This past Shabbat’s parshiot of Tazria- Metzora are often ones we find a hard time applying to our lives today. I refer to most particularly the pesukim about the metzora and how this spiritual disease of tzoraat, (leprosy- although it is not the purely physical leprosy of today), is something we do not experience nowadays. This Shabbat in shul Rabbi Neuburger pointed out how interestingly enough the “quarantine” of the person who has tzoraat is an experience to which we can all relate. As it says in Vayikra 13:46
מוכָּל־יְמֵ֞י אֲשֶׁ֨ר הַנֶּ֥גַע בּ֛וֹ יִטְמָ֖א טָמֵ֣א ה֑וּא בָּדָ֣ד יֵשֵׁ֔ב מִח֥וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶ֖ה מֽוֹשָׁבֽוֹ
All the days the lesion is upon him, he shall remain unclean. He is unclean; he shall dwell isolated; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.
In fact, Rabbi Neuburger humorously suggested that perhaps when Moshiach comes and the laws of tzoraat go back into effect, perhaps it will not be so isolating as the metzora (person with tzoraat) might be able to zoom a shiur, do his/her work remotely and even order food via doordash.
Rabbi Neuburger continued to share some important messages with the bar mitzvah boy and the congregants in shul. I would like to consider what the quarantine of the metzora can teach us about the quarantine of today. While clearly Covid is nothing like Tzoraat, interestingly enough, if a person suspected he had tzoraat he would quarantine for 7 days until the Kohen came to officially diagnose and if he had tzoraat he would have to quarantine for another 7 days. 14 days quarantine- sounds familiar?
What was the cause of tzoraat? There are a number of different explanations but one primary one is that it is a punishment for the sin of Lashon Hara. The question is obvious. We understand why we need to quarantine for Covid- it is contagious! If tzoraat is a spiritual illness it is clearly not contagious. Why would a person have to quarantine?
Rashi states in Vayikra 13:46:
בדד ישב: שלא יהיו שאר טמאים יושבים עמו. ואמרו רבותינו מה נשתנה משאר טמאים לישב בדד, הואיל והוא הבדיל בלשון הרע בין איש לאשתו ובין איש לרעהו, אף הוא יבדל
He shall dwell isolated: [meaning] that other unclean people [not stricken with tzara’ath] shall not abide with him. Our Sages said: “Why is he different from other unclean people, that he must remain isolated? Since, with his slander, he caused a separation [i.e., a rift] between man and wife or between man and his fellow, he too, shall be separated [from society].”- [Arachin 16b] [This rationale is based on the premise that a person is stricken with tzara’ath as a result of his talking לְשׁוֹן הָרַע, i.e., speaking derogatorily of others, although he may be telling the truth.]
Rashi sees this quarantine as a מדה כנגד מדה- a measure for measure. You separated others from each other, so now you need to be isolated. Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin in his book Aznayim LaTorah adds that this quarantine is not a pure measure for measure. It serves as a time for introspection and to consider what he has done and to return to the community ready to bring more kindness and unity to the community.
Perhaps being separated from the community made him realize how much he needs the community and how much more effort he needs to exert to treat all with kindness.
A similar phenomenon has struck us during covid. In school, we laugh that who would have ever imagined that students would actually rather be in school?! We see the sad looks of the students on zoom who are counting down the minutes until they can return. And, of course, how much our students are thirsting for a sleepover with a friend, or the opportunity to hang out indoors without masks. During times when we cannot be with friends, it is a time to introspect and consider, “Are we appreciating our friends as much as we should? Are we treating our fellow classmates with the kindness and care that they deserve?” When we are isolated it is a perfect time to consider whether when we are together, are we acting and treating others in the way that we should?
In our family, we are HUGE Ishay Ribo fans. Ishay Ribo is an Israeli singer who is known for his meaningful lyrics and music. About a year ago he came out with a song about the covid experience called כתר מלוכה- Royal Crown. (Click here for the song with a moving video. And, click here for the lyrics in English). The title is a play on words as corona is a crown, and the song talks about crowning G-d. The song travels through time starting from before Purim 2020 until the end of March. The chorus asks:
ומה אתה רוצה שנבין מזה
איך מתרחקים ומתקרבים בכאב הזה
רוצה לחיות אותך ולא להיות לבד
ומה אתה רוצה שנלמד מזה
ואיך נדע להתאחד בפרוד הזה
עד שניתן לך כתר מלוכה
What do You want us to understand from this?
How do we distance ourselves and draw near in this pain?
We want to live with You
And not to be alone
What do you want us to learn from this?
How will we know how to unify in this separation?
Until we give You,
the royal crown.
Ribo’s song directs us to engage in the same introspection of the metzora. “What does Hashem want us to learn from this?” When we are separated do we realize how much we need each other and unity.
In Vayikra 13:55 it states,
וְרָאָ֨ה הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אַחֲרֵ֣י ׀ הֻכַּבֵּ֣ס אֶת־הַנֶּ֗גַע וְ֠הִנֵּה לֹֽא־הָפַ֨ךְ הַנֶּ֤גַע אֶת־עֵינוֹ֙ וְהַנֶּ֣גַע לֹֽא־פָשָׂ֔ה טָמֵ֣א ה֔וּא בָּאֵ֖שׁ תִּשְׂרְפֶ֑נּוּ פְּחֶ֣תֶת הִ֔וא בְּקָרַחְתּ֖וֹ א֥וֹ בְגַבַּחְתּֽוֹ׃
The Kohen shall look, after the affliction has been washed, and behold (if) the affliction has not changed its appearance and the affliction has not spread, it is contaminated, you shall burn it in fire.
Rabbi Yissocher Frand quotes the Chidushai HaRim who says while the phrase לֹֽא־הָפַ֨ךְ הַנֶּ֤גַע אֶת־עֵינוֹ֙ means “hasn’t changed its appearance” it literally means, “the affliction did not change his eye.” Another reason given by the Gemara Eruchin 16a for tzoraat is “tzarut ayin” “narrowness of the eye.” “A person is described as ‘narrow of eye’ if he never sees the positive. It is the opposite of generosity of spirit.“ In order for the tzoraat to be cured the person’s eye must have changed to generosity of spirit.
As you know, during the Sefirah here at Yavneh we are focusing on how “Kindness Counts.” We know that the students of Rabbi Akiva died during this sefira time because,
אמרו שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא מגבת עד אנטיפרס וכולן מתו בפרק אחד מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה
They said by way of example that Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of students in an area of land that stretched from Gevat to Antipatris in Judea, and they all died in one period of time, because they did not treat each other with respect.
They did not treat each other with kindness and respect. They took each other for granted.
While kindness is essential every day, after these months of lockdown last year and of on and off quarantine now we realize how much we are thirsting for that interaction with others and how much we need that generosity of spirit. What did we learn from this? We learned that we do not take the people around us for granted. Every person with whom we interact each day is a blessing. We engaged in introspection and considered are we treating those people as if they are blessings- with kindness and generosity of spirit? That is the lesson that the illness of tzoraat taught us and the lesson of Covid-19 as well. Has our eye changed? Hopefully we have “changed our eye” and the way we view those around us.
Advisory Update:
Sixth Grade: Students discussed what happens when you have a conflict with a friend?
Seventh Grade: Students continued their Do Not Stand Idly By unit and discussed how BDS harms Israel.
Eighth Grade: Students continued their substance abuse unit with a discussion of the dangers of alcohol.
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