TAZRIA METZORA in Loving Memory of Malka Bat Peretz

TAZRIA METZORA in Loving Memory of Malka Bat Peretz

בס״ד תַ זְרִ יעַ ּמְ צֹרָ ע TAZRIA METZORA In loving memory of Malka bat Peretz Volume 32 | #31 יום העצמאות שמח! April 2020 25 1 Iyar 5780 YOM HA’ATZMAUT SAMEACH! Shabbat ends: London 9.06pm Sheffield 9.25pm Edinburgh 9.42pm Birmingham 9.16pm Jerusalem 7.54pm Rosh Chodesh Iyar Yom Hazikaron starts on Monday night. Yom Ha’atzmaut starts on Tuesday night. Please look regularly at the social media and websites of the US, Tribe and your community for ongoing updates relating to Coronavirus as well as educational programming and community support. You do not need to sign into Facebook to access the US Facebook page. The US Coronavirus Helpline is on 020 8343 5696. INSIDE: May God bless us and the whole world. Changing Eyes Artscroll p.608 by Rabbi Daniel Sturgess Maftir p. 890 Haftarah p.1208 A Dream Fulfilled Hertz p.459 Maftir p.695 by Rabbi Bentzi Mann Haftarah p.944 Soncino p.674 Maftir p.945 Yom Hazikaron Haftarah p.1188 Daf Hashavua by Rabbi Joel Kenigsberg Sidra breakdown Changing תַ זְרִיעַ ּמְ צֹרָ ע Tazria Metzora 4th & 5th Sidrot in: Eyes ַו ִ ּי קְ רָ א By Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, St Albans United Synagogue Vayikra The main focus of the fact comes from the root lingoah By Numbers: first of this week’s – to touch. When you want to get two sidrot, Tazria, is someone’s attention, you might call 157 verses tzara’at, a skin disease their name; if they don’t hear you, 2,444 words which was the physical you might touch them on the shoulder manifestation of a spiritual malady. to get their attention. With negah 8,364 letters The Talmud cites several possible tzara’at, God was getting the person’s causes for this disease, most notably attention, letting them know that lashon hara – damaging speech. The something was not quite right. In a Headlines: contaminated person’s ‘punishment’ sense, this was actually a positive was to live outside the camp for seven thing, as it gave the person the Laws of 'tzara’at' days (Vayikra 13:46). This gave the opportunity to go outside the camp, to offender the opportunity to reflect on reflect and to correct their mistakes. and purification what it means to live with people, to Some commentators say that be part of a community. The isolation the destructive trait underlying would convey the message that if you lashon hara is ayin ra – a negative cannot speak positively about people, perspective, literally a ‘bad eye’. Often then you cannot be amongst them. one speaks badly of another person Tzara’at is repeatedly referred having first viewed them in a negative to in the Torah as “negah tzara’at”, light. Therefore, to turn things around, meaning ‘the affliction of tzara’at’ one needs to change this way of (see ibid. 13:2). The word negah in looking at people, and the world. The United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by US Living & Learning Sidra Summary together with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue 1st Aliya (Kohen) – Vayikra 12:1-23 Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis After childbirth, a lady would wait several weeks before bringing an elevation Editorial and Production Team: offering (olah) and a sin offering (chatat). This completed her post-birth purification Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, Rabbi Michael Laitner, process. Rebbetzen Nechama Davis, God told Moshe and Aharon that someone who had the appearance of a particular Joanna Rose type of skin disease (tzara’at) would have to show the white blemish to a Kohen. Available also via email US website The Kohen would evaluate and decide if the affliction was clearly tzara’at, thus www.theus.org.uk ©United Synagogue rendering the person impure (tameh). If the case was unclear, the Kohen would To sponsor Daf Hashavua please quarantine the person in a house for seven days, after which the Kohen would contact Danielle Fox on 020 8343 6261, re-inspect the afflicted area and declare whether the person was tameh or tahor or [email protected] (pure). If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email [email protected] … one needs to change this way of looking at people, and the world. The ‘bad eye’ needs to be changed into an ayin tov – a good eye. contaminated. Interestingly, the words negah meaning ,(ענג) and oneg (נגע) delight, share the same letters, implying a connection. The difference between the words is the hinting ע) position of the letter ayin to the idea that if a person with a negah –affliction, changes his ayin ‘bad eye’ needs to be changed into says, “lo hafach hanegah et ayno”, – his ‘eye’ i.e. his