Metzora 5784 - Tearing Down the House

ByRabbi Anita Josefa Barzman MD Founder, micro-mishkan.net

(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יי אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) זֹ֤את תִּֽהְיֶה֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת הַמְּצֹרָ֔ע בְּי֖וֹם טׇהֳרָת֑וֹ וְהוּבָ֖א אֶל־הַכֹּהֵֽן׃

Leviticus 14:1-2

(1) יי spoke to Moses, saying: (2) This shall be the ritual for a leper*leper Heb. meṣora‘, a person afflicted with ṣara‘ath; see note at 13.3. at the time of being purified. When it has been reported*it has been reported Cf. note at 13.2. to the priest,

There is an inevitable public dimension to the affliction and also the healing of the suffering member of the community.

Also noteworthy are the elaborate steps the now-purified (? clean?) person must make, bringing sacrifices to the priest:

ויקרא י״ד:י׳-י״ב

(י) וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֗י יִקַּ֤ח שְׁנֵֽי־כְבָשִׂים֙ תְּמִימִ֔ם וְכַבְשָׂ֥ה אַחַ֛ת בַּת־שְׁנָתָ֖הּ תְּמִימָ֑ה וּשְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה עֶשְׂרֹנִ֗ים סֹ֤לֶת מִנְחָה֙ בְּלוּלָ֣ה בַשֶּׁ֔מֶן וְלֹ֥ג אֶחָ֖ד שָֽׁמֶן׃ (יא) וְהֶעֱמִ֞יד הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַֽמְטַהֵ֗ר אֵ֛ת הָאִ֥ישׁ הַמִּטַּהֵ֖ר וְאֹתָ֑ם לִפְנֵ֣י יי פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃ (יב) וְלָקַ֨ח הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אֶת־הַכֶּ֣בֶשׂ הָאֶחָ֗ד וְהִקְרִ֥יב אֹת֛וֹ לְאָשָׁ֖ם וְאֶת־לֹ֣ג הַשָּׁ֑מֶן וְהֵנִ֥יף אֹתָ֛ם תְּנוּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י יי׃

Leviticus 14:10-12

(10) On the eighth day that person shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish, three-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in for a meal offering, and one log of oil. (11) These shall be presented before יי, with the party to be purified, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, by the priest who performs the purification. (12) The priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it with the log of oil as a guilt offering, and he shall elevate them as an elevation offering before יי.

ויקרא י״ד:י״ג

וְשָׁחַ֣ט אֶת־הַכֶּ֗בֶשׂ בִּ֠מְק֠וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁחַ֧ט אֶת־הַֽחַטָּ֛את וְאֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה בִּמְק֣וֹם הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ כִּ֡י כַּ֠חַטָּ֠את הָאָשָׁ֥ם הוּא֙ לַכֹּהֵ֔ן קֹ֥דֶשׁ קׇֽדָשִׁ֖ים הֽוּא׃

Leviticus 14:13

The lamb shall be slaughtered at the spot in the sacred area where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, goes to the priest; it is most holy.

ויקרא י״ד:י״ג

(יג) וְשָׁחַ֣ט אֶת־הַכֶּ֗בֶשׂ בִּ֠מְק֠וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁחַ֧ט אֶת־הַֽחַטָּ֛את וְאֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה בִּמְק֣וֹם הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ כִּ֡י כַּ֠חַטָּ֠את הָאָשָׁ֥ם הוּא֙ לַכֹּהֵ֔ן קֹ֥דֶשׁ קׇֽדָשִׁ֖ים הֽוּא׃

Leviticus 14:13

(13) The lamb shall be slaughtered at the spot*the spot See 1.11; 4.24. in the sacred area where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, goes to the priest; it is most holy.

You see... it goes to the priest. Is this why it is holy?

ויקרא י״ד:י״ד

(יד) וְלָקַ֣ח הַכֹּהֵן֮ מִדַּ֣ם הָאָשָׁם֒ וְנָתַן֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן עַל־תְּנ֛וּךְ אֹ֥זֶן הַמִּטַּהֵ֖ר הַיְמָנִ֑ית וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן יָדוֹ֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְל֖וֹ הַיְמָנִֽית׃

Leviticus 14:14

(14) 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 the one who is being purified, and on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot.

Isn't this a similar procedure - the daubing of the ear, the thumb, the big toe - that the priest undergoes when being "ordained"?

Could this suggest that in our suffering, and in our submitting ourselves to a process of healing, that we are elevated in holiness to the level of a priest?

ויקרא י״ד:י״ח

(יח) וְהַנּוֹתָ֗ר בַּשֶּׁ֙מֶן֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־כַּ֣ף הַכֹּהֵ֔ן יִתֵּ֖ן עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ הַמִּטַּהֵ֑ר וְכִפֶּ֥ר עָלָ֛יו הַכֹּהֵ֖ן לִפְנֵ֥י יי׃

Leviticus 14:18

(18) The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one being purified. Thus the priest shall make expiation for that person before יי.

