Rabbi Philip Weintraub
Congregation Agudas Israel
3/28/14
A few years back, I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah on Parshat Tazria. Today I stand before you (albeit not in April) with the same Torah reading. Tomorrow morning, I will read from the Torah about how long to wait after childbirth before resuming marital relations, many dermatological (skin) conditions, as well as discussions about what to do if clothing or fabrics have strange growths and discolorations. It all sounds very archaic. Why would the priest be the arbiter of skin conditions, didn’t they have dermatologists in Torah? Why does childbirth require a sacrifice and immersion in the mikvah before a couple can return to their normal lives?
While I do not have my bar mitzvah speech in front of me for comparison, I think the main point of this parsha is actually two-fold--focusing on daily life and liminal/transitional moments. Although some of the details may not determine our behavior today, the ideas remain relevant thousands of years from when we stood at Sinai.
The birth of a child is a holy moment. It is a moment fraught with tension. While women have been giving birth for as long as we have been on this Earth, it has always been a dangerous endeavor. Offering a sacrifice, immersing in a mikvah are ways of giving thanks and marking the success of that mission. A couple is forever changed when a child comes into their life. Besides the medical reasons for a temporary suspension of intimate relations, our Torah teaches us the holy nature of this separation. Giving us time to reconsider our lives, determine our new priorities, discover what it means to be parents and a couple again, is a pretty good idea!
On the dermatological side, skin diseases are a part of life. Whether infection or allergy, we itch and scratch and deal with peeling skin. Thousands of beauty products claim to make our skin younger, firmer, more tone, more tan, less tan, less wrinkly, smoother, less bumpy, etc., etc., etc. In the Torah there were no dermatologists. There were no magic creams--although they probably did use aloe! By having someone, whether priest or doctor, look at rashes and recognize which ones were contagious and required isolation and which were harmless, the health of the community was protected.
On a similar note today, vaccination is a public health issue and a Jewish value. By vaccinating your children and grandchildren, you follow the Torah’s teachings of caring for the sick, keeping oneself healthy, teaching our children life-saving skills, and protecting and caring for the neediest among us. It is one simple act that can save not only one child’s life, but many others!
By discussing, these topics this evening, I want to bring these words out of the shadows. There is holiness in the details of Torah. Even the parts that seem out of date, irrelevant, have deep meaning and sanctity. While reading about skin diseases may sound strange, it is a reminder that every moment of our life is sacred, every choice we make has the potential for holiness.
Next week’s parsha is Metzora, which continues discussions of skin disease, among other topics. The rabbis separate that word into component parts, speaking of motzi shem ra, evil speech, lies, malicious gossip. They say that in Torah times, skin diseases were actual punishments for improper behavior, for hurting others with our words. While today we do not see G-d as punishing us in such a way, we still must be very careful of our speech. Every word we say, whether carefully or carelessly has great potential to show love or to hurt.
In our shared communities, of the JCC, TBJ and CAI, we have numerous opportunities to speak highly of one another. Each of our unique communities does incredibly beautiful, holy, helpful work, elevating the souls of all who participate. Every organization wants and NEEDS the others to succeed, for the good of our shared project, for the good of our community, for the good of Newburgh! As such, within our organizations--internally and together, we MUST be careful of what we say. We can create great holiness, and maybe even prevent some eczema, if we only share words of love!
Shabbat Shalom
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