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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The word metzorah refers to a person afflicted by tzaraat, a scaly affliction of the skin which places them in a state of being ritually unfit to make offerings. The parshah begins by detailing how the recovered metzorah is purified by the kohen (priest) with a special ritual involving two birds, spring water in an earthen vessel, a piece of cedar wood, a scarlet thread and a bundle of hyssop. A home can also be afflicted with tzaraat by the appearance of dark red or green patches on its walls. In a process lasting as long as nineteen days, a kohen determines if the house can be purified, or whether it must be demolished.
Ritual impurity is also engendered through a seminal or other discharge in a man, and menstruation or other discharge of blood in a woman, necessitating purification through immersion in a mikvah.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְלָקַ֣ח הַכֹּהֵן֮ מִדַּ֣ם הָאָשָׁם֒ וְנָתַן֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן עַל־תְּנ֛וּךְ אֹ֥זֶן הַמִּטַּהֵ֖ר הַיְמָנִ֑ית וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן יָדוֹ֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְל֖וֹ הַיְמָנִֽית׃ The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the ridge of the right ear of him who is being cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. - Vayikra (Leviticus) 14:14
There’s a story that Reb Zushia was once with his master, Rabbi Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezritch, when a man came into the room and started aggressively nagging the Maggid for a blessing on his business. Now Reb Zushia had special powers, and could perceive all the past deeds of a person simply by looking at them. When he looked at this man begging for a blessing, he could see he had done many terrible things. In an instant, Reb Zushia lost his temper and snapped at the man: “How dare you ask the great Maggid to help you with your business? You should be asking him how you can atone for the things you’ve done!”
The man turned red with embarrassment and left in a hurry. Reb Zushia suddenly realized what he had done, that he had shamed the man, and he didn’t know what to do. The Maggid placed his hands upon Reb Zushia and gave him a blessing that from that point onward, he should only see the good in other people. But, since the Maggid didn’t have the power to take away Zushia’s ability to perceive one’s past deeds, from that point onward Zushia perceived the sins of others within himself. When we feel deeply triggered by another person’s perceived faults, it is usually because the same fault exists or used to exist within ourselves. I know that’s true with my children – oy I wish they wouldn’t do what I used to do! But that’s often how it is – that which we react to “out there” is also often “in here.” One of the many fruits of meditation is gaining a more objective view on ourselves; there is a hint our cryptic opening pasuk: וְנָתַן֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן עַל־תְּנ֛וּךְ אֹ֥זֶן... And the priest shall put it on the ridge of the right ear… The אֹ֥זֶןozen (ear) represents our mental understanding of what’s going on in the world, since it is through the ear that we hear the reports of others. That which we hear stimulates thought, creating a mental image of the world, a “world view.” Then we tend to identify with that view, creating the separate sense of self known as “ego.” The ego, in turn, sees the perceived faults of others as “out there” only; the ego doesn’t like to see faults within itself. And so, we project – and create mental narratives of judgment and blame. But we can turn this around: through meditation, we instead listen to our own thoughts rather than think them, we can recognize: “This is only a thought – it may or may not be true.” Then we can stay free from the seductive power of ego and begin to see ourselves clearly. Why is this important? וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן – and on the thumb… The בֹּ֤הֶן bohen (thumb) represents our actions, since the thumb is the uniquely human tool for manipulating the world. Once we become free from the unconscious motivations of ego by observing our own thoughts in meditation, then we can consciously choose our actions so as to embody this awareness, rather than merely react unconsciously. But how do we do this? וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְל֖וֹ – and on the big toe… The בֹּ֥הֶן הַרֶגֶל bohen haregel, literally the “thumb of the foot,” represents our sensory awareness, since our feet connect with the earth, “grounding” us in the world of the senses. In meditation, we put our attention into our sensory awareness – into our breathing, our feelings, our sounds and sights – and by doing so, we can greatly reduce the seductive power of thought and emotion, thereby staying rooted in the truth of our perception, rather be seduced by the endless tendrils of mental speculation. This is the opposite of being judgmental toward others, of making up stories in your head about them: אַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ: Do not judge a person until you’ve reached their place. - Pirkei Avot 2:5 Of course we can never reach the “place” of another, so we should not waste energy being judgmental. But this, of course, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have good judgment! If a person is dangerous, we absolutely need to have the judgment to keep ourselves safe. But how do we differentiate between good judgment and being judgmental? עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ – until you’ve reached their place… There is a hint in the word for “place,” מָקוֹם Makom, which also means God; God is the “Space” within which everything arises. עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ – until you reach… The word for “reach,” שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ shetagia can also mean “touch,” so we might retranslate: Do not judge a person until you touch the Divine spaciousness… In other words, we must of course have good judgment, but in order to do that, we must first dis-identify from ego so that we are not unconsciously motivated toward judgmentalism. Then we can see things in their Wholeness, and respond with wisdom to bring about a more beautiful result, rather than add to the chaos. Seeing things not from ego, but from the perspective of free, spacious awareness, so that we can respond with wisdom and bring forth more harmony, peace and beauty; this is represented on the Tree of Life by the sefirah called Tiferet.
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