Why do we pray this Torah blessing? - Rom 8:19 For the intense longing[a] of the creation eagerly waits for
the revealing of the sons of Elohim. Footnote: aLit. anxiously looking with
outstretched head. Rom 8:22 For we know that all the creation
groans together, and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
Isa
40:16 And Leḇanon (not just Lebanon) is not enough to burn, nor its
beasts enough for an ascending offering.
Isa
40:17 All nations before Him are as a non-entity, and they are reckoned
by Him as less than a speck, and emptiness. (YHVH has mercy but will not
forever tolerate Torahless people or nations)
Isa
40:18 And to whom would you liken Ěl? And what likeness would you compare
to Him?
Isa
40:19 The workman moulds a graven image, and the goldsmith overspreads it
with gold, and the silversmith casts silver chains.
Isa
40:20 He who is too poor for such an offering chooses a tree that does
not rot. He seeks for himself a skilled craftsman to prepare a carved image
that does not totter.
Isa
40:21 Did you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to
you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the
earth?
Isa
40:22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its
inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a
curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,
Isa
40:23 who brings princes to naught, shall make the rulers of the earth as
emptiness.
Isa
40:24 Hardly have they been planted, hardly have they been sown, hardly
has their stock taken root in the earth, when He shall blow on them and they
wither, and a whirlwind take them away like stubble.
Isa
40:25 “And to whom then do you liken Me, or to whom am I
compared?” says the Set-apart One.
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see. Who has created these? He is bringing out their host by number, He calls them all by name, by the greatness of ability and potent of power, a man is not lacking. (gathering together of all the Set Apart ones)
אשׁה כי תזריע- when a woman
has conceived – this is the way life on earth was meant to be lived –
Lev 12:1 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 12:2 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘When a woman has conceived, and has given birth to a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days, as in the days of her monthly separation she is unclean - “Hifil” feminine verb – when a woman comes to term and delivers – literary, when a woman is caused to seed her seed.
Lev
12:3 ‘And on the eighth day the flesh of
his foreskin is circumcised.
‘’The number seven
represents completion of the natural, and the number eight represents the beginning
of the eternal. This is why circumcision on the eighth day takes place even if
it falls on the sabbath. The ‘’natural’’ must first be completed before the ‘’eternal’’
can begin.’’
Lev
12:4 ‘And she remains in the blood of
her cleansing thirty-three days. She does not touch whatever is set-apart, and
she does not come into the set-apart place until the days of her cleansing are
completed.
Lev 12:5 ‘But if she gives birth to a female child,
then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her monthly separation, and she
remains in the blood of her cleansing for sixty-six days.
Lev 12:6 ‘And when the days of her cleansing are
completed, for a son or for a daughter, she brings to the priest a lamb a year
old, as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin
offering, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Lev 12:7 ‘And he shall bring it before יהוה, and make atonement for her,
and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the Torah for her who has given birth to a male or a female.
Lev 12:8 ‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.’”
The sin
offering was because we are born into a life of sin – Psa 51:5 See, I was brought forth in crookedness, And in sin my
mother conceived me.’’ (Religion has failed to deal with the most
discussed topic of the scriptures)
This Torah portion
instructs parents in the Torah community concerning their responsibility in
laying down a righteous foundation when bringing their children into the world
as well as preparing them for life within the Torah Israelite community – that
brings life and blessing to the whole world.
Even our Messiah was
inducted into Torah life according to the instruction found in this Torah
portion.
‘’The event is
described in Luke 2:22–40. Miriam and Yosef took Yahshua to the Temple in
Yerushalayim forty days (inclusive) after his birth to complete Miriam's ritual
purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn
son, in obedience to the Torah (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12–15, etc.). Luke
explicitly says that Yosef and Miriam take the option provided for poor people
(those who could not afford a lamb; Leviticus 12:8), offering "a pair of
turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Leviticus 12:1–4 indicates that this
event should take place forty days after birth for a male child’’
Luk 7:35 “And wisdom is declared
right by all her children.”
והחכמה נצדקה בכל־בניה׃
Hebrew - ‘’Wisdom
is declared right by her assembly’’ ‘’It takes a village to raise a child.’’
