Shabbat Commentary- Metzora

The Torah is Judaism's most sacred object. We remove the Torah Scroll from the Ark with great ceremony and Blessings and we return it similarly with prayers expressing awe and respect. This week, we study the Torah Portion, Metzora, which continues the themes of the previous Portion, Tazria. So far, in the yearly cycle of Torah readings we have "been present" at the Creation and at the dramatic events in the lives of our ancestral "Fathers and Mothers." We have fled Egypt under Moses' leadership. We have received God's Laws at Sinai. We have "heard" God speaking through Moses and commanding the building of the Mishkan and the anointing of the Priests. Now we come to the Book of Vayikra and the Torah Portions Tazria and Metzora where we struggle to understand God's laws for ritual sacrifice, dietary rules, and Priestly duties. These duties include identifying skin diseases ("leprosy") and purifying the impure. We are puzzled to learn that not only can afflicted people be impure, but according to Tazria and Metzora, even natural bodily processes can render a person "impure." In addition, clothing and houses can also be, in some way, "leprous" and impure. Why does God include these "gross" situations in God's sacred Torah teachings which we are commanded to study? God doesn't need food, clothing, shelter, or intimacy. We, God's Creations, do and satisfying these needs plays a large role in our lives. Should our bodies, food, clothing, or houses become "impure," God speaks of ways to restore purity, to keep the community strong and each individual functional. As we study God's Laws in the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus), including those in Tazria and Metzora, we see God's presence in every aspect of our lives from the most visible to the most intimate. We realize from Tazria and Metzora that God sees and commands about stains on our bodies, our clothing, our houses, and our beds. How much more so, then, does God see the "stains" on our characters? God knows our human frailties and cares for us through Divine Commandments. We, in turn, seek guidance and comfort through our Prayers which connect us to God as did the ritual offerings of the ancient Mishkan. From Tazria and Metzora we understand that nothing in our lives is too gross, impure, offensive, or intimate as to cause us to hide from God. Individually, communally, nothing escapes God's omniscience. God knows! Study, learn, teach, understand, and fulfill God's Mitzvot. We are eternally watched and watched over. Thank God. Shabbat Shalom -Rest and Renew.