Parashat Tazria-Metzora Part Four

Tazria-Metzora |  תצריע - מצורע 

“She conceives” - “Diseased One”

Part 4

A daily Torah study by Loren Abraham
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Torah: Leviticus 12:1 - 15:33

Haftarah: II Kings 4:42 - 5:19; II Kings 7:3 - 7:20 

Suggested: Matt 11:2-6; Luke 7:18-19; Luke 17:11-19

In each day of this study we will focus on a theme or themes from the corresponding reading or aliyah. Here is the full list of aliyot for this portion:

Daily Readings

     1: Lev. 12:1-13:23 Childbirth and Tzara'at 
2: Lev. 13:24-39 Tzara'at on scalp or beard
3: Lev. 13:40-54 Tzara'at in fabric
4: Lev. 13:55-14:20 Purification of the metzora
5: Lev. 14:21-32 The needy metzora 
6: Lev. 14:33-15:15 Buildings with tzara'at
7: Lev. 15:16-33 Normal discharges

Introduction

In parts one and two we learned that leprosy - Tzara'at – in some sense, collectively, represents all human disease and deterioration because it visually displays the process of corruption and decay in our mortal flesh. Every illness and disease can in that sense therefore be understood as biblical leprosy - Tzara'at. Disease spreads through our bodies. It grows within us, weakens us, and sometimes it kills us. In part three we learned that Tzara'at is akin to a state of living death and that it can not only infect humans but also material things such as clothing and houses. In part four we will learn about what comes after Tzara'at has been healed. Namely we will learn about the purification process after Tzara'at. 

In these days when fear of COVID-19 infection has become so pervasive, it is interesting to compare the process of examination by a priest with the PCR testing for the Corona virus and subsequent quarantining and the process of healing and of rejoining the community. One might note that in the biblical case of disease, there is no vaccination available to prevent one from becoming infected.

Summary of the fourth aliyah  

Day 4: Lev 13:55-14:20   Purification of the metzora – afflicted one
In the fourth reading, at the conclusion of the quarantine period, depending on the circumstances the garment is either declared pure, or completely burnt, or only the part which was discolored (infected) is torn out and burnt. In parashat Metzorah, Sin offerings (אָשָׁם, Chata'at) were required after a person is healed of Tzara'at. The Torah describes the purification procedure for a person who contracted tzara'at. After the priest determines that the tzara'at has been healed, a ceremony involving two birds, a cedar plank, a scarlet thread and water from a live stream, is used for the initial stage of the purification. The individual also shaves his entire body. After a seven day wait, the person shaves again, and brings three animals and an oil offering to the Temple. The priest processes the offerings in the manner prescribed in this section. With this the purification process is completed.

Introduction to Parashat Metzora

After defining biblical leprosy - tzara'at – which as we have learned, is not the same as modern day leprosy, but a physiological condition with narrowly defined symptoms - and prescribing the method for diagnosing it, the Torah turns to cleansing the afflicted person (metzora) or article after the condition is healed.  Unlike modern day leprosy, tzara'at can affect humans in the form of a variety of skin conditions, and also garments or articles of fabric and leather and even the walls of a house, as we shall see later in this portion. In our study we have learned that: 

1. The common attribute of all forms of tzara'at is that it advances and spreads.    
2. It is in some sense representative of all disease and decay leading to death
3. Anyone afflicted is not only ritually unclean themselves, but capable of contaminating anyone or anything they touch with the same uncleanness.

The Torah requires a complex purification process for cleansing after being healed of tzara'at, but it is important to note that the ritual is not a cure for tzara'at, but is only begun after the disease is cured and the person is so declared by the priest. This process is a purification from the state of uncleanness brought on by the disease.

^{Lev. 14:2} “This is the law concerning the person afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing. He is to be brought to the priest, ³ who will go outside the camp and examine him. If the skin disease has disappeared from the afflicted person, ⁴ the priest will order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one who is to be cleansed.

Lev 14: 1-7      Purification from Tzara'at – what is needed? 