Eph 3:10 so that now, through the assembly, the many-sided
wisdom of Elohim might be known to the principalities and authorities in the
heavenlies, (not yet but soom will be)
Eph 3:11 according to the everlasting purpose which He made in Messiah יהושע our Master,
In the last days this
assembly will return one by one to the ways and truth of the Torah - Isa 27:12 And in that day it
shall be that יהוה
threshes, from the channel of the River to the wadi of Mitsrayim. And you shall
be gathered one by one,a O children of Yisra’ěl. Footnote: a Jer_3:14-15.
It appears
that YHVH calls His people for special service at conception (tazria) even before
they are born:
Jer
1:5 “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came out
of the womb I did set you apart – I appointed you a prophet to nations.”
Isa
49:1 Listen to Me, O coastlands, and hear, you peoples from afar! יהוה has called Me from the womb,
from My mother’s belly He has caused My Name to be remembered.
Gal
1:15 But when it pleased Elohim, who separated me from my mother’s womb
and called me by His favour,
Psa
22:9 For You are the One who took Me out of the womb; Causing Me to trust
while on My mother’s breasts.
Psa
22:10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s belly You have
been My Ěl.
Isa
46:3 “Listen to Me, O house of Ya‛aqoḇ, and all the remnant of the house
of Yisra’ěl, who are borne from the belly, who are carried from the womb:
Psa
139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed body. And in Your book all of them were
written, The days they were formed, While none was among them.
‘’ The number of sperm in a single ejaculate
range from 40 million to 500 million cells—the average is about 182
million. For every ovum ovulated, about 1 billion sperm are produced’’ Each one
of us is a limited edition of ‘’one’’ of those sperm cells.
This Torah portion
reminds us of the importance of Colostrum and infant nurturing.
Many people know what
breast milk is and where it comes from; but have you ever heard of colostrum?
Did you know there is a difference between breast milk and colostrum? Colostrum is
a milky substance that is produced by the breasts of mammals before birth and
during the first few days following birth. Colostrum precedes the production of
true milk, or breast milk. It's usually clear in appearance but may look
slightly yellow. While breast milk is highly nutritious and immensely
beneficial to newborns, colostrum is thicker, more concentrated in protein, and
lower in fat than true breast milk.
Colostrum contains
many nutritional benefits for the baby, including proteins, carbohydrates,
fats, vitamins, minerals, and antibodies, which are important disease-fighting
proteins produced by the immune system that attack and kill microorganisms such
as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. The antibody level in colostrum can
be as high as 100 times the level found in regular milk!
Colostrum has an especially important role
to play in the baby's gastrointestinal tract. ... Colostrum also
contains high concentrations of leukocytes, protective white cells which can
destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses. The colostrum gradually
changes to mature milk during the first two weeks after birth. (Infants would
breastfeed until they were naturally weaned)
Lev 13:1 And יהוה
spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying,
Lev
13:2 “When a man has on the skin of his
body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it shall become on the skin of
his body like a leprous infection,( צרעת)
then he shall be brought to Aharon the priest or to one of his sons the
priests.
Lev
13:3 “And the priest shall look at the
infection on the skin of the body. And if the hair on the infection has turned
white, and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is
a leprous infection.( צרעת) And the priest shall look at him and pronounce him unclean.
Lev
13:4 “But if the bright spot is white on
the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its
hair has not turned white, then the priest shall shut up the infected one seven
days.
Lev
13:5 “And the priest shall look at him
on the seventh day and see, if the infection appears to be as it was, and the
infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall shut him up another
seven days.
Lev
13:6 “And the priest shall look at him
again on the seventh day and see, if the infection has darkened, and the
infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him
clean. It is a scab, and he shall wash his garments and be clean.
Lev
13:7 “But if the scab spreads further
over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall
be seen by the priest again.
Lev
13:8 “And the priest shall look and see,
if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him
unclean, it is leprosy. צרעת
Lev
13:9 “When the infection of leprosy צרעת is on a man, then he shall be
brought to the priest.
