A tapestry

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

Lev. 16:1 -20:27

Précis: Achrei Mot begins with Adonai speaking to Moses after the death (achrei mot) of Aaron’s sons. It describes the rituals for Yom Kippur, including the prescribed sacrifices. There are specific details about the purification of the Sanctuary, vessels, and the priests. Following this description, rules for the slaughter of meat (including the prohibition against eating blood) are reiterated. The parasha concludes with a listing of prohibited marriages. 

            The opening words of Kedoshim are “You shall be holy” (kedoshim tihyu), and it continues with various descriptions of how the People are to strive for holiness. Included are fundamental laws, such as fearing one’s parents and observing Shabbat. Consideration of the poor through the commandment to leave the corners of fields for gleaners is included, as are mandates which complement the ethical principles of the Ten Commandments (being honest, avoiding vengeance). Specific bans against magicians, soothsaying, witchcraft and defiling the dead follow, as are reminders to avoid human sacrifice. This parasha is often viewed as the very core of moral teaching for the Jewish People.

Lev. 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, Adonai your God, am holy.’”

            Writing in MyJewishLearning.com (5/10/16), Rabbi Bradley Artson reminds us that the Book of Leviticus is the middle Book of the Torah, and adds that Kedoshim (sometimes referred to as “the Holiness Code”) is at the center of Leviticus. For some Jews today, behavior is the central focus of their Judaism: the performance of mitzvot in the required manner. Others see the core of their Judaism as the responsibility for ethical behavior and tikkun olam.

            But Kedoshim is a reminder that the joining of ethics and rituals is what makes Judaism unique. There is no distinction in the rationale for paying a laborer his wages promptly and observing Shabbat, or between the prohibitions of idols and leaving the corners of the fields for gleaners. All are based on the justification of this verse: “You are to be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.”

            The two strands mentioned above – ethical behavior and ritual observance – create what Artson calls “a tapestry stronger and more enduring than either individual thread alone.”

            True ritual must be rooted in the human needs to limit urges and to promote an understanding of God’s involvement in our existence. Ethical acts require ritual to remind us, on a regular basis, of our responsibility to others. Ritual without ethics is an empty exercise. Ethics without ritual becomes transitory and situational.

            Ethics alone leave man the judge of all. Ritual alone cedes human intellect. Both are needed to provide the balance which our tradition calls “holiness.”  

Metzorah and Covid

Tazria-Metzorah

Lev. 12:1-15:33

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).

            Metzorah 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.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.”

                The Priests play a major role in these parshiot: they diagnose the illness and impose the quarantine of the “impure” one until a “cure” has been affected. The parallels with the current Covid-19 pandemic are compelling, and it is interesting to note how poorly the United States is doing in comparison to the Biblical mandates.

            First, the text requires “testing” of all. Anyone with symptoms appear before the Priest and undergo careful, individual examination. Next, those “diagnosed” are identified so all can see (and avoid) them. Finally, they are placed in quarantine until a cure has been effectuated.

            Of course, “metzorah” is not Covid-19, and appears not to have been deadly. Nevertheless, testing, social distancing, and cures are needed.

            Tradition says that “metzorah” is a shortening of the phrase “motzi shem ra” meaning that its cause is attributed to gossip in general and slander in particular. At a time when tweets and  protesters condemn many engaged in the fight against Covid-19, perhaps the tweeters should be advised to study these parshiot.