Torah Teasers

Torah Teasers A Korban For Chava "And when the days of her purification are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for an Olah, and a young dove, or a turtle-dove, for a Chatos." Why does a woman who gave birth have to bring a Korbon Chatos - a sin offering? What sin has she committed to require her to bring such a Korbon? Some Meforshim explain, "Since during her labor pains, she might have made an oath to never have another baby, she therefore brings a Korbon to atone for that oath and nullify it." Kli Yakar offers a different explanation. He says, "The atonement is not for this woman, but rather for Chavah - the first woman. Since pain from pregnancy and labor is a punishment for Chavah's sin, eating from the Aitz HaDaas, this woman brings a Korban now to atone Chava's sin. After going through all the pain of her pregnancy and labor she wants to bring an end to this suffering and brings a Korbon for Chava's Avayra." When The Whole World Goes White The Gemara (Sanhedrin 97) says that Moshiach will come when every government in the world turns to Apikursus. Rava says, "We see it from the pasuk (Tazria 13:13) 'Kulo Hafach Lavan Tahor Hu;' when a nega spreads through a person's entire body he is tahor." What is the connection? Rav Shamshon Rephael Hirsch says that white is a distinguished color, the color of purity, righteousness, and innocence. It is the color of a special breed. When every country turns to Apikursus and cloak themselves in righteousness, only then will Moshiach come and spread true purity on the world. As Fate Hangs On A Single Word The halacha is that only a Kohen can declare a Nega to be Tamei. A Talmid Chochom who knows the halacha can give his opinion, but the tumah starts and ends with the declaration of the Kohen. Why? The Dubna Magid (Iturei Torah) explains that the reason we commit the terrible crime of speaking Lashon Hara is because we don't understand the severity of it. After all what damage can our spoken word do? If we understood the gashmiyus and ruchniyus ramifications of our mere utterances we'd never dare speak lashon hara. "Therefore," says the Dubno Magid, "we teach the Mitzora this lesson with the Kohen. His Nega and all the halachos do nothing to him. It is only with a single word from the Kohen's mouth that he is either spared the grave punishment of tzoraas and with a single word doomed to his bitter fate." The Worm And The Grass As part of the Kapara of a Mitzora he must tie together Eizov and an Eitz Erez with a Shni Tolaas. Rashi explains (Mitzora 14:4) that Tzoraas comes from haughtiness and he must lower himself like short grass and a worm. Why does the Mitzora need to symbols of humility? The Maskil L'Dovid answers that the Mishna in Pirkei Avos says, Mi'od Miod Hevei Shfal Ruach. One must be very very humble. The reason, says the Maskil L'Dovid that it says the word "Miod" twice is to teach us that we must be humble in spiritual matters like our wisdom, as well as physical matters like strength and wealth. For this lesson we need two symbols of humility. The Shni Tolaas whose red color reminds us of the lowly living worm represents humility in spiritual matters, while the grass growing on an inanimate wall represents humility in material and physical matters. The Sin Of Finding A Treasure "V'Nasati Nega B'veis Eretz Achuzaschem" (Mitzora 14:34). Rashi explains that during the forty year Bnei Yisroel were in the Midbar the Emorim knew they would eventually conquer Eretz Yisroel so they hid their fortune in the walls of their homes so that Bnei Yisroel would not find it. Hashem therefore gave Nega'im on the walls so that they would need to be broken and the treasure would be found. If the Nega was a gift from Hashem to a deserving nation then why would they need to bring the Eizov, Eitz Erez and Shni Tolaas as a kapara when the Nega goes away? These are symbolisms of haughtiness, and what have they done wrong, asks the Abarbanel. The Abarbanel answers that the pasuk tells us in Devarim (8:13) that too much good leads to haughtiness, which in turn leads to forgetting Hashem. Therefore, immediately after revealing to Bnei Yisroel these great riches that have been saved for us, Hashem needs to give us a lesson in modesty and humbleness. Before we are ready to resume our lives with our newfound wealth we must remember the Eizov and Shni Tolaas and we mustn't ever be haughty like the Erez. A Nega For The Know It All When a person sees Tzoraas on the wall of his house the pasuk says (Vayikra 14:35) he goes to the Kohen and says, “K’Nega Nirah Li Babayis”, something like a nega appeared to me in the house. Rashi explains that the reason he says “like a nega” is because even if he is great talmid chochom and knows with certainty that it in fact is a nega he should not pasken by himself, he must go to a Kohen. Rav Yehonoson Eibushitz adds that the most Negaim on homes come from haughtiness. The way to rectify this middah is to lower yourself. Someone who has a problem of needing to feel self important and is punished with a nega should be that last person to declare that he know for sure it is a nega. The first step is to see the nega and understand he has a problem. He therefore should talk in more modest tones and say he “thinks” it looks like a nega. He then defers to the Kohen and lets him make the final judgment. This is a first and very important step in his long road to recovery. This Issue is dedicated to all of our neighborhood Pediatricians. We thank you. Our children thank you. Especially you, Dr. Bennett. Like (lîk) adjective 1. Possessing the same or almost the same characteristics; similar: on this and like occasions. 2.Alike: They are as like as two siblings. 3. Having equivalent value or quality. Ah, the good old days, when the word meant something. Today, the kids have found a new interpretation for the word. "So I was, like, hello?" "So I was on the checkout counter, and the girl in front of me had, like, some apples." I am wont to interject, "were they like apples? You mean, that actually they were not apples, but rather they were really oranges disguised by a shiny red coating?" But just as our parents learned to realize that the word cool was no longer a setting on an air-conditioner, or a description of current climate conditions, I decided to accept that like has also metamorphosed into just another expression. I guess it's, like, cool. But maybe there was more than etymological benefit to this exercise in social adaptation. I began to adjust my thought process and applying the fact that the word like has taken on new meaning. And I applied that thinking to this week's Torah reading. The parsha tells us this week that just as the concept of an irregular blemish can appear on one's body or hair, it can also appear on the walls of his home. And when a negah appears in his home, he goes to the kohen and declares, "like a negah appeared to me in my home." The afflicted sounds like a child of the new millennium. Why does he not say I may have a negah? Why use the words "like a negah." After all if it looks like a negah and acts like a negah than it must be a negah! Why then does he use the word like in describing it? Rabbi Paysach Krohn loves to tell the beautifully haunting story of the woman who left Rusk Institute with her child who was in a wheelchair. It was a wintry day and the chill that pervaded the young boy’s fragile bones declared its chilling presence with the icy frosting it left on the exposed metal of his wheelchair. Waiting at the bus stop on the corner of 34th and 2nd Avenue, three large city buses whizzed by, all unable to accommodate the mother and the child and his special chair. It was only after a half-hour wait that the mother flagged down a bus and insisted to the driver that he allow them to board. As the poor woman struggled to lift the wheelchair into the narrowly impatient doors that waited to slam like the jaws of a tiger, the driver shouted at her, "Lady you'll have to wait for a bus with a lift! I gotta go!" Immediately a few passengers jumped to her defense! "It's freezing out there. We will wait!" Embarrassed into submission, the driver acquiesced. As the mother and child settled in their place on the bus, one said to her, "Your child is not handicapped. It only seems that way. In truth, it is the driver that has a handicapped mind!" The Torah is telling us an important foundation in negativity. When one seemingly has a blemish or sees a blemish in his own home, he has no right to declare it as such.

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