Lev
13:10 “And the priest shall look and
see, if the swelling on the skin is white, and it has turned the hair white,
and there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling,
Lev
13:11 it is an old leprosy צרעתon
the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He does not
shut him up, for he is unclean. (possible sign of unresolved issues)
Lev
13:12 “And if leprosy צרעת
breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy צרעת shall
cover all the skin of the infected one, from his head to his foot, wherever the
priest looks,
Lev
13:13 then the priest shall look and
see, if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce the infected
one clean. It has all turned white, he is clean.
Lev
13:14 “But the day raw flesh appears on
him, he is unclean.
Lev
13:15 “And the priest shall look at the
raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean – the raw flesh is unclean, it is
leprosy. צרעת
Lev 13:16 “Or when the raw flesh changes and turns
white again, he shall come to the priest.
Lev
13:17 “And the priest shall look at him
and see, if the infection has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce the
infected one clean, he is clean.
Lev
13:18 “And when the body has a boil in
the skin, and it is healed,
Lev
13:19 and in the place of the boil there
comes a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be seen
by the priest.
Lev
13:20 “And the priest shall look and
see, if it appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the
priest shall pronounce him unclean, it is a leprous infection which has broken
out of the boil.
Lev
13:21 “But if the priest looks at it and
sees no white hairs in it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded,
then the priest shall shut him up seven days;
Lev
13:22 and if it has spread further over
the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean, it is a leprous
infection.
Lev
13:23 “But if the bright spot stays in
its place, it has not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall
pronounce him clean.
Lev
13:24 “Or when the body receives a burn
on its skin by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn shall become a bright spot,
reddish-white or white,
Lev
13:25 then the priest shall look at it
and see, if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper
than the skin, it is leprosy broken out in the burn. And the priest shall
pronounce him unclean, it is a leprous infection.
Lev
13:26 “But if the priest looks at it and
sees there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the
skin, but has faded, then the priest shall shut him up seven days.
Lev 13:27 “And the priest shall look at
him on the seventh day. If it spreads further over the skin, then the priest
shall pronounce him unclean, it is a leprous infection.
Lev 13:28 “But if the bright spot stays in its place, and has not spread on the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn. And the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn.
‘’Thus the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b) describes Moshiach as a metzora, signifying that the messianic age is a time in which the evils which have infested the world and mankind rise to the surface, so that they can be decisively overcome and cured. (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)’’
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) -Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi met Elijah [the Prophet] by the entrance of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s tomb… and asked him:
“When will the Messiah come?”
[Elijah responded:] “Go and ask him yourself.”
“Where is he?”
“At the entrance [of Rome].”
“And how will I recognize him?”
“He is sitting among the poor lepers,
This fascinating
passage suggests that Mashiach is sitting at the gates of Rome (according to
the Vilna Gaon’s commentary) among all the lepers expelled from the city- expelled
from human religion
The Sages say that
metzora means motzi ra, literally one who brings out evil. While
this can be taken to mean one who brings out evil words about others, it can
also be read as one who removes evil from the world, which is
Mashiach’s ultimate purpose.
Chassidic teaching
explains that the human soul is driven by two contrary forces: the drive to run
or escape (ratzo), and the drive to settle (shov).
In a spiritually
healthy soul, the will vacillates between ratzo and shov like
the rise and fall of a well-balanced pendulum, or the contraction and expansion
of a smoothly beating heart. The constraints of our place in the world, the
finiteness of our nature and body, the boundaries of our very being—these impel
us to escape them, to strive for the unbounded and the infinite. But our very
escape brings us to a place from which we better appreciate the beauty and
necessity of our existence. Thus the ratzo peaks and provokes
a counteraction of shov, a return to oneself and one’s place in the
world.
Tzaraat is a condition in which this crucial
balance is disrupted. The pendulum of the soul ascends in its ratzo arc,
but fails to swing back in shov. The will escapes the self and
fails to return, leaving behind a vacuum in which all sorts of undesirable
elements can now take root, like weeds in an abandoned garden.
This is symbolized by
the white patches and the white hairs that are the symptoms of tzaraat.
A patch of white skin indicates that life and vitality have departed from (this
part of) the body. Still, a white patch alone does not mean that the will’s
failure to settle has resulted in any negative developments in the character
and behavior of the person. But when we see white hairs sprouting in the white
patch—when we see dead things feeding on this dead place—we have a full-blown
case of tzaraat.
