BS”D
EXPANSIVE EYE: PARSHIOT TAZRIA-METZORA
Shira Smiles shiur 2020/5780
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
These two parshiot
of Tazria and Metzora deal extensively with the laws of tzoraas,
liberally but incorrectly translated as leprosy. When a person is suspected of
being afflicted with tzoraas, he is brought not to a medical doctor, but
to Aharon or another kohein for a proper diagnosis and treatment. The tzoraas
can be detected in the skin, the hair, the clothing, or the housing of the
individual. If the kohein declares him contaminated, the afflicted one
is sent outside of the camp into social isolation until the appearance,
literally the eye, of the affliction has changed, and he is declared purified
and “healed.”
Long before modern
medicine theorized the connections between psychological, spiritual and
physical wellness, the Torah proclaimed that these were linked, that man was in
fact a holistic entity. Therefore, writes Rabbi Munk, healing will be achieved
by reestablishing the balance and harmony between the varying aspects of man’s
being. The laws surrounding the diagnosis and cure for tzoraas bear
witness to the Torah’s wisdom.
If we are to look
for a cure for tzoraas, we must search for its source. Our Sages find
several sources in the Tanach that point to spiritual and psychological
“viruses” that had infected the individual so afflicted. Among the seven causes
listed in the Gemara, three are actually blemishes of the personality more than
sinful acts. These are loshon horo/evil, negative speech, gasus ruach/arrogance/haughtiness
and tzoras iyin/envy/miserliness/narrowness of the eye.
Since only a
kohein can diagnose this affliction, one must ask why a kohain is best suited
to this task as opposed to any other person or doctor. Rabbi Druck shows how
Aharon and is descendents the kohanim exhibit the exact negation of these three
traits. Aharon was known for his love of others, a trait that belies the
underlying cause of loshon horo. Further, when Bnei Yisroel complained
to Moshe and Aharon about having only manna to eat, both Moshe, also known for
his humility, and Aharon completely minimized their own importance, saying,
“Who are we? We are nothing.” Finally, when Hashem appointed Moshe to lead Bnei
Yisroel out of Mitzrayim, Aharon was truly happy in his heart at Moshe’s
appointment to this leadership position even though he himself had been the
leader of Bnei Yisroel the entire time Moshe was away in Midyan. Aharon did not
resent being passed over the leadership ladder. These personal characteristics
made Aharon and his descendents perfect mentors for those who may suffer from
these character flaws. The antidote for such anti social behavior, as well as
the other sins that cause tzoraas, is social isolation.
Loshon horo, the best known
cause of tzoraas, has its roots in envy and in tzoras iyin,
writes Rabbi Grosbard in Daas Schrage. It comes from a faulty
perspective of one’s purpose generated by a lack of emunah/faith. As
such, it is not generated by external factors, but by one’s inner faulty
vision. When one realizes that we are all beloved by Hashem Who has given each
of us everything we need to serve Him to our fullest potential, creating our
own happiness, we will not be jealous of others, and we will not speak badly of
them. Reaching this perspective takes introspection, and requires time away
from the hectic rat race of our daily lives. The isolation imposed on the metzora
helps him go through this process of internalization and self analysis. Perhaps
this is also the message and the opportunity the current mandated self
isolation provides for us to reach a better appreciation of ourselves, of our
purpose, and of our relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
When Rabbi
Yochanan ben Zakai asked his students what is the proper path one should follow
in life, he accepted as best the path recommended by Rav Elazar ben Hyrkanos,
the path of an iyin tova/a good, expansive eye. Its opposite, the
iyin raah/negative eye leads to many sins, especially to loshon horo,
explains Rabbi Reiss in Meirosh Tzurim. If one has a good, benevolent
eye, one escapes the trap of jealousy, for he recognizes that what his friend
has which he does not have would do him no good, much like a pair of glasses
with your friend’s prescription. When the kohein goes out to see you in your
isolation, writes Rabbi Yosef Fogel in Siach Yosef, we are reminded of
Aharon himself who went joyously to greet his brother albeit Moshe was just
appointed to take over the reins of leadership from Aharon himself.
Every aspect of
the purification process is equally symbolic. For example, through immersion in
water and through shaving his entire body, the metzora is symbolically
being reborn and beginning the new growth process, writes Rabbi Munk. Shaving
offers a very specific lesson, notes Letitcha Elyon. Just as no two
hairs can grow from one follicle, so too can there be no two people exactly
alike with the same mission. Each person has his own unique place, and is
beloved for it.
Since creation,
Hashem has set boundaries for every element of creation, including man., adds
Rabbi Grosbard. The boundaries allow everything to function in sync with each
other rather than destroy each other. Fire and water can work together if the
water is contained in a kettle or a pot and doesn’t want to take the place of
the fire. Similarly, each person must live and work within the “boundaries”
Hashem has set for him, within the assets and talents Hashem has provided for
him. All that is meant to be his has already been decided on Rosh Hashanah. To
assume that you are more deserving of what your friend has demonstrates a lack
of emunah. Therefore, Rabbi Lugassi points out, every morning we bless
Hashem Who has given me all that I need, both physically and spiritually.