If one afflicted by tzara'at (the metzora) is completely healed, they are still legally contaminating and cannot reenter the community. Anyone who they come in contact with would risk becoming ritually unclean and unable to participate in temple worship. First they must present themselves to a priest outside the camp and if found to be cured, the first stage of their purification can begin. The priest was to procure two live clean birds, a clay pot filled with living water, cedar wood, scarlet yarn and a hyssop branch. One of the birds was to be slaughtered over the pot of water, the second bird was bound by the scarlet yarn, with the hyssop, to the cedar board. This assembly was then dipped into the mixture of blood and water and sprinkled seven times on the metzora – the leper who had been cured. The live bird was then allowed to fly away. 

Lev 14:4          Scarlet stuff, cedar wood, hyssop and living water – what is the significance?

We are familiar with the concept of two birds being used as a sin offering (חַטָּאת, chata'at) but what is the significance of the other four items? Later in the Torah these ingredients will show up again (Num 19:6) in the production of the waters of purification using the ashes of a red heifer - Parah Adamah. But several of these elements are also reminiscent of one of the most formative moments in the history of the Israelite nation – namely the first Passover. Remember how the blood of the lamb (here it is a bird) was painted on the door frame (here - cedar wood) with the hyssop branch? To fully explore this theme we suggest you take this moment to view the video by Rabbi David Fohrman of AlephBeta entitled Tazria-Metzora: Rejoining the Community referred to at the beginning of this study. Warning: During playback of this video, you may be asked to become a contributor or subscribe to AlephBeta, but you can decline the invitation and continue to watch the content. In this video Rabbi Fohrman reveals the intriguing connection between the Passover offering and the purification of the metzora. He further elaborates by elegantly connecting the death of the firstborn in Egypt, with the law of purification after childbirth and the law of purification after being healed from tzara'at. In Tazria in several places, tzara'at is referred to as a plague (Heb. נֶּ֜גַע – nega - plague) the first time we see an occurrence of this word is in Exodus 11 when Moses tells Pharaoh "Yet one more plague נֶּ֜גַע – nega) will befall you" referring to the death of the firstborn. Rabbi Fohrman also points out that right after we are presented with the law of purification after normal childbirth, we learn about the abnormal condition of tzara'at.He goes on to reveal how these can be interpreted both on an individual basis as well as on a community or national basis. The birth of Israel is compared to the death of the firstborn of Egypt and the condition of the metzora is compared to a kind of living death separation from the community of Israel. 

Let's further consider the unique aspects of each of these ingredients:

Cedar wood. Cedar has the unique properties of being resistant to decay and extremely fragrant and red in color. It is used predominantly in the construction of the temple and used in the purification of the metzora and from corpse contamination, both of which suffer from decay and decomposition. Cedar on the other hand, resists decay and decomposition. While the bird is bound to the cedar board we are reminded that Yeshua was bound to a blood-stained cross, very possibly made from cedar.

Scarlet wool. Red in color, like the cedar wood, it is evocative of blood and we are reminded of the imagery of the prophet Isaiah, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) Wool is derived from sheep which alludes to the atoning nature of the 'blood of the lamb.' 

Hyssop. Hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Pesach sacrifice to the lintel and door posts during the 10^th plague – the death of the firstborn mentioned above – so that the angel of death would 'passover' the Israelite houses in Egypt. It possesses a fragrant, minty scent and is used in numerous purification rituals and its essential oils provides an antithesis to the odor of decomposing flesh. King David wrote "Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean…" (Psalm 51:7.) We must also not forget that during His crucifixion, hyssop was used to raise a sponge soaked with sour wine to Yeshua's parched mouth. 

Living Water. Living water (mayim chayim) is a component of nearly every purification rite. Living water can be drawn from a stream, spring, river or lake or even collected rainwater. It is considered that the running nature of the water carries the uncleanness away. In our study of the Mikveh in Parashat Shemini, we learned of the need for immersion in living water for routine purification before one could enter the temple and other everyday purification rituals.

Lev 14: The Metzorah and Messiah. 