perspective, the an ayin tov – a good eye. meaning ‘the affliction has not result can be delight. There is a hint to this at the end of changed its appearance’ (ibid. 13:55). Nowadays, we do not have Tazria. After two consecutive seven However, the literal translation of tzara’at to alert us to a change day periods in isolation, the person ayno is ‘his eye’. On a deeper level, we may need to make, but God with tzara’at returns to the Kohen. the verse is saying that the one still finds ways of ‘touching us’ to If the Kohen sees that the affliction with the affliction had not changed get our attention. By changing our has not improved, this indicates on his ayin – his ‘eye’, his perspective. perspective and developing a ‘good a deeper level that the person has Since he did not make the necessary eye’, we can potentially change not learned his lesson. The verse change in his life, he remains difficulty into delight and celebration. In loving memory of Avraham ben Yehoshua 2nd Aliya (Levi) – 13:24-39 4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 13:55-14:20 It was also possible for tzara’at to develop from a burn. The Torah details the process through which a metzora Tzara’at could erupt on the scalp or on the beard area, purified himself/herself after the period of isolation and causing a loss of hair. the healing of the affliction. This involved a Kohen taking two birds, cedar wood, a crimson thread and hyssop. The 3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 13:40-54 Kohen would slaughter one of the birds and – using the A slightly different form of tzara’at is detailed, which wood, thread and hyssop together in a bundle – sprinkle its caused a more substantial loss of hair. A metzora (one who blood seven times on the metzora. The metzora would also has been contaminated with tzara’at) was sent outside of bring three animal offerings and three meal offerings. the camp and had to tear his/her garments (see p4 article). Tzara’at could also infect clothing. A suspected garment Point to Consider: what is the significance of the cedar was quarantined before the Kohen made a decision about wood, crimson thread and hyssop? (see Rashi to 14:4) whether it was tameh. If it was declared tameh, the garment was burnt. about to enter the Land of Israel. A Dream Fulfilled Rabbi Yehuda Loew, (1520-1609), the famous rabbi of Prague, also known by Rabbi Bentzi Mann, Mill Hill East Jewish Community the acronym Maharal, in chapter 6 of his work Netiv Hatzedakah, described the Growing up in Israel, there Am Yisrael is not impact of this later covenant as follows: is one Yom Ha'atzmaut “Israel became connected, to fully be moment I particularly a new nation, but one nation, only when they came to the remember. I was in my we are celebrating Land and were together in the Land… early teens, living in Jerusalem. It was and by means of the Land they are fully the night of Yom Ha'atzmaut and I was something deep – one nation.” on my way to my shul’s holiday Maariv the fulfilment of the They entered the Land and became prayer, dressed smartly as I would for dreams of millions a sovereign nation with great prophets, yomtov. kings and leaders. Whilst some sinned I bumped into my sister and her friend of Jews over 2000 and were corrupt, the Jewish nation and wished them Chag Sameach, the years… was under Jewish leadership in the greeting usually reserved for yomtov. Land of Israel, even when split into two My sister replied warmly but her friend Communities, views a “nation” as a kingdoms. just looked very surprised. The utterly relatively new idea, which is a product of However, with the destruction of the bewildered look on the friend’s face different socio-material forces. Anderson Temple, the Jewish nation was in exile and her comment to my sister - “Did he says that although “nations” are similar for almost 2000 years, experiencing actually mean what he just said?” – has to “peoples,” nations “have no clearly expulsions, pogroms and much more. stuck with me to this day. Especially identifiable births.” Suddenly, only 3 years after the since I did mean what I said! This may very well apply to many Holocaust, when our spiritual, physical Perhaps, though, my sister’s friend nations today, but clearly not to Bnei and emotional states were at their was partially correct. An Independence Yisrael, the Jewish people, and lowest, the dream of 2000 years came Day is undoubtedly important in national especially its link to the Land of Israel. true – we are once again a nation in its life, so much so that according to the Towards the end of the Torah, when homeland under Jewish leadership.

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