{"id":44943,"date":"2018-07-09T18:51:15","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T15:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-104\/"},"modified":"2022-06-29T12:13:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T09:13:50","slug":"wall-104","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-104\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Torah-Leviticus-14"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"104","date":"20260121","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","books_group":"Torah","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"45036","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"Leviticus 14 - Judy Hammond ","post_title":"Leviticus 14 - Judy Hammond","slug":"leviticus-14-judy-hammond","old_id":"45036","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"104","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Leviticus 14","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"read by Judy Hammond","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/leviticus-chapter-14-read-by-judy-hammond","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"106047","color":"#f7e9e9","size":"1","name":"The Cedar Wood Sacrifice ","post_title":"The Cedar Wood Sacrifice","slug":"the-cedar-wood-sacrifice","old_id":"106047","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"104","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"What are the timbers of the Temple doing here?\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

As part of the healing sacrifice of the person with <\/span>tzara'at<\/span><\/em>, \u201cthe priest shall order two live clean birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for the one to be purified\u201d (verse 4).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The unique piece of this sacrifice is the cedar wood. No other sacrifice contains a piece of cedar wood. Why is this included here? Each part of this sacrifice connects to the idea that <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em> was a result of gossiping. The two birds reference the chirping between two individuals that started the gossip. The cedar was one of the tallest and strongest trees in the Near East. So the cedar wood symbolizes the strong staying power of gossip and rumor. The crimson stuff is red, symbolizing blood and harm that gossip can cause. The hyssop is a lowly bush and symbolizes the lowly state of the victim of gossip.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rashi focuses on the height of the cedar tree alone. One who sins in a way that results in <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/em> <\/span>believes that they are higher and mightier than everyone else. <\/span>Siftei Chachamim<\/em> <\/span>adds that the cedar wood is even used for the offering for the houses based on the opinion of Rashi that a house got <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/em> <\/span>as a way for the Israelites to find hidden treasures in the walls. These hidden treasures were left there by the previous Canaanite inhabitants. The previous inhabitants were haughty because of this wealth and felt they were indestructible like the cedar tree. They did not believe that they could be expelled from the land. This is also a lesson for the Israelites who find this treasure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Besides the <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em>, the cedar tree appears most often in relation to the building of the Temple. The cedar wood provided the foundation of the structure of the Temple. The wood was chosen because of its strength. Perhaps God is also sending a message to the person that sins in a way that causes <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/em> <\/span>that they are responsible for the destruction of one small piece of the Temple. Ultimately the Temple was destroyed because of the proliferation of hatred amongst the people, the very thing that is said to cause <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":79598,"alt":"","title":"zech11-cedars temple","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","width":800,"height":999,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-240x300.jpg","medium-width":240,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-768x959.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":959,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":999,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":999,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":999,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":999,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-336x420.jpg","home_baner-width":336,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Cedar Wood Sacrifice","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"What are the timbers of the Temple doing here?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":79598,"alt":"","title":"zech11-cedars temple","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","width":800,"height":999,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-240x300.jpg","medium-width":240,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-768x959.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":959,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":999,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":999,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":999,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":999,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech11-cedars-temple-336x420.jpg","home_baner-width":336,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"381","name":"love","old_id":"781"},{"term_id":"387","name":"Sacrifice","old_id":"787"},{"term_id":"455","name":"Illness","old_id":"855"}]},{"order":3,"id":"45215","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Entire Community Has A Role In Healing ","post_title":"The Entire Community Has A Role In Healing","slug":"the-entire-community-has-a-role-in-healing","old_id":"45215","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":43671,"post_title":"Arnold Eisen","slug":"arnold-eisen","old_id":"43671","first_name":"Arnold ","last_name":"Eisen","description":"Arnold M. 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The actions taken by the High Priest in response to an outbreak of <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em>\u2014detailed in chapter 14 of Leviticus\u2014cry out with the pathos of their own limitations.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The priest\u00a0<\/span>can do many things in the face of the contagion: <\/span>listen<\/em> to the victim; <\/span>examine<\/em> the signs of infection;<\/span> judge<\/em> whether it has run its course; <\/span>pronounce<\/em> the afflicted one pure or impure; impose or lift <\/span>quarantine<\/em>; <\/span>perform the required rituals<\/em> of cleansing; and <\/span>order the destruction<\/em> of homes that cannot be freed of impurity. There is one thing the priest cannot do, however: provide a cure for the disease that claims his attention. That makes what he <\/span>can<\/em> <\/span>and<\/span> does<\/span><\/em> offer, all the more valuable. The priest places the suffering Israelite in a divinely-commanded order of life-giving meaning and community.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Any sickness, in any time or place, imposes a degree of isolation. Considerable effort may be required to relieve that isolation, itself a source of pain\u2014all the more so if the disease afflicting the patient is contagious and without a known cure. The sufferer needs comfort while the disease lasts, and ease of entry back into society when it passes. The community needs reminding that those who suffer are not closer to or farther from God than those who are spared. The comforters of today will be the patients of tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Torah knows that entire community has a role in healing. It understands the power of words to inflict pain and to relieve it. One hopes that we, 21st-century students of Torah, are wise enough to learn this lesson well.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":104621,"alt":"","title":"-6276db5b1c9b7--6276db5b1c9caex17-community 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The diagnosis and purification procedures for 'house leprosy' are clearly modeled on the diagnosis and purification of afflicted persons. For example, both types are diagnosed by the spread of the mark, both require quarantine for seven days, and both are purified with two birds, cedar wood, crimson, and hyssop. \u00a0Moreover, the priest plays a central role in navigating the afflicted house owner through the stages of diagnosis, separation and purification, just as he does for the person who suffers from tsara\u2019at<\/em>. The continuity within the Bible\u2019s treatment of the various types of tsara\u2018at<\/em> translates into a considerable degree of overlap in the midrashic treatment of tsara\u2018at habayit<\/em> and tsara\u2018at<\/em> on the human body. For the most part, both types of tsara\u2019at<\/em> are associated with ethical misdeeds.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But another strand in the Midrash finds a redemptive message encoded into the laws of house leprosy, introducing a way of reading that transforms an affliction into a sign of blessing. The reading hinges on two points. For one, the rabbis expand the \u201cleprous house\u201d to signify the House of Israel. Second, they seize on a curious detail in the procedure: if the infection has not subsided, the stones of the house must be removed. Surely a hardship for the homeowner, the Midrash extracts a blessing within the curse. As related through a story by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, God asks us to remove the stones so that we can find the treasures the Canaanites buried when they heard that the Israelites were coming. In this read, God tells us that he will inflict our house with tsara\u2019at<\/em> <\/span>so that<\/span> we will have the opportunity to discover the buried treasures. Reading against the grain, the \u201cafflicted house\u201d becomes the house of treasure.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The rabbis of the 5th century may have been delivering a timely message as well; rather than see the \u201cHouse of Israel\u201d as cursed and abandoned, as their neighbors did, they ask their readers to find the hidden love within our house. House leprosy is resignified as a symbol of Israel\u2019s ongoing relationship with God. In this sense, Midrash offers a vital strategy for the survival of the Jewish people\u2019s self-identity. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