There is one more way this connection becomes profoundly important. This is the connection between the Messiah and the Metzora which, Rabbi Fohrman alludes to but does not fully explore. This is the connection which is plainly spelled out in Isaiah 53: 4 and which we will explore more fully in the commentary below: 

The following is from the article entitled The Leper Messiah published in the Torah Club by First Fruits of Zion (FFOZ):

In one cryptic passage from the Talmud, the sages discuss different theories about the potential name of the Messiah. Several schools of disciples offer different opinions. Each one has a theory about what the name of the Messiah will be. After the Talmud offers the list of opinions, it presents an authoritative ruling of the sages. The Messiah will be called “the Leper of the House of Rabbi,” a strange name indeed for the promised Savior King.

And the rabbis say: “His name is The Leper … as it is said [in Isaiah 53:4], ‘Surely our sicknesses he himself bore and our sorrows he carried, yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.’” (b.Sanhedrin 98b)

A word association between the leper and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 involves the Hebrew verb nega (נגע) which means to “smite.” The Torah refers to the condition of leprosy with the noun form of the same word which means plague, smiting, and affliction. The Talmud quotes Isaiah 53:4 where Isaiah uses the same word to describe the affliction of the suffering servant:

Surely our sicknesses (nagua, נגוע) He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4)

On the basis of these associations, the sages referred to the suffering Messiah son of Joseph as “The Leper.” The Messiah son of Joseph carries the suffering of the exile and the punishment of the Jewish people like a leper carries his affliction.

The sages understood the verse to mean that Messiah took on the nation’s leprosy, not literally, but figuratively. The title “Leper Messiah” sounds like a deprecation, and it contradicts the Bible’s own description of the Messiah: “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted” (Isaiah 52:13). The Bible indicates that the Messiah will be the wisest of all men, exalted above Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and even the angels. His stature will exceed that of all the great men and kings of the earth.

Therefore, Chassidic teaching concludes that the Talmud hints toward some deeper meaning when it refers to the Messiah as “The Leper.” It indicates that the redeemer suffers the agonies and afflictions of Israel’s exile. He impatiently waits for the final redemption when He can purify the nation, but until then, He personally suffers the pain of Israel’s leprous-like affliction, the agony of the ongoing exile. 

For as long as the exile persists, the Messiah is called The Leper. He Himself is essentially pure and perfect. His affliction merely reflects the condition of exile. The “day of his purification” refers to the moment of the redemption, when Messiah will be revealed and His true person and righteousness will become manifest to all.

From First Fruits of Zion - Torah Club: The Leper Messiah 

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 Lev 14:1-7       The two birds - one is sacrificed and one released 

If you do not possess a copy of Jonathan Cahn's book The Book of Mysteries, I highly recommend that you buy one. It is one of the most important recent works revealing the mysteries hidden in the Tanak that allude to the Messiah. One of those mysteries is that of the two live birds used in the purification of the metzora  - the tzipparim. In the ritual, one bird is sacrificed with its blood draining into the living water. The other bird is bound to a board and dipped with hyssop into the blood and water mixture, which is sprinkled seven times on the metzora, then released and allowed to fly away.  This ritual is similar to that of the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement which we will visit in our next portion, Parashat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim. In that ritual one goat is sacrificed as sin offering while the other is sent away into the wilderness carrying the iniquity and guilt of Israel away. In the case of the tzipparim, the uncleanness of the metzora is transferred to the living bird and allowed to fly away. In the Book of Mysteries, Rabbi Cahn speaks of this as a foreshadowing of Messiah who dies as an atoning sacrifice, but also takes our uncleanness onto Himself. 

"As it is written, 'We are baptized, dipped, into His death.' We all come as lepers,. The unclean and the cursed. But the sacrifice for the cursed has been offered. 'Thus we are no longer outcasts or unclean.' For the unclean becomes clean, the cursed become blessed, and the leper is no more… in the miracle of the sacrifice by the running waters." 

(Read Day 273: The Tzipparim: the mystery of the birds, from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathon Cahn; Matthew 8:1-3; Romans 6:3-4; 1 John 1:7)

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Tomorrow we will learn about the mystery of the Messiah and the Metzora.

Go to Parashat Tazria-Metzora Part Five

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