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‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬ 25th April ‘15 ‫ו' אייר תשע”ה‬ For Questions on Divrei Torah or articles, to receive this via email or for sponsorship opportunities please email mc@markittech.com Now in Yerushalayim, Antwerp, Baltimore, Bet Shemesh, Borehamwood, Cyprus, Edgware, Elstree, Gibraltar, Hale, Holland, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, South Tottenham, Toronto, Vienna, Zurich

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Rabbi Aubrey Hersh

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Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ashkenazi – ‫חכם צבי‬ Although born in Moravia in 1660 - after his grandparents fled Vilna to escape the Cossack massacres - his family moved to Budapest when he was quite young and subsequently he would learn in Rav Eliyahu Kobo’s yeshiva in Salonika. On his return to Hungary he passed through Constantinople where he received semicha from the Sefardi kehilla as well as the title that he would always be known by: Chacham Tzvi. Interestingly, he signed his teshuvos ‫ ס"ט‬which many translate as Sefardi Tahor (others say it means ‫ )סופו טוב‬and may reflect his early years amongst Sefardim. He got married in Budapest but during the Austrian invasion his wife and daughter were killed and his parents taken captive by the Prussians. He fled Budapest, ending up in Sarajevo in 1686 where he became the Rav. Whilst living in Southern Europe, he saw the terrible impact of the Shabbetai Zvi movement, and this experience had a strong effect on him. In 1689 he moved to Germany, where he remarried and took up the rabbonus in Altona and in 1710 he came to Amsterdam. His 4 year stay there would prove very challenging. Amsterdam’s kehilla was unique in that it was founded later than most European kehillos – in 1602 - by Jews who had very little familiarity with regular Jewish practice or text, as they had unfortunately been forced to live a Marrano life for over a century, both in Portugal and in the Netherlands. Related to this were their strong messianic hopes and an emphasis on Kabbalah. Within a short space of time they had become quite affluent but were plagued by internal dissent. In the 1660s Shabbetai Zvi would find strong support in Amsterdam, and the heretic Spinoza was originally a member of the Talmud Torah. Records show that between 1622-1683, thirty-six members were excommunicated; some for days and others – including Spinoza – for life. Remarkably, they were placed in cherem not by the Rabbi, but by the lay leadership, who controlled (too) much of Jewish life in Amsterdam. A witness to much of this in-fighting was the painter Rembrandt who lived in the heart of the Jewish quarter for almost 25 years and whose art reflects his familiarity with Jewish life there. The Ashkenazi community originated 30 years later and was less affluent but more knowledgeable, and it was this kehilla that the Chacham Tzvi served as Chief Rabbi. Tensions were evident in 1712 but it was the arrival of Nehemiah Chayun in 1713 that brought everything into the open. The Chacham Tzvi knew Chayun to be a Sabbetean and asked the Sefradi rov - Rav Ayallon - to deny him any opportunity

to speak in public. Meanwhile several members of the Portuguese congregation submitted Chayun's writings to the judgment of Rav Moshe Chagiz (who happened to be in Amsterdam) and he too found strong Sabbetean ideas and concepts in them. Nevertheless the Portuguese community allowed Chayun to teach. The Chacham Tzvi then declared a cherem against Chayun1, as a result of which both he and Rav Moshe Chagiz were attacked in the street. Furthermore, both of them were placed in cherem by the Portuguese community (through the Parnassim) and the Chacham Tzvi was placed under house arrest. The magistrates were then asked to banish the Chacham Tzvi from Amsterdam, but in early 1714, he resigned his rabbonus and fled to London following an invitation by the Sefardi kehilla there (ironically), for whom he had written a teshuva in 1705, after their Rabbi (R’ David Nieto) had given a drosho in which he spoke of Hashem being within ‘Tevah’, which some members questioned as being heretical. The Chacham Tzvi defended him as simply following the Kuzari and declared his words to be divrei emes. More currently, Rav Nieto’s sefer Sefer printed in Amsterdam showing received approval from the Steipler (in Shabbetai Zvi as Melech (under the Sefer Chayei Olam). crown ‘Ateres Zvi’). He then took up the rabbonus in Lvov, but died four months after his arrival in 1718, on Rosh Chodesh Iyar. The Yahrzeit of his son – Rav Yaakov Emden – is also Rosh Chodesh Iyar (5536/1776). He is famous for many of his teshuvos. Amongst them is his psak for visitors in Eretz Yisroel over Yomtov, whom he says must keep only one day Yomtov. He was also asked whether it was permissible to view the whole of ‘England’ as having preexisting mechitzos, principally on the basis of the sea surrounding the country, and also whether a Golem made by following Sefer Yetzirah could be part of a minyan of 10 for kedusha and kaddish - both of these he dismissed. In an interesting turn of events, his son-in-law was the Ashkenazi rov in Amsterdam for 15 years and his grandson for 35 years. 1 Chayun would be excommunicated in various cities including Yerushalayim. Whilst it is unclear if he converted to Christianity, his son clearly did, and wrote polemics against the Jews.

