inspiring week and make sure our actions connect with who we REALLY are.

zavatchalavudvash

#Parasha Tazria #Judaism #Jewish

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