We can find ourselves -- and testament of God\u2019s love for us-- through deep, engaged reading of Torah.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":94680,"alt":"","title":"job22-treasure chest","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest.jpg","width":1920,"height":1743,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-300x272.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":272,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-768x697.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":697,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-1024x930.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":930,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1394,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1743,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-1200x1089.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":1089,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-463x420.jpg","home_baner-width":463,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Afflicted House As The House Of Treasure","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Reading against the grain, the rabbis find a deeper message of love, and hope ","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":94680,"alt":"","title":"job22-treasure chest","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest.jpg","width":1920,"height":1743,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-300x272.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":272,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-768x697.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":697,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-1024x930.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":930,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1394,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1743,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-1200x1089.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":1089,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/job22-treasure-chest-463x420.jpg","home_baner-width":463,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"363","name":"Midrash","old_id":"763"},{"term_id":"455","name":"Illness","old_id":"855"}]},{"order":6,"id":"45213","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Halacha Is Not Truth ","post_title":"Halacha Is Not Truth","slug":"halacha-is-not-truth","old_id":"45213","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33859,"post_title":"Avidan Freedman","slug":"avidan-freedman","old_id":"33859","first_name":"Avidan","last_name":"Freedman","description":"Rabbi Avidan Freedman is the Rabbi of Hevruta, the Shalom Hartman Institute's post high school program for Israelis and North Americans, and an educator in the institute's high school. 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","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33860,"alt":"Avidan Freedman","title":"Avidan Freedman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","width":856,"height":1024,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-251x300.jpg","medium-width":251,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-768x919.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":919,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-856x1024.jpg","large-width":856,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","1536x1536-width":856,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","2048x2048-width":856,"2048x2048-height":1024,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-800x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-351x420.jpg","home_baner-width":351,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"104","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"There is no objective uncleanness or contagion until the priest declares it so ","post_main_content_content":"

