Tazria / Metzora

‎Tazria, the first of the double parsha we read this week, describes the various symptoms of tzaraas & the procedure by which its diagnosed & verified. One of its primary causes is slandering or gossiping about one’s friend.  ‎

Once the Torah completes the diagnostic process, the second parsha, Metzora, goes on to describe the three stage purification process. First, the metzora must take שתי צפרים , two birds. Rashi explains than one develops tzaraas birds because of lashon hara which is an act of verbal twittering.  The birds that he is required to take constantly twitter to remind him of what he did. Next he takes עץ ארז , cedarwood, which Rashi says is a  tall & beautiful tree because tzaraas develops from haughtiness & the cedarwood reminds the sinner that he considered himself high & mighty.

How does one remedy his arrogance? He brings the שני התולעת ואת האזב., the crimson tongue of wool & the hyssop   Rashi explains that the remedy for one who gossips or  displays haughtiness is to lower himself like a תולעת , which also means a worm & like a אזב which, in contrast to the cedar, does not grow tall.

The אמרי אמת asks an interesting question on Rashi explanation of the remedy. At this time when he's bringing the korbanos & going through the process of purification, he's already healed,‎ for you can't do the purification process until the Kohen renders you pure. How does one explain Rashi saying that this is the way to get healed by lowering yourself like a worm & hyssop? He’s already been healed.

He answers that this isn't just a remedy for this instance of tzaraas; rather it's a remedy for the long term.  It's the way a person must always view himself, for it is the ultimate cure.  If one views himself with humility, then he will never succumb to the sins of gossip or haughtiness. Only one who views himself above everyone else would talk bad about them.

Unfortunately for us, it's not so easy to stay away from these sins.  This story may give us a perspective  to assist us in staying away from haughtiness even for the noteworthy things we do. רבי זוסיא מאניפולי was a very poor man, yet he didn't worry about anything & had total faith in Hashem. When his daughter became of age & he had no money to marry her off, he didn't worry. He knew that Hashem would help him. When he went to visit his Rebbi, the Maggid of Mezridge, the Maggid said to him, “I know you have no money to marry off your daughter; here's five hundred ruble”. On his way home, Reb Zushia stayed at an inn where he suddenly heard  cries coming from outside. He asked what was going on & was told that there was a wedding of an orphan girl about to happen & the five hundred ruble that was for the wedding was lost & the wedding couldn't go on. 

Abruptly, Reb Zushia was at the wedding holding up an envelope saying, “I found the money. I found it!” Everyone was so excited that the wedding could go on. However, Reb Zushia demanded a fifty ruble finder’s fee. The people were astounded. Since this was the money of a poor orphan girl, how could he take her money?  However, he was insistent until they brought him to the rabbi of the town who made him give back the full amount. Reb Zushia was unceremoniously escorted out of the town.

A little while later, the Maggid heard what happened & asked Reb Zushia why he did that? Reb Zushia answered, “when I heard the plight the the poor girl, I was filled with pity & was going to give the money you gave me for my daughter, to her. Then, my Yetzer Hara started talking to me, saying, “Zushia, you’re so great. Your self-sacrifice has placed you on the level of the Avos.”   I responded to him, “Do you think you can trick me into being haughty?  You'll see how they will treat me when I give the money!”

The lengths he went to not to be seen as the hero nor be filled with the pride of one who saved the day is a madrega (level) that's not a realistic goal for us.  However, just knowing that this humility is what we should strive for, might help us take down our pride a notch & be more careful when we talk not to gossip or say anything bad about anyone else!    
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Shemini

‎‎‎Our Parsha’s title signifies the eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan where the Kohanim performed a special service initiating their new roles as those eligible to serve in the Mishkan.  During one of the offerings, Moshe got angry at the Kohanim, asking why they burnt it instead of eating it? When Aaron answered him & Moshe realized that Aaron was correct, the posuk says, וישמע משה וייטב בעיניו , Moshe heard & he approved.    

The gemara praises Moshe for his willingness to admit that, while he had learned the law, he had now forgotten it. Despite his great stature, he didn’t take the easy way out and say that he never heard it from Hashem. Instead, he took responsibility for having forgotten this specific law.  
Reb Chaim Shmulevitz can’t understand this great praise of Moshe Rabeinu, that he told the truth. If this were a regular person, it might be great praise. However, by Moshe Rabeinu we would expect the truth as a matter of course. What's the Torah trying to teach us?