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1. Why must a metzora call out, “Tamei! Tamei! “? 2. Where must a metzora dwell?

HISTORY

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Rabbi Yissochor Frand

Maagid Shiur, Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, Baltimore

Something Like An Affliction Has Appeared On My House Parshas Metzorah contains the laws of Tzaraas on Houses. The Torah teaches: "When you arrive in the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I will place a tzaraas affliction upon a house in the land of your possession; the one to whom the house belongs shall come and declare to the Kohen, saying: Something like an affliction has appeared to me in the house. (k'negah nireh li b'bayis)" [Vayikra 14:34-35].

'You got yourself into this trouble by being too sure of yourself. Forget the fact that you spent the last 25 years studying the Laws of Tzaraas. Don't be so cocky. The Tikun [antidote] to self-assurance is to retain some doubt about the correctness of your diagnosis. Say only "K'nega nireh li babayis."

Rashi points out that even a Torah scholar who knows full well that what he has seen is certainly tzaraas affliction, may only tentatively state "something appearing like an affliction has developed on the wall of my house." Various interpretations are given as to why a person must express himself in this fashion. Some say it is an application of the principle "Do not open your mouth to Satan" (in other words, do not initiate the verbalization of comments relating to misfortune occurring).

The Sefas Emes asks a simple question. Why doesn't the Kohen just come out and say that directly to the person: "You are too haughty!" Why is this message delivered so obliquely with this Eizov ingredient in the bird purification ritual? Why are we beating around the bush, let's tell him "You are a Baal Gayvah, you had this coming to you! Start acting more humbly and your problems will go away!" We do not do this. We deliver the message with extreme subtlety. Why?

Tosfos YomTov offers an interesting interpretation. The Talmud states that one of the reasons Negaim appear is as punishment for haughtiness and arrogance (gasus haRuach). We are trying to teach the person a lesson: Don't be so sure of yourself. You cannot definitely state "It is a Nega." You should state the facts with less confidence and self-assurance. Leave your declaration at "Something like a Nega has appeared on my house."

One of the components that is dipped into the blood of the slaughtered bird as part of the purification ritual for the afflicted house is Eizov – a kind of moss. Rashi, quoting Chazal, explains that moss is a very low lying growth. We are sending the person a message that his problem resulted from an overabundance of arrogance and haughtiness. We are telling him "You have to start acting more like the Eizov."

The Sefas Emes answers that you cannot preach humility. Humility must be self-generated and selfinspired. Preaching the value of humbleness to a haughty person will fall on deaf ears. He needs to come to this realization on his own. We try to send him messages that will cause him to introspect and inspire him to think "What have I been doing wrong?" He should think – why is it that out of all the plants in the world, they bring me moss? Hopefully, this will trigger the inspiration that must come from within -- that it would be wise to be a bit more humble in the future.

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3. Why is a metzora commanded to dwell in isolation? 4. What sign denotes tzara’as in a garment?