\"Quick! Eat the cheeseburger before the rabbi comes and tells you it's not kosher!\" Can you imagine a seriously committed Jew saying such a thing? Of course not. A food's kosher status doesn't depend on a rabbi's decision, it's an objective reality. The fact that I don't yet recognize that reality shouldn't make a difference, should it? <\/span><\/p>\r\n

So what kind of games is the Torah playing in chapter 14, when a person is told to take all of the things out of his <\/span>tzara'at<\/span><\/em>-afflicted house before the kohen comes and inspects it (verse 36)? The Mishna (Negaim 12:5) says that even if the home-owner is a Torah scholar and knows with certainty that it is <\/span>tzara'at<\/span><\/em>, the same rule applies. Rashi mentioned a similar law last chapter in relation to human <\/span>tzara'at<\/span><\/em>. Members of a bridal party, and everyone during the festivals, are supposed to ignore suspicious spots, leaving them to be declared impure afterwards. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why does it matter if the kohen has made his declaration? Either the person is impure, or he isn't!<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Apparently, in this case, this empirical, absolutist understanding of halacha is flawed. It's understandable why people wish, and claim, that halacha works this way. It makes life much simpler, it lets you feel like you're doing The Right Thing (and that the person who does otherwise is Wrong). <\/span><\/p>\r\n

But the halachic system is quite explicitly not one that makes a claim on empirical, absolute Truth. Countless rabbinic statements state this outright, and much of the halachic corpus testifies to it. Halachic decision-making is multi-valued and circumstantial, taking many factors into account, like financial loss, human suffering, public needs, and policy considerations, to name only a few categories. \u00a0If there is one overarching value that defines the halachic process, reflected in the Torah's concern even for a minor loss on the one hand, or the ability to enjoy a festive moment on the other, it is not Truth, but Peace.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\"Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all of its paths are peace.\"<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":81950,"alt":"","title":"ps29-peace","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace.png","width":1920,"height":960,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-300x150.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":150,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-768x384.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":384,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-1024x512.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":512,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":768,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":960,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-1200x600.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-840x420.png","home_baner-width":840,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Halacha Is Not Truth","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"There is no objective uncleanness or contagion until the priest declares it so ","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":81950,"alt":"","title":"ps29-peace","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace.png","width":1920,"height":960,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-300x150.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":150,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-768x384.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":384,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-1024x512.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":512,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":768,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":960,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-1200x600.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps29-peace-840x420.png","home_baner-width":840,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"409","name":"Peace","old_id":"809"},{"term_id":"463","name":"Truth","old_id":"863"},{"term_id":"662","name":"Halacha","old_id":"1062"}]},{"order":7,"id":"45210","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Shaming Those Who Shame ","post_title":"Shaming Those Who Shame","slug":"shaming-those-who-shame","old_id":"45210","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33923,"post_title":"Jonathan Sacks","slug":"rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks","old_id":"33923","first_name":"Jonathan ","last_name":"Sacks","description":"An international religious leader, philosopher, and award-winning author of over 35 books, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the International President of 929.\r\nRabbi Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth years between 1991 and 2013, and was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer. Rabbi Sacks passed away on 7th November 2020, aged 72. He was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, who bridged the religious and secular world through his ground-breaking canon of work.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z\"k (1948-2020) was the former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, and the International 929 president.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36222,"alt":"","title":"JSacks","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","width":437,"height":548,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-239x300.jpg","medium-width":239,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-768x448.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":448,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-1024x597.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":597,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","1536x1536-width":437,"1536x1536-height":548,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","2048x2048-width":437,"2048x2048-height":548,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","post_full_size-width":437,"post_full_size-height":548,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-335x420.jpg","home_baner-width":335,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"104","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Punishing perpetrators of a social not a medical disease","post_main_content_content":"

Tsara\u2019at<\/em>, the condition dealt with at length in last week\u2019s parsha and this, has been variously translated as leprosy, skin disease, or scaly infection. Yet there are formidable problems in identifying it with any known disease. It affects not only human beings but also the walls of houses, furniture and clothes. There is no known medical condition that has this property.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The sages decoded the mystery by relating our parsha to the instances in the Torah where someone was actually afflicted by tsara\u2019at<\/em>. One happened when Miriam spoke against her brother Moses (Num. 12:1-15). Another occurred when Moses at the burning bush said to God that the Israelites would not believe in him. His hand briefly turned \u201cas leprous as snow\u201d (Ex. 4:7). The sages regarded tsara\u2019at <\/em>as a punishment for lashon hara<\/em>, evil speech, speaking negatively about or denigrating another person.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

