Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Tazria-Metzorah

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand prefaced his parsha vorts by saying that they were originally said by R' Baruch Sorotzkin. 

The first vort related to the showing of negai'm to the Kohain Gadol. If the Kohain Gadol did not understand what he was looking at, the Toras Kohanim writes that he would have the negah shown to a Chacham who would tell the Kohain HaShoteh (literally an idiot) to say Tahor or Tameh, even though he does not know what he is looking at.

R' Frand said in the name of R' Ruderman that the lesson of the Kohain Gadol saying the one word - Tahor or Tameh, teaches that the person who gets the negah for saying Loshon Hara that one word can make all the difference.

But why is he called a Shoteh instead of an Am Ha'Aretz? R' Frand answered by quoting R' Baruch who in turn quoted his father who noted that the Mechilta teaches that the Kohanim were given the special power to learn and understand Torah.  Why? Because most people have to go out and learn a living and don't have the time to devote to learning. We don't have the time and ability to learn all day. But the Kohanim were given the 24 matnos kehunah so that they can sit and learn and they are relieved of the responsibility of earning a living.

Similarly, the people who were in the midbar did not need to earn a living and even their clothes did not wear out. These people, the Manna eaters, says the Mechilta, were also given the special power to learn.

But back to the Kohain Gadol - he is called a Shoteh because he had all the time to learn, but does not know Negai'm because he did not bother to learn. The Am Ha'Aretz is out in the field and does not have time to spend all day learning, but he is not a Shoteh.

R' Frand then remarked that the people who are furloughed or unemployed should put their time to good use and take advantage of the resources to learn while they are home, rather than reading the paper over and over.

R' Frand also quoted the Ramban who stated that clothes and homes don't normally get negaim. People get blemishes, but homes and clothes? The Ramban then quotes the Gemara in Arachin which discusses why negaim come and that they get closer to the person, from house to clothes and finally to him. This is why when the Kohain is told about the house, it states in Vayikra 14:35 וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת - the person who owns the house must come and tell the Kohain, so the Kohain can look at him and his deeds and tell him what he had done wrong.

R' Frand then linked this to the Haftorah which discusses how the general Na'aman comes to ask about his tzara'as. Elisha then sends his assistant to look at Na'aman and tell him what to do - that Gechazi should dip in the Jordan River. But why does Elisha not personally go and talk to him, is he anti-social? 

R' Frand answered that Elisha knew that Na'aman is a Ba'al Gavah - he is arrogant and haughty. And he wants Na'aman to work on that problem, so he sends his assistant out so that Na'aman can work on his problem of arrogance.

R' Frand again linked this to today. We wish, if only we had a prophet to tell us about what we could do to cure ourselves of the machalah. Yes, there is more Torah then ever and there is more chessed. But clearly there is something wrong and we wish that there could be a Navi to tell us what we need to do in order to merit a speedy redemption from the ills which are gripping the world.

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