Once Reb Nosson Dovid of Shidlovitza spent a Shabbos with his Rebbe R' Chaim of Sanz. At the table, Reb Chaim asked him to say over a Torah thought. Not wanting to speak in front of his Rebbe but unable to refuse, he said,  וישמע משה וייטב בעיניו , Moshe heard & he approved. What did he approve of? Usually Moshe would talk & Aaron would listen; now Aaron spoke & Moshe listened. When Moshe heard the Torah from the mouth of Aaron instead of saying it himself, he approved, realizing that sometimes it's better to listen to others teach then always teaching yourself.  
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The Chazon Ish would take a daily walk for health reasons. He had a daily route that he followed every day. There was a simple Jew who lived along the route who, after seeing an older, respectable looking man taking walks every day, decided to have a talk with him.  The next day, when the Chazon Ish took his walk, this man walked up to him & said "why are you wasting your time going for walks?  Go learn something!  If you don't know how to learn, then say tehillim!" The Chazon Ish didn't answer him & by the next day had totally forgotten the incident. As the Chazon Ish was walking the next day, once again this man came over & started yelling at him for wasting his time.This time the Chazon Ish asked him, “so what would you like me to do with my time?” “Say some tehillim”, the man answered. Starting the next day, the Chazon Ish took a different route. 

Sometime later, when a member of this person’s family became ill, someone suggested that he go see the great sage that lived nearby, the Chazon Ish. When he entered the house & saw who the Chazon Ish was, he fainted!

When the man woke up, he begged the Chazon Ish for forgiveness. The Chazon Ish said, “I have nothing to forgive you for. You gave me good advice to say tehillim.  Since the day you gave me that advice, I have followed it. Why would I be angry at you?”
The Chazon Ish was willing to take advice from anyone; if he could learn something from someone then he didn’t care who was greater. The greatest person can learn from the lowest. 

This is what the Torah teaches us by relating that Moshe admitted that he forgot & was willing to learn from Aaron who was his student.  Moshe, who was the greatest of all men, showed by example that we could admit we don't know something and be willing to learn from anyone who could teach us!

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Pesach

‎‎Pesach commemorates the miraculous event of Hashem taking us out of Egypt. We are commanded to remember this event on a daily basis but especially on Pesach by relating all that happened to us, especially the plagues that were brought on the Egyptians. When Hashem commands Moshe to go warn Pharaoh about the plague of ערב , the wild animals, he says והפליתי ביום ההוא את ארץ גשן , and on that day I shall distinguish the land of Goshen, אשר עמי עמד עליה, upon which My people stand,  לבלתי היות שם ערב למען תדע כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ  that there shall be no mixture of wild beasts there; so that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the land.
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The אוצרות התורה הגדה asks why the differentiation by this plague?  Why was it important for Moshe to stress that this plague wouldn't be in the land of Goshen? After all, the other plagues didn't occur in Goshen either. Also, why, specifically by this plague, does it say    למען תדע כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ  so that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the land?  Couldn’t they tell that Hashem was in charge by any of the other plagues, too?

The Ramban explains that the previous plagues were considered עומדות.  It wasn't in their nature to go roaming from city to city.  However, the wild beasts do have the nature to roam from city to city.  Therefore, it was obvious that when they stopped at Goshen it was because Hashem was distinguishing between the land of Goshen - the Jewish land - & the land of Egypt. 

‎The ספר תפארת ציון says that this demonstrates Hashem's control on every minute thing, for even when Hashem is sending out a plague on the whole country, the plague does not have the power to destroy haphazardly. Rather, it will affect only those on whom there was a decree. ‎That's why the Torah states by this plague:  למען תדע כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ ,  so that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the land.  By highlighting the anomaly that wild beasts who were allowed to roam & destroy the land would suddenly stop when they hit the land of Goshen, shows Hashem's ability to pinpoint exactly whom He wants to hit. 

What's the secret to ensure protection from getting hit? What can we do to get on the side of Hashem's blessing instead of the destructive side?

In Hallel, we say ה' זכרנו יברך , Hashem who has remembered us, will bless הקטנים עם הגדולים , the small as well as the great. The ספר פרי חיים , explains this with a parable.  A man is standing outside on a really hot day, parched & thirsty begging the passers-by   for a drink. He holds up an empty cup imploring someone to give him a drink. Finally, a kind person comes by & pours water into his cup. Alas! The cup has no bottom & the water just pours out... ה' זכרנו יברך , Hashem wants to pour us unlimited blessing; however, we need to have a whole cup to accept it. How do we get that cup? The gemara tells us לא מצא הקבה כלי מחזיק ברכה אלא שלם , there is no better cup that Hashem has found to accept blessing besides peace. So if we want to be able to accept Hashem's blessings, we have to be הקטנים עם הגדולים, all people treated equally, all united in one group. Then, as the paragraph continues, יסף ה' עליכם, Hashem will increase all the blessings.

Perhaps, we could take this lesson of Pesach with us to know that even the smallest of our problems is directly intended for us and no one else, by Hashem. Then, instead of blaming someone else for our troubles causing arguments, we would understand that it has nothing to do with anyone else. Then, we would try to make peace with people and be worthy of Hashem's blessing. He would then provide us with the cup needed to accept them making this world a more peaceful place & ensuring that we won't be lacking!  
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