How are we to understand this? Why was \u201cevil speech\u201d regarded as so serious an offence that it took these strange phenomena to point to its existence? And why was it punished this way and not another?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The punishment for lashon hara <\/em>was to be temporarily excluded from society by public exposure (the signs that appear on walls, furniture, clothes and skin), stigmatization and shame (the torn clothes etc.) and ostracism (being forced to live outside the camp). It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to punish the malicious gossiper using the normal conventions of law, courts and the establishment of guilt. This can be done in the case of motsi shem ra<\/em>, libel or slander, because these are all cases of making a false statement. Lashon hara<\/em> is more subtle. It is done not by falsehood but by insinuation. There are many ways of harming a person\u2019s reputation without actually telling a lie. Someone accused of lashon hara can easily say, \u201cI didn\u2019t say it, I didn\u2019t mean it, and even if I did, I did not say anything that was untrue.\u201d The best way of dealing with people who poison relationships without actually uttering falsehoods is by naming, shaming and shunning them.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

That, according to the sages, is what tsara\u2019at<\/em> miraculously did in ancient times. It no longer exists in the form described in the Torah. But the use of the Internet and social media as instruments of public shaming illustrates both the power and the danger of a culture of shame. Only rarely does the Torah invoke it, and in the case of the metzora<\/em> only by an act of God, not society. Yet the moral of the metzora<\/em> remains. Malicious gossip, lashon hara,<\/em> undermines relationships, erodes the social bond, and damages trust. It deserves to be exposed and shamed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Never speak ill of others, and stay far from those who do.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":69688,"alt":"","title":"jer9-snake tongue","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue.jpg","width":1080,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-169x300.jpg","medium-width":169,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-576x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":576,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-576x1024.jpg","large-width":576,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue.jpg","1536x1536-width":864,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue.jpg","2048x2048-width":1080,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-675x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":675,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-236x420.jpg","home_baner-width":236,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Shaming Those Who Shame","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Punishing perpetrators of a social not a medical disease","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":69688,"alt":"","title":"jer9-snake tongue","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue.jpg","width":1080,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-169x300.jpg","medium-width":169,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-576x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":576,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-576x1024.jpg","large-width":576,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue.jpg","1536x1536-width":864,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue.jpg","2048x2048-width":1080,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-675x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":675,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer9-snake-tongue-236x420.jpg","home_baner-width":236,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"354","name":"Rabbi Sacks","old_id":"754"},{"term_id":"377","name":"Speech\/words","old_id":"777"}]},{"order":8,"id":"45207","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Abominations of Leviticus ","post_title":"The Abominations Of Leviticus","slug":"the-abominations-of-leviticus","old_id":"45207","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"104","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Where do you go when there seems to be no contemporary relevance?","post_main_content_content":"

What can one say about a chapter that appears to be about as far removed from ordinary life as possible? That deals with circumstances and activities that are alien to our modern life and contemporary religious practice?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Answer: See the Sages.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In fact, this is the answer given to this implicit question by Rashbam (R. Shmuel ben Meir, grandson to Rashi) in his commentary at the start of the portion of Tazri`a in which this chapter is situated. He said:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

All the portions of human afflictions (<\/span>nega`im<\/span><\/em>); afflictions to fabrics and houses and their appearances; the accounting of their isolation; white hairs and black and gold hairs; we have no <\/span>peshat<\/span><\/em> [straightforward interpretation] of it nor any human expertise based on reality. Rather, the <\/span>midrash<\/span><\/em> of the Sages, their statutes and traditions received from the earlier Sages; that [alone] is the essence.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Following his prescription, one would look for answers in the 14 chapters of tractate Nega`im in the Mishnaic order of Taharot. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

However, if one preferred a modern anthropological interpretation, one might try Mary Douglas: <\/span>Purity and Danger, An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo<\/em>,<\/span>\u00a0(Routledge, 1966), particularly Chapter One: \u201cRitual Uncleanness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Briefly, Douglas defined impurity or uncleanness as anything that a particular society considered out of place or disorderly. In a chapter entitled \u201cThe Abominations of Leviticus,\u201d for instance, she defined kashrut as \u201cboundary setting,\u201d explaining, for example, that pigs were not kosher because they crossed boundaries, having