This ceremony / ritual is physically intimate. The priest is touching the person's ear, fingers and toes. He is taking oil that is in the palm of his left hand and placing his left hand on the head of the person being purified.

Again, I am thinking of the similarity of this ritual to that which invited the priest into the status of priesthood.

.... a seemingly random question: should we be touching our congregants in sacred ways? physically?

Now... for something slightly different: these commands / instructions are given to both Moses AND Aaron, and we will see that God is saying that God puts the affliction into the house.

ויקרא י״ד:ל״ג-ל״ה

(לג) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יי אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃ (לד) כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזָּ֑ה וְנָתַתִּי֙ נֶ֣גַע צָרַ֔עַת בְּבֵ֖ית אֶ֥רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶֽם׃ (לה) וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִגִּ֥יד לַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר כְּנֶ֕גַע נִרְאָ֥ה לִ֖י בַּבָּֽיִת׃

Leviticus 14:33-35

(33) יי spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: (34) When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess, (35) the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared upon my house.”

ויקרא י״ד:ל״ט-מ״א

(לט) וְשָׁ֥ב הַכֹּהֵ֖ן בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י וְרָאָ֕ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּשָׂ֥ה הַנֶּ֖גַע בְּקִירֹ֥ת הַבָּֽיִת׃ (מ) וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְחִלְּצוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲבָנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּהֵ֖ן הַנָּ֑גַע וְהִשְׁלִ֤יכוּ אֶתְהֶן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֔יר אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָמֵֽא׃ (מא) וְאֶת־הַבַּ֛יִת יַקְצִ֥עַ מִבַּ֖יִת סָבִ֑יב וְשָׁפְכ֗וּ אֶת־הֶֽעָפָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִקְצ֔וּ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֔יר אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָמֵֽא׃

Leviticus 14:39-41

(39) On the seventh day the priest shall return. If he sees that the plague has spread on the walls of the house, (40) the priest shall order the stones with the plague in them to be pulled out and cast outside the city into an impure place. (41) The house shall be scraped inside all around, and the coating*coating Lit. “dust,” “mud.” that is scraped off shall be dumped outside the city in an impure place.

So - first, god afflicts the house. Then the entire house has to be emptied. Then, it's possible that the "affliction" is still present in the house; if this is so, the stones and the scrapings of the walls need to be dumped outside of the city.

But - does this really purify anything? When are we required to grapple with the fact that God has afflicted us with some sort of mysterious suffering?

We can continue to extrude and exclude - "now the tainted part of my house is outside the camp"; but what about our evident susceptibility to being afflicted in the first place?

ויקרא י״ד:מ״ג-מ״ה

(מג) וְאִם־יָשׁ֤וּב הַנֶּ֙גַע֙ וּפָרַ֣ח בַּבַּ֔יִת אַחַ֖ר חִלֵּ֣ץ אֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֑ים וְאַחֲרֵ֛י הִקְצ֥וֹת אֶת־הַבַּ֖יִת וְאַחֲרֵ֥י הִטּֽוֹחַ׃ (מד) וּבָא֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְרָאָ֕ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּשָׂ֥ה הַנֶּ֖גַע בַּבָּ֑יִת צָרַ֨עַת מַמְאֶ֥רֶת הִ֛וא בַּבַּ֖יִת טָמֵ֥א הֽוּא׃ (מה) וְנָתַ֣ץ אֶת־הַבַּ֗יִת אֶת־אֲבָנָיו֙ וְאֶת־עֵצָ֔יו וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־עֲפַ֣ר הַבָּ֑יִת וְהוֹצִיא֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֔יר אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָמֵֽא׃

Leviticus 14:43-45

(43) If the plague again breaks out in the house, after the stones have been pulled out and after the house has been scraped and replastered, (44) the priest shall come to examine: if the plague has spread in the house, it is a malignant eruption in the house; it is impure. (45) The house shall be torn down—its stones and timber and all the coating on the house—and taken to an impure place outside the city.

Drastic measures: are there some types of impurity that run so deep, that they cannot be cured?

Why would God "give" such an impurity to a house, a home, a family, an individual?

We must examine ourselves deeply at this critical time in Jewish history: can we simply tear down a house, extrude what seems impure? What are the traces that remain inside of us?

ויקרא י״ד:מ״ח

(מח) וְאִם־בֹּ֨א יָבֹ֜א הַכֹּהֵ֗ן וְרָאָה֙ וְ֠הִנֵּ֠ה לֹא־פָשָׂ֤ה הַנֶּ֙גַע֙ בַּבַּ֔יִת אַחֲרֵ֖י הִטֹּ֣חַ אֶת־הַבָּ֑יִת וְטִהַ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ אֶת־הַבַּ֔יִת כִּ֥י נִרְפָּ֖א הַנָּֽגַע׃

Leviticus 14:48

(48) If, however, the priest comes and sees that the plague has not spread in the house after the house was replastered, the priest shall pronounce the house pure, for the plague has healed.

How does the healing happen? This is a critical question; we need to know. We need to know this, today more than ever.