Thursday, March 31, 2022

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Tazria

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.

In Vayikra 13:3 the Torah states וְרָאָ֣ה הַכֹּהֵ֣ן אֶת־הַנֶּ֣גַע בְּעֽוֹר־הַ֠בָּשָׂ֠ר וְשֵׂעָ֨ר בַּנֶּ֜גַע הָפַ֣ךְ | לָבָ֗ן - the Kohain examines the Nega and and if the hair within it has turned white the Kohain rules him to be Tamei. R' Frand quoted R' Melech Biderman who asks - why is the presence of white a sign of Tumah? Generally things which are white have a positive connotation.

By example, when the Seir L'Azazel is thrown off the cliff, when the string turns white the people they have been forgiven. Similarly, the analogy that Hashem makes when talking about Teshuva that if people's sins are red they will be whiten like snow.  So why is white a sign of Tumah by Tzara'as?

He answers that a person can be a Tzaddik and as white as snow. But if he speaks Lashon Hara he is still Tamei.

R' Frand said a second vort related to Tzara'as which had a keen observation as to who can be healed. The Torah states in Vayikra 13:18 - וּבָשָׂ֕ר כִּי־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה בֽוֹ־בְעֹר֖וֹ שְׁחִ֑ין וְנִרְפָּֽא - that if there is an inflammation on flesh and it heals. The Gemara in Sotah 5a observes that the only time in the discussion of Tzara'as that the Torah uses the word healed is when the Torah is discussing flesh. Rashi clarifies that the Torah does not use that term in connection with the word אָדָ֑ם. 

R' Frand quoted the Yechi Reuven who writes that if a person is as soft as flesh, then he can be healed. But if he is hard like earth (אָדָ֑ם) then he cannot. He tied this into a discussion of the Mishkan which had a miraculous beam called the Briach HaTichon - a center pole which was threaded through and bent with the three walls of the Mishkan. But why was this miracle even necessary? Couldn't there simply have been three beams? He answers that the Shechinah dwells in the Mishkan and if a person wants the Shechinah to dwell in him, he needs to bend as well.

R' Frand tied this into a vort from R' Chaim Shmuelevitz who quoted a Gemara which states that a person is a Ben Olah Habah if he has bent knees. R' Chaim explains that the Gemara does not mean that the person will get Olam Habah, but that the person will be a Ben Olam Habah in this world. Why does this come to him? Because if he is willing to bend and not stand on principle (except when necessary) he will be able to enjoy Olam Habah while still here.

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