PARSHA

The Torah Shiurim of Rabbi Frand

‫קהלה קדושה‬ ‫חברת‬ ‫בני ישראל‬

Rabbi Doniel Grunewald Federation of Synagogues

When two Jews have a disagreement which would normally go before a Beis Din for adjudication, there is – as many people are aware – an alternative, whereby the litigants (Ba’alei Din) themselves choose Dayonim and create an ad hoc Beis Din. This is known as ‘Zablo’, which stands for ‘Zeh Borer lo Echad…’ (Literally ‘this party chooses one…’). But how does this work and what are the advantages or disadvantages of this option? The source for the concept of Zablo is a Mishna in Sanhedrin 23a and it is cited as normative Halocho in Choshen Mishpot 13:1. Essentially it means that one party chooses one Dayan, the other a second, and the third Dayan is selected by the other Dayonim without further recourse to the Ba’alei Din. These selected Dayonim are often colloquially referred to as ‘Borerim’ (singular: ‘Borer’). In practice, this works as follows: When a Claimant (Tovei’a) wishes to summon someone (the Nitba) to a Din Torah, he will write to a Beis Din, who then in turn write to the Nitba. The Nitba can then either accept the summons, or exercise his prerogative to agree to a Din Torah but request a different Beis Din. In this context one of his options will be a Zablo. Is a Zablo preferable to a permanent Beis Din? On the one hand, by using a standing Beis Din, one is using an established set-up, which can often make communication and dealing with post-Din Torah issues easier. On the other hand, the Gemoro specifically says that Zablo has a particular potential to lead us to the Emess (truth). The Remo (ChM 13:1) explains that this is true in two ways. Firstly, the Ba’alei Din have confidence in the process since they themselves chose the Dayonim. Secondly, the Remo writes that each of the Borerim will feel a responsibility to be fully ‘mehapeich’ (literally: turn over) the various arguments to the benefit of the Ba’al Din who selected him.

all three Dayonim remain impartial in that none of them will push Halachic arguments that they do not see as absolutely genuine. There is a famous Mishna in Pirkei Ovos (1:8) which says: ‘Al Ta’as atzmecho k’orchei haDayonim’. Though there are several explanations of this Mishna in the Rishonim2, perhaps the mishna is also intimating that, in their deliberations no Dayan should behave as a lawyer tends to behave. How do lawyers tend to behave? A lawyer, employed as he is by one side of a dispute, will present to the Beis Din whatever arguments he can possibly find (or concoct), in the hope of saying something that the Dayonim will find convincing, even if he does not find them completely compelling himself. And, if he becomes aware of arguments that work against his client, he will veil them altogether. A Dayan should certainly not behave in this way, even if selected to be a Borer in a Zablo. Furthermore, there is a famous Halocho that a Dayan must not hear details of a case from one party before the other arrives. Would this apply in a Zablo situation as well? The Aruch HaShulchan says that the general Minhag is that parties do disclose their side of the story to their Borer. Since it has become general practice, he argues, the Ba’alei Din have, in their very agreement to Zablo, waived their right to object. Others, however, disagree, arguing that the Zablo arrangement does not entitle the Dayonim to listen to one party before the other since the basis of that Halocho is a fundamental concern that a perversion of the Din could result. In practice of course, Dayonim who are selected will have their own opinions as to the extent of communication they will allow themselves to have with their Ba’al Din. Consequently, anyone involved in a Zablo would be well advised to clarify what the Dayonim’s policy would be on this matter and ensure that both sides end up having a similar level of access to their respective Borerim as each other. In the final analysis, a person considering how to resolve his disputes through Beis Din should bear in mind the following. With the possible exception of highly professional Toanim (Advocates) who are in possession of all the relevant facts of a case, no-one can predict the outcome of a Din Torah regardless of who the Dayonim are. Rather than trying to do so, therefore, one should surely decide one’s method of litigation according to what would seem to deal with the dispute in the most expert, efficient and perhaps economical way possible. Ultimately, what really matters most is resolving arguments as quickly and gently as possible, and restoring peace and harmony in Klal Yisroel.