On the other hand, the
existence of white hairs, in and of themselves, do not indicate tzaraat.
These might represent the ordinary baggage that we lug through life, the
run-of-the mill negative traits and experiences that actually have the positive
function of challenging us and provoking our finest talents and most potent
energies. It is only when the white hairs are caused by the white patch that
something serious is afoot. Such a condition indicates that the person has run
away with his escapist impulses so high and so far that he has completely
abandoned his commitments to life and productivity, leaving behind a hollow and
lifeless self that is a breeding ground for what is worst in human nature.
Hence the law that
white hairs are a symptom of tzaraat only when the white patch
precedes the white hair, indicating that this dead growth is the result of a
certain area of the person’s life having been drained of its vitality.
Two Visions of Man
What is the root cause
of tzaraat? Ratzo is the escape from self,
while shov is the return to self. It would therefore seem
that tzaraat—ratzo without shov—derives
from excessive selflessness.
In truth, however, the
very opposite may be the case. Ratzo is what the soul desires
to do, while shov is what the soul is committed to do.
Escapist behavior is the ultimate self-indulgence, while settling down is the
ultimate submission. Tzaraat, then, derives from a lack of
humility, from the failure to yield one’s own will to the will of one’s
Creator.’’
‘’One of the unfortunate results of translation of ‘’tzaraat’’ to leprosy
has been the overwhelming confusion on the nature of “leprosy.” Driven,
perhaps, by the need to find a metaphorical connection between leprosy and sin
in general, the Christian church has followed the ninth century Arab physician
John of Damascus who referred to leprosy by the Greek lepra and his mistake
persists until today. The Hebrew term employed throughout our Torah section is תַעָרָצ
,tzara‘at. The Lxx regularly translates it with levpra, lepra, not with the
Greek word that identifies what we know as leprosy (Hansen’s disease, ajlfov~,
alphos). Indeed, when the Apostolic writings refer to “leprosy,” the Greek word
is always lepra, which was (until the 9th century) described as a “skin disease
which looks like scales.” Milgrom (Anchor Bible Comm., p. 816) asserts that
the disease known today as leprosy (Hansen’s disease) did not exist in the
Ancient Near East until it was brought there from India by the armies of
Alexander the Great. So unfortunately, when we read “leprosy” in our English
Bibles, we should most likely understand it rather to mean “psoriasis” or
“fungal infection.”
But to identify תַעָרָצ is also difficult. Modern medicine cannot
match the descriptions in our portion with any known diseases of modern times,
primarily because skin disorders known today cannot be identified or
quarantined in the short period of time prescribed in Leviticus (7 days, 2
weeks, etc.). Furthermore, the skin disorders which might fit are never found
on woven material, leather, or other non-living substances. Many have concluded
that the diseases described here were either peculiar to the ancient world or
have grown into strains which have different properties. Perhaps the Hebrew
term simply describes anything that appears as a growth, including mold or
mildew on cloth, leather, and walls. What is more, the skin diseases referred
to by the Hebrew תַעָרָצ tzara‘at do not seem to be necessarily
contagious (though they could be). Na’aman lead his army, returned to his
family, and even entered the temple of his god. Surely had he been an Israelite
he would have been banished like Miriam (Num 12:14-16), the four outcasts (2
Kgs 7:3-10), and Uzziah (2Kgs 15:5). But this may be a result of ritual
impurity, not a sense of a contaminating disease.
So, it is important that we not try to draw analogies between what this
passage describes, and the characteristics of sin so often associated with the
picture of leprosy. Whether or not the disease we are accustomed to calling
leprosy (where the extremities of the body are eaten away) ever actually
existed in the Ancient Near East, it seems highly unlikely that what is
described in our passage is, in fact, “leprosy” as we have come to know it.’’
Tim Hegg
Six permutations of the root word ,tzara‘at – tzara – psoriasis - tza'ar
- hardship, pain sadness regret remorse - ra'atz - to smash – ratza- to smash –
rtza - To pierce - inflict stripes (by whipping with a strap) – atzar- to halt
or rule to prevent anarchic expansion- aratz- to respect (a tyrant) because of
his power. See Is 53.
Blessed are you YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us
your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst.
Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Amein.