Something Like a Plague

Metzorah

Lev. 14:1-15:33

Précis: The parasha discusses laws for the purification of “lepers” with sacrifice and water. It also discusses growths on walls of a house which cause ritual impurity. The parasha concludes with a discussion of bodily secretions which are another source of ritual impurity.

Lev. 14:34-35 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I gave you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess, the owner of the house shall come out and tell the priest, saying ‘There is something like a plague which has appeared on my house.’”

This “plague” seems to be related the skin diseases we read about last week, which tradition suggests arises not out of a real physical problem but from moral failures, especially the “evil tongue” (gossip and tale bearing). Despite this verse’s prediction, the Sages suggest that such a plague never in fact took place, and never will take place! (BT Sanhedrin 71a). According to Nahama Leibowitz, citing other authorities, the verse appears in the Torah “as a means of providing edification.” She suggests that this “plague” on a house represents a disease in society, and steps must be taken immediately to prevent its spread. Social ills must be halted immediately upon detection.

            In recent months we have seen “something like a plague” as it relates to assaults and deaths of black teenagers and men at the hands of (mostly) white police officers. The fact that the Torah carefully uses the circumspect phrase “something like a plague” serves as a warning to us that we can never really be sure about the extent or causes of a social illness. Is racism a part of this problem? Without a doubt, yes. Is this a growing phenomenon or is it just more prominent because of the 24-hour news cycle and the spread of smart phone cameras? I really don’t know.

            I do know that every death is a death which must be mourned. I can pray, as we all should, that we can at some point get past our heritage of racism in the United States. Whether this will happen in my lifetime or in the lifetime of my children I honestly do not know. But as we read in Pirke Avot (2:21),  Rabbi Tarphon says, “It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but you are not free to desist from it either.”

Dwelling Outside the Camp

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 parasha is so often the bane of the bar or bat mitzvah student who is preparing a lesson for the congregation. With its emphasis on what is usually (and erroneously) described as “leprosy” it is not an easy subject for an adult, let alone a 13 year old. One way to help these students is to focus on the phrase “his dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

            According to the text, an individual struck with this mysterious illness is forced from the community and isolated. This certainly seems at odds with traditional Jewish mitzvot to help those in need, particularly those who are ill.

            But the parasha also includes ritual details about how to restore that stricken individual to the community. Here, then, is the lesson for the bar or bat mitzvah student (and for us):

            Today, many who are stricken with serious illness may feel isolated and alone, even if we try to be kind and to help. Think of the tragedy of Alzheimer’s on the stricken family. Even if friends and family try to help, those efforts of assistance often fade over the years of struggle, even as the symptoms worsen and the burden on care-givers increases. In a very real sense, the “survivors” all too often find themselves “outside of the camp” at a time when their need for belonging to a larger community is at its greatest.

            The rituals for “healing” described in this parasha provide a way to restore an individual to the community. We need to find ways of engagement so that those who have been “excluded” through our own inaction are restored to our communities.