This year, unusually, Parshat Ha’Hodesh falls on Parshat Tazria. At first glance the subjects of the two readings for today would seem to have nothing in common. Leprosy and Pesach don’t seem to share many similarities. Yet if we look deeper we may be able to discover a common theme. The Rabbis, basing themselves on several incidents in the Torah, most notably that of Miriam, saw the leprosy talked about in our Parshah as a punishment for slander. In doing so they also made a shrewd psychological analysis. The slanderer engages in defaming other people in order to enhance his own stature. By running down others he himself feels important. For this reason he is punished with leprosy, a plague that totally demolishes his status in the community; causing the sufferer to be isolated outside the camp. Yet Divine punishment is always remedial, seeking to correct or purify the wrongdoer. In this case the experience of isolation is meant to, on the one hand, break the pride and self-importance that motivated the slander in the first place, while on the other, causing the slanderer to experience the pain and loneliness caused to others by his actions. If we look at the mitzvah of the Pesach sacrifice, we can find a similar theme. The Jews were commanded to take the sheep, which was the god of the Egyptians, and sacrifice it in front of them. The Egyptians worshipped this animal as a symbol of strength. Just as they prized the firstborn as the choicest of humans, they saw in the ram the best of the domesticated animals. They prized strength and pride over values of justice and mercy. The slaughtering of this Egyptian divinity was therapeutic for both sides. The Jews learnt that the Egyptian beliefs had no basis, and that material strength was not the essence of life. The Egyptians, who had shown scant regard for the rights of the powerless Israelites, learnt what it was like to have their sensibilities trampled on, without being able to do anything about it. In the case of both our Parshiot, the oppressor is turned into the oppressed, his pride humbled, and hopefully, his character reformed. We too, in working hard to prepare for Pesach, are meant to reflect on the true nature and purpose of life and to humble ourselves to serve G-d with joy at the seder.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Rishon	Laws of childbirth and leprosy.
Sheni	Leprosy of skin.
Shelishi	More leprosy.
Revi’i	Still more leprosy.
Chamishi	Leprosy of hair.
Shishi	Leprosy of the head.
Shevi’i	Leprosy of garments.
Maftir	The laws of Pesach.
Haftorah	Ezekiel: 45;16-46;18: The future service of the Third Temple.

 

Sidra Statistics

Parshat Tazria -  Metzoria

·               has 67 verses;

·               is the  4th in Leviticus,  27th in the Torah

·               8th longest in Leviticus,  48th longest  in the Torah  

·                have together 5 pos + 2 neg  = 7  mitzvot.