On the surface, this second point is somewhat disturbing. Even if selected by the parties themselves, surely this cannot give Dayonim license to partiality! The poskim explain that a Borer in a Zablo may – and might even be expected to – focus his thoughts and his research1 specifically towards uncovering all reasonable Halachic arguments for his Ba’al Din. With another Borer doing the same for the other party and a more neutral Dayan to bridge between them, this could be a powerful method for achieving a thorough analysis of the case. At the same time,

Rabbi Grunewald gives a weekly shiur on Understanding of Beis Din and Dinei Torah after the 7.30pm mincha/maariv on Wednesdays at Kehillas Toras Chaim, NW4.

Sma (ChM 13:6 citing Rosh, Tur, Nimukei Yosef)

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5. What must be done to a garment that has tzara’as? 6. After a woman gives birth, she is required to offer two types of offerings. Which are they?

Rabbi Avi Wiesenfeld

Rosh Kollel, Yerushalayim and Rav at Kav Halacha Beis Horaah

HALACHA

The Weekly Halachic Conversation

How To Have A Kosher Haircut (Part 1) POINT A - The top of the payos – the corner of the hairline, This is the corner of the hairline at the front corner of the head where the hair begins to descend.6 This is measured according to each individual.7

What would seem to be a simple enough procedure of going to a barber and taking a haircut, or bringing out the electric clippers and cutting a child’s hair oneself, is actually more complicated than one assumes. This simple procedure can often lead to transgressing a Torah prohibition. ]‫כז‬-‫"לא תקיפו פאת ראשכם ולא תשחית את פאת זקנך" [ויקרא יט‬ The Torah instructs us not to ‘round off the corners of the head’. There is a discussion among the early commentators as to exactly where upon the head this refers, as will be discusses in detail below.1

POINT B - The other end of the imaginary line – according to most poskim – extends to the apex (highest point) of the hairline over the ear.8

People often get confused and assume that this pasuk and the halachos it engenders apply only to someone who has ‘payos’ (sideburns) either behind or in front of his ears, i.e., someone who grows his payos long. However, long payos, though certainly grounded in minhagim and various sources, are not a halachic requirement. Consequently, the following halachos apply to everyone, even to those people whose hair in the area of the payos is no longer than the hair on the rest of their head.

POINT C - This point is the subject of great confusion, partly because the position of the Shulchan Aruch is itself debated. People commonly misattribute this point to the bone they feel protruding slightly near the ear. This is inaccurate, since this bone is actually part of the skull rather than the jawbone. There are, however, various opinions amongst the poskim as to exactly where this is:

THE PROHIBITION Q. To whom is this prohibition aimed, the barber or the person receiving the haircut? A. The prohibition applies to both the one giving the haircut and the one receiving it.2 Therefore, even when receiving a haircut from a nonJewish barber, one may not allow one’s payos to be cut in a forbidden manner.

• Some hold that it is the hairline corresponding to the middle of the ear canal.9

LOCATION

• Some hold that it is the bottom of the ear canal, which is above the earlobe.10

Q. Where are the corners of the head that are forbidden to be ‘rounded off’? A. The pasuk specifies only the payos themselves, i.e., the corners, and Rashi comments that there are two, one on either side of the head.3 The question is where exactly are these payos? The prohibition – as explained by the Gemara – is to ‘round off the scalp’, since by completely removing the payos the remaining hairline around the scalp would become circularshaped.4 Therefore the area of the payos must be the area that juts out from the otherwise circular perimeter of the hairline.5

• Others maintain that it is the end of the earlobe.11 Therefore, care should be taken not to remove any of the sideburns that grow within the area described above.

Next week we will discuss the minimum length and method that is forbidden….