Instead of
comparing yourself to others, instructs us Rabbi Wolbe, look inside yourself,
examine your personal potential and strive to reach that potential. When you
realize you have everything you need to achieve that goal, you will be happy
for what others have and for their successes.
In this context,
Rabbi Fogel brings a beautiful and novel perspective to Yaakov Avinu’s
blessings to his sons before his death. Before he blesses them, he asks them to
gather all together. His purpose, according to Rabbi Fogel citing the Brisker
Rav, was for each to hear the blessings of the others, so each would understand
his unique role and the gifts he has with which to accomplish it. That way
there would be no jealousy of what the other has, for it serves no purpose in
his own mission. As we recite at the end of every Shemoneh Esreh, “Bless
us all together, our Father, as one, with the light of Your countenance...” The
lesson of the tzoraas is that we become happy for the other, not just
refrain from jealousy. When you look with a “good eye,” you are looking not
only at what they have, but also at what they are. You are searching for all
their positive attributes rather than at their faults. When you look at others
with a negative eye, you do more harm to yourself than to them. [It is these
people that we hear referred to as “farbissen/embittered”, and few
people want to socialize with them. Isolation, even without tzoraas is
being imposed upon them by their own negative perspective. CKS]
Not everything can
become contaminated with tzoraas. The Torah lists among fabrics only
wool and linen that can be thus contaminated. Rabbi Kasbah in Vayomer
Yehudah suggests that these two materials are meant to remind us of the
first case of jealousy and its results, the jealousy between Cain and Abel
whose disparate offerings to Hashem and Hashem’s response brought Cain to kill
Abel his brother. It may also be the reason, as some of our commentators
explain, for the prohibition of shatnez.
Not only a
person’s body and his clothing may be afflicted with tzoraas, but also
the walls of his home may be afflicted as well. In that case, everything is
removed from the home before the kohein declares it contaminated. If the
contamination persists, the wall is broken and the contaminated bricks are
removed. An interesting medrash tells us that breaking the walls would reveal
treasures that the original Amorites had hidden in the walls, not wanting
anyone to benefit from these riches, especially the conquering Israelites, if
they themselves could not do so. However, if tzoraas was meant as a
punishment, how could inheriting these riches serve an instructional purpose?
Rabbi Zev Leff in Shiurei
Binah tries to reconcile this problem. First, one must understand that the
underlying cause of all the sins incurring the punishment of tzoraas
stem from one’s tzoras iyin, his selfish, narrow vision, his feeling
that everything belongs to him, his sense of entitlement and unwillingness to
share. Someone like this will often lie and say he doesn’t have what his
neighbor has asked to borrow. When all his possessions are now brought out of
the house into the open, his lie is revealed and he undoubtedly feels
embarrassed. This embarrassment becomes a corrective measure, and he may
now enjoy the new found riches and, hopefully, share with others.
Rabbi Leff offers
an additional, completely different perspective on this question. He notes that
the only vessels that would actually become contaminated from the tzoraas
without the possibility of purification are earthenware vessels of relatively
insignificant value. Their value lies not in an expensive material from which
they may be formed such as gold or silver vessels, but in in their function in
what they contain. Their value lies in their functionality. Therefore,
earthenware vessels do not become impure from external contact, but from the
inside out. The lesson driven home here is that all one’s possessions,
including one’s very self, are meant to serve a function and to be shared in
service to Hashem and to others, not merely to be hoarded. Knowing that all one
has can be elevated in service, a tzadik values even something of little
financial worth. That’s why Yaakov put himself in danger to retrieve some small
earthenware jugs, and then had to fight the angel for their possession. Only
after the metzora has learned this lesson can he enjoy the treasures
behind his walls.
The Torah uses an
interesting turn of phrase for the kohein’s reexamination of the
contaminated clothing and vessels to determine if they have been “cured.” The
Torah commands the kohein to examine the contamination to see if it has changed
its appearance. Appropriate words would be color, depth, or the Hebrew mareihu/appearance.
Instead, the Torah writes that the affliction has not changed eineihu/its
eye. The Aish Tamid cites the Sefas Emes in explaining this
homiletically. If the person being afflicted has not changed his “eye,” his
perspective, he remains contaminated.
Rabbi Schorr in Halekach
Vehalebuv further develops this idea. The affliction of tzoraas
appears initially on a person’s skin, on his ohr. This ohr is
spelled with the letter iyin. However, its homonym ohr, spelled
with an aleph is light. Man’s inner essence, his soul, is the light of
God surrounded by its outer garment of skin. The metzora must change his
perspective from the iyin of skin/ohr to see the inner light/ohr
with an aleph within each individual.
In Hebrew, oneg/pleasure
and nega/affliction are written with exactly the same letters in reverse
order. The difference lies only in where you put your iyin/eye. It is
our attitude and perspective which determines whether we experience pleasure or
affliction, whether we are happy or sad. Changing where our eye, our iyin
rests can even change a heavenly decree, The ohni/poor man can be rich
(at least in his own eye) by rearranging the three identical letters of both
words.
The correct “eye”
is understanding that we are all servants of Hashem, With that perspective, we
can look at each other with a positive eye and positive mindset, and transform
our current nega/affliction to oneg/pleasure IY”H in the very
near future.