Tazria
Lev. 12:1-13:59
Précis: Tazria begins with laws concerning the need for ritual purification of women following the birth of children, and the laws of what is usually referred to as “leprosy” of the skin and on garments (although this translation is most certainly erroneous; it appears to refer to an affliction which renders the person, garment, or home ritually impure).
Lev.13:45 “As for the person with a scaly affliction, his clothes shall be rent, his hair shall be left bare, and he shall cover his upper lip; and he shall call out ‘Impure! Impure!” He shall be unclean as long as the disease is upon him. Being unclean, he shall dwell apart; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.”
This week’s reading continues the central focus of Leviticus: the search for how the Jewish People are to relate to God. We are told that we must be “holy.” But to undertake such tasks, we must first be “ritually pure.”
When we consider “ritual purity” in modern terms, we may think it means “dirty” or “unclean.” Our Sages had another view: the underlying cause of ritual impurity was spiritual weakness. But our tradition provides rituals to “restore” one who was “impure” to the society. What possible meaning can these ancient beliefs and rituals have for us today?
(1) Some say these are irrelevant and simply move on.
(2) Some see these rituals as mere historical footnotes, but now outdated.
(3) Others (myself included) see these rituals metaphorically. If we seek holiness, we need to do that with appropriate intention. We act as we perceive God to act: with justice and mercy, clothing the naked, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and seeing to the needs of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.
While these particular rituals may no longer be applicable, I submit that their purpose remains as relevant today as they were more than 3,000 years ago.