To dedicate the second printing, collect the set or to organize a digital slideshow of these halachos pocketseries@gmail.com Follow my Video Shiurim on Torahanytime.com ‫ עובר בנוסף בלאו של‬,‫ ובב"ח יו"ד סי' קפא כ' שהמקיף ראשו או משחית זקנו‬.‫ וריב"ן שם‬.‫ עי' משנה מכות כ‬1 ."‫"בחוקות העמים לא תלכו‬ .‫ וכ"פ בשו"י שם ס"ד‬."‫ "אחד המקיף ואחד הניקף לוקה‬:‫ מכות כ‬2 .‫ ואם מקיפים את שתי הפאות עוברים בשני לאווין ולוקים שתיים‬3 .‫ עי' רש"י עה"ת‬4 .‫ ואיזהו סוף ראשו זה המשוה צדעיו לאחורי אזנו ולפדחתו" עי' ריב"ן שם‬,‫ "ת"ר פאת ראשו סוף ראשו‬:‫ גמ' מכות כ‬5

.‫ רש"י מכות‬6 .‫ דרכ"ת ס"ק יג‬,‫ יד הקטנה‬7 .‫ וראיתי שכן פסק הגר"י קמנצקי זצ"ל‬.‫ חזו"א הובא בס' לשכנו תדרשו ח"ב עמ' ה ואורחות רבינו עמ' רלה‬8 .‫ וע"ע בשו"ת יבקש תורה שכ' שח"ו לסמוך עליהם ע"ש טעמו‬.‫ה‬-‫ שו"ת ארץ צבי ח"א סי' ג‬9 ‫ וכ"כ האמרי אמת הובא בשו"ת ארץ‬,‫ וכ"ה לכאורה כוונת השו"ע מש"כ "למטה מן האוזן" דהיינו עד סוף נקב האוזן‬10 .‫ חזו"א בארחות רבינו עמ' כ‬,‫צבי יו"ד ח"ג סי' ה‬ .‫ הגריש"א זצ"ל הובא בשו"ת אבני ישפה ח"ב סי' סח‬,‫ שו"ת באר משה ח"א סי' סב אות ט‬1 1

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‫ר' אליהו בן ר' אברהם הלוי ז"ל‬ ‫ר' חיים יוסף בן ר' יהודה ליב ז"ל‬ ‫מרת צפורה בת יעקב ע"ה‬ 7. What animal does the woman offer as a chatas? 8. When may a metzora not be pronounced tahor?

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9. In the midbar, where did a metzora dwell while he was tamei? 10. Why does the metzora require birds in the purification process?

Rabbi Tatz

JLE

PHILOSOPHY

Why a Good Time Never Lasts (Part 1)

Inspiration and Disappointment The natural pathway of all life experiences begins with inspiration and soon fades to disappointment. Let us analyze this phenomenon and understand it. Human consciousness and human senses are tuned to an initial burst of sensitivity and then rapidly decay into dullness. Sights, sounds, smells, even tactile stimuli are felt sharply at first and then hardly at all - a constant sound is not registered; one suddenly becomes aware that it was present when it stops! We are incapable of maintaining the freshness of any experience naturally - only in the dimension of miracle is that possible: the sacrificial bread in the Beis Hamikdash, the Temple, remained steaming fresh permanently to manifest the constant freshness of Hashem’s (G-d’s) relationship with the Jewish people. The natural pathway is that things which are fresh become stale. One of the Torah sources for this idea lies in the sequence of events surrounding the exodus from Egypt. At an extremely low point in our history, during the intense misery of slavery in Egypt, literally at the point of spiritual annihilation, the Jewish people were uplifted miraculously. Ten plagues revealed Hashem’s presence and might, culminating in a night of unprecedented revelation with the tenth. This spiritual high was amplified by many orders of magnitude at the splitting of the sea - there the lowliest of the Jewish people experienced more than the highest prophet subsequently. And suddenly, once through the sea, they were deposited in a desert with many days of work ahead of them to climb to the spiritual status of meriting the Sinai experience, the giving of the Torah. Mystically, a desert means a place of intense death-forces, a place of lethal ordeals. No water means no life. (And we see later the potency of the ordeals which faced them in the desert.) What is the meaning of this pattern? The idea is that in order to save the Jewish people in Egypt outside SPONSORED

