This D’var Torah should be a Zechus L’Ilui Nishmas my sister, Kayla Rus Bas Bunim Tuvia A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my paternal grandfather Moshe Ben Yosef A”H, my paternal grandmother Channah Freidel Bas Avraham A”H, my uncle Reuven Nachum Ben Moshe & my great aunt Rivkah Sorah Bas Zev Yehuda HaKohein,

It should also be in Zechus L’Refuah Shileimah for:

-My father Bunim Tuvia Ben Channa Freidel

-My grandmother Shulamis Bas Etta

-MY BROTHER: MENACHEM MENDEL SHLOMO BEN CHAYA ROCHEL

-Mordechai Shlomo Ben Sarah Tili

-Noam Shmuel Ben Simcha

-Chaya Rochel Ettel Bas Shulamis

-And all of the Cholei Yisrael, especially those suffering from COVID-19 and the Meiron tragedy.

-It should also be a Z’chus for an Aliyah of the holy Neshamos of HaRav HaGa’on V’Sar HaTorah Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Ben HaRav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky A”H, Dovid Avraham Ben Chiya Kehas—R’ Dovid Winiarz ZT”L, Miriam Liba Bas Aharon—Rebbetzin Weiss A”H, as well as the Neshamos of those whose lives were taken by terrorists (Hashem Yikom Damam), COVID-19, and the Meiron tragedy.

-It should also be a Z’chus for success for Tzaha”l as well as the rest of Am Yisrael, in Eretz Yisrael and in the Galus.

 

 

בס”ד

 

 

The rest of my audio content can be found here:

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/thedatabeis/33771

 

Parsha Paradise/פרשה פרדס – Tazria: Why is Full-Body Tzara’as Declared Pure? ?‍♂️

 

Audio:

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/thedatabeis/34497

 

One of the enigmas of Tzara’as is that when it covers a person completely, he is declared Tahor. But, why in the world should that be?

Tzara’as is the result of Aveirah. If it spreads to one’s entire body, presumably, that should only contaminate him further. Why is a full-body coat of Tzara’as pure?

 

This week, we’ll begin and bolster our question with a Remez.

 

Remez:

 

Vayikra 13:12

וְאִם־פָּר֨וֹחַ תִּפְרַ֤ח הַצָּרַ֨עַת֙ בָּע֔וֹר וְכִסְּתָ֣ה הַצָּרַ֗עַת אֵ֚ת כָּל־ע֣וֹר הַנֶּ֔גַע מֵֽרֹאשׁ֖וֹ וְעַד־רַגְלָ֑יו לְכָל־מַרְאֵ֖ה עֵינֵ֥י

הַכֹּהֵֽן

The Torah states that if the Tzara’as blossoms, blows up, and spreads throughout his entire body, “פָּר֨וֹחַ תִּפְרַ֤ח,” he is pure. Ba’al HaTurim points out that these words only appear in one other place in Tanach, in Yishaiyah 35:2 where the Navi declares “פָּרֹ֨חַ תִּפְרַ֜ח וְתָגֵ֗ל”-“you shall surely blossom and rejoice.” Explains the Ba’al HaTurim, indeed, the person with this Tzara’as could rejoice because he is now pure.

 

 

P’shat:

 

Netziv/R’ Shimshon Raphael Hirsch Hirsch argue that the Torah’s ruling of purity for this person is not exactly good news. Netziv highlights that the Torah does not state that the person is pure, but that the Nega (plague, rash) is pure. However, as for this person, his situation is a “lost cause.” He is not a Ba’al Mussar, someone willing to take Hashem’s messages to heart and improve. Tumah, impurity, would be a sign of hope. The declaration of purity is a sign that he is “being given up on.”

Chofetz Chaim argues to the contrary that the person whose entire body is overwhelmed with Tzara’as is naturally brought to a state of embarrassment and humility which catapults him to a state of Taharah, purity.

 

 

Drash:

 

Perhaps in this vein, Shemos Rabbah 11:5 cites our verse as support that the Egyptian Chartumim (necromancers) were afflicted with Tzara’as during the plague of Sh’chin (boils) which was a source of such embarrassmenr, they could not stand before Moshe.

Chazal see this phenomenon as a source for another shocking teaching about the coming of Moshiach. The Gemara states [Sanhedrin 97A] in the name of R’ Yitzchak that the son of Dovid, Moshiach, will not come until “the entire kingdom will be converted to heresy,” until everything will be completely corrupted. Rava supports the teaching with our Halacha, “It is all turned white; he is ritually pure” [Vayikra 13:13].

 

 

Sod:

 

Based on this strange law of Tzara’as, Sha’arei Orah [Sha’ar 5, Sefirah 6:59] teaches that Hashem’s mercy appears amidst the place of strict justice and cites a similar statement to the one above: The Ben Dovid won’t come until we are completely guilty.

 

Perhaps, when that happens we will either be so desperate or perhaps so humbled that Hashem will declare us pure.

 

In any event, we should be Zocheh to the ultimate purity and Rachamei Shamayim in the form of the final Geulah and the coming of Moshiach Ben Dovid, Bimheirah BiYomeinu! Have a wonderful Shabbos HaChodesh/Rosh Chodesh Nissan!

-Yehoshua Shmuel Eisenberg