.According to the sages these two Torah portions “tazria
and metzorah” reveal great mysteries of the Messiah.
The ancient sages had no
doubt in their minds that this Torah portion and the next (metzora) had more to
say about the Messiah than any other Torah portions in the Torah.
The Sages believe that
the one true evidence that the Messiah had come is that he would the one to
heal “leprosy” or “tzarat”.
Thus
the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b) describes Moshiach as a metzora, signifying
that the messianic age is a time in which evils that have infested the world
and mankind rise to the surface, so that they can be decisively overcome and
cured.
Why are so many messianic’s denying Yahshua?
Because the nature of Yahshua was never nurtured as it
was meant to be.
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.
Conceived
– Heb - zâra - A primitive root; to sow; figuratively to disseminate, plant, fructify:
- bear, conceive seed, set with, sow (-er), yield. “Hifil” feminine verb – when
a woman comes to term and delivers – lit when a woman is caused to seed her
seed.
Perhaps this Torah portion is
reminding us to pause and deeply contemplate the birth of Messiah and of every new born that YHVH brings
to life from a seed. There is both the joy of new birth but also the
contemplation of what will become of this new life. Will this life bring joy or
sadness? What will become of this life? Hopefully we pray that this person will
soon to know, hear and follow the ways of YHVH - Isa 9:6 For a Child shall be born unto us, a Son
shall be given unto us, and the rule is on His shoulder. And His Name is called
Wonder, Counsellor, Strong Ěl, Father of Continuity, Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of His rule and peace there
is no end, upon the throne of Dawid and over His reign1, to establish it and
sustain it with right-ruling and with righteousness from now on, even forever.
The ardour of יהוה of hosts does this. Footnote: 1See 16:5,
Ps. 2, Ps. 45:6, Mic. 5:2, Lk. 1:32-33.
If we
consider the instruction of this Torah portion we will contemplate the
implication of nurturing a new born life into the life of Messiah. The kind of
imprint that is left deep within the being of a new born will play a major role
in their future development.
The
life of Messiah can be compared to an infant receiving breast milk called
colostrum.
Colostrum
Many people know what breast milk is and where it comes from; but, have you ever heard of colostrum (the ladies who breastfed should know, but especially the men might not)? 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 new-borns, 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 (that is why it is so important for the new born before he or she gets the mummy’s mature milk). The colostrum gradually changes to mature milk during the first two weeks after birth.
(Lev 12:2 b again). ………….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
Lev 12:3 ‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his
foreskin is circumcised.
Lev 12:4 ‘And she remains in the blood of her
cleansing thirty-three days (40 days
all together for a male child). 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 (80
days all together).
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.’ ”
As one rabbi eloquently stated the reason why a
mother is separated is as if YHVH Himself is saying: “I exempt you from coming before Me in the
place of set apartness because you are fully engaged in one of the set apart
acts of all, nurturing and caring for your child. Unlike others you do not need
to visit the Temple to be attached to life in all its set apart splendor. You
are experiencing it yourself, directly and with every fiber of your being.
Days, weeks, from now you will come and give thanks before Me (together with
offerings for having come through a moment of danger). But for now, look upon
your child with wonder. For you have been given a glimpse of the great secret,
otherwise known only to YHVH. Childbirth exempts the new mother from attendance
at the Temple because her bedside replicates the experience of the Temple. She
now knows what it is for love to beget life and in the midst of mortality to be
touched by an intimation of immortality.”
Lev 13:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying,
Tzra at.
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,
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. 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.
Lev 13:9
“When the infection of leprosy 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 on the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him
unclean. He does not shut him up, for he is unclean.
Lev 13:12
“And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy 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.
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.
We participate in the creation of our diseases; we have the responsibility to take part of the process of healing. This approach gives insight on the Torah’s approach to Metzora, on the interplay between body and soul.
From the spirit the physical problems emerge, from the spirit the physical problem will be overcome.”
The only disease discussed in the Torah that includes
laws pertaining to its manifestation and cure is tzara'at. This renders tzara'at
the archetypical, all-inclusive disease.