help was necessary. Hashem appeared and elevated us spiritually although we did not deserve it intrinsically, we had not yet earned it. But once saved, once inspired, once made conscious of our higher reality, the price must be paid, the experience must be earned, and in working to earn the level which was previously given artificially, one acquires that level genuinely. Instead of being showna spiritual level, one becomes it. And that is the secret of life. A person is inspired artificially at the beginning of any phase of life, but to acquire the depth of personality which is demanded of us, Hashem removes the inspiration. The danger is apathy and depression; the challenge is to fight back to the point of inspiration, and in so doing to build it permanently into one’s character. The plagues in Egypt and the splitting of the sea are dazzling beyond description, but then Hashem puts us in the desert and challenges us to fight through to Sinai. In Egypt He demonstrates destruction of ten levels of evil while we watch passively; in the desert He brings ten levels of evil to bear against us and challenges us to destroy them. This idea recurs everywhere. Pesach occurs in Nissan the zodiac of this month is the sheep, an animal which is passively led. Next comes Iyar - the ox, an animal which has its own willful strength. And thereafter comes Sivan - twins, perfect harmony. It is like a father teaching his child to walk: first the father supports the child as he takes his first step, but then the father must let go; there is no other way to learn, and the child must take a frightened and lonely step unaided. Only then, when he can walk independently, can he feel his father’s love in the very moment which previously felt like desertion. Unfortunately most people do not know this secret. We are misled into thinking that the world is supposed to be a constant thrill and we feel only half-alive because it is not. Let us examine some applications of this fundamental principle. Continued next week…. SPONSORED

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11. In the purification process of a metzora, what does the cedar wood symbolize? 12. During the purification process, the metzora is required to shave his hair. Which hair must he shave?

PHILOSOPHY

Secret to Happiness (Four Part Series)

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin Aish HaTorah

Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot Pirkei Avos 4:1 We create the world in which we live to a great extent. While many events are beyond our control… we still have the ability to control our attitudes toward a given situation to a large degree. Hence the emotional consequences of events is largely up to us… Happiness

can be learned… Our thoughts control our emotions, and we have the ability to control our thoughts to a great degree… We ourselves choose to think those thoughts which promote our happiness or those with which we make ourselves miserable.

HALACHA

Dose of Halacha

Rabbi Chaim Cohen Rabbi of Netzach Yisrael and teaches at King David High School BLOSSOM BLESSING Question: When’s the best time to say the beracha on the blossom? Should women also say it? Answer: The Gemara (Berachos 43b) writes that one should recite a beracha on a tree when it blossoms in the month of Nissan. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 226:1) writes that this beracha can only be recited once a year.

While the Kaf Hachaim (OC 226:9) writes that one can only recite the beracha upon first seeing the blossom, most poskim (Machatzis Hashekel 226; Shaar Hatziun 226:3; Halichos Shlomo 1:2:5) write that one can recite it later if necessary. R’ Zvi Pesach Frank (Har Tzvi OC 1:118) writes that one should not recite this beracha at night time, though the consensus of poskim (Tzitz Eliezer 12:20:6, Chazon Ovadia, Pesach 1: p11; Rivevos Ephraim 6:458:2) is that one may do so providing that one can see the blossom clearly.

According to some poskim (Halachos Ketanos 2:28; Kaf Hachaim OC 226:1) the beracha should only be recited in the month of Nissan, though most poskim (Ritva, Rosh Hashana 11a; Mishna Berura 226:1; Aruch Hashulchan OC 226:1; Tzitz Eliezer 12:20:3) write that one should say it whenever when one first sees the blossom. R’ Ephraim Greenblatt (Rivevos Ephraim 5:173) writes that he witnessed R’ Moshe Feinstein say the beracha in Iyar.

The Kaf Hachaim (OC 226:4) writes that one shouldn’t recite this beracha on Shabbos as we are worried that one may come to pluck some blossom off the tree. (He also brings Kabbalistic reasons.) R’ Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos Vehanhagos 1:191) writes that some avoid doing so for fear of carrying out their Siddur (where there is no Eruv). Nonetheless, most poskim (Yechave Daas 1:1; Rivevos Ephraim 4:113:41) allow one to do so on Shabbos.

Thus, R’ Ovadia Yosef (Yechave Daas 1:1; Yabia Omer OC 8:8:4) writes that one should ideally wait until Nissan to recite the beracha, though one can still do so afterwards. R’ Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss (Minchas Yitzchak 10:16) writes that where trees blossom at different times, such as in Australia, one recites the beracha then (See Har Tzvi OC 1:118; Teshuvos Vehanhagos 1:190).

As most poskim hold that this beracha can be said whenever one sees blossom, it is not considered to be a time-bound mitzva. Thus, R’ Zvi Pesach Frank (Har Tzvi OC 1:118) writes that women are obligated to recite the beracha too (See Tzitz Eliezer 12:25:5; Teshuvos Vehanhagos 1:190; Rivevos Ephraim 6:106, 6:458:2).

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13. What is unique about the chatas and the asham offered by the metzora? 14. In the Beis Hamikdash, when the metzora was presented “before Hashem” (14:11), where did he stand?

HaRav HaGoan Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz Shlita

Let us quote from the sefer ‘Me’or Einayim’: The Baal Shem Tov nishmaso beginzei meromim said that a Tzaddik Gamur (one who is completely righteous) who has no bad within him will not see any bad in any person, however, someone who does find bad in another person can be compared to someone who looks in a mirror and he has a dirty face, he sees a dirty face and if his face is clean then he does not see anything amiss, as he is, so he sees. And so, it is told in regard to the Baal Shem Tov himself that one time he saw with his own eyes an act of chillul Shabbos (desecration of Shabbos) and he became very despondent which was against his nature, for if one observes something lacking in his friend it is a sign that he too is lacking a little of the same thing. He

was not guilty of this just because he did not stop him, still because of the elevated status of the Baal Shem Tov this was considered a flaw. When he remembered this, he made this sighting contingent on that flaw and he understood that they wanted to arouse in him to do Teshuva for this. This topic is also hinted at in our parsha which discusses all the laws of Tzara’as amongst them are the laws of these symptoms appearing on houses. The appearance of a sign on the house requires the house to be sealed off twice. After the first sealing when the Kohen has to come and examine the house the Torah States ‘the Kohen shall return’ but after the second sealing the Torah states ‘the Kohen shall come’ and the entire parsha using the expression of ‘coming’ whether describing the owners coming to the Kohen or during the waiting period while the house is closed off, and we have to understand why the Torah changes the expression after the first closure and states ‘return’ instead of ‘come’?

very much suspected that he too had committed some

Perhaps the Torah wanted to hint to the Kohen that

desecration of Shabbos without being aware. Until he

after the initial examination he too might have been

remembered that he once saw someone slap the cheek

affected by the sin that caused the sign, for if not, he

of a Talmid Chacham and for some reason he did not

would not have been shown the flaw in the first place,

interfere, and a Talmid Chacham is in the category of

therefore, at the time of the first closure while the house

Shabbos and therefore, we consider the embarrassing

is not yet confirmed, he has to be aroused to do Teshuva

of a Talmid Chacham as if he had desecrated Shabbos

and possibly after this the symptom will disappear as

and since he did not intercede it is considered as if he

it no longer applies to him, therefore, it states ‘return’

had a taint of desecrating Shabbos, even though he

which is an expression of Teshuva.

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PARSHA

‫ ושב הכהן‬- The Kohen Shall Return

All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated. 1 13:45 - So people will know to keep away from him. 2 13:46 - Outside the camp in isolation. 3 13:46 - Since tzara'as is a punishment for lashon hara (evil speech), which creates a rift between people, the Torah punishes measure for measure by placing a division between him and others. 4 13:49 - A dark green or dark red discoloration. 5 13:52 - It must be burned 6 12:6 - An olah and a chatas.

7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14

12:6 - A tor (turtle dove) or a ben yona (young pigeon). 14:2 - At night. 14:3 - Outside the three camps. 14:4 - Tzara'as comes as a punishment for lashon hara. Therefore, the Torah requires the metzora to offer birds, who chatter constantly, to atone for his sin of chattering. 14:4 - The cedar is a lofty tree. It alludes to the fact that tzara'as comes as a punishment for haughtiness. 14:9 - Any visible collection of hair on the body. 14:10 - They require n'sachim (drink offerings). 14:11 - At the gate of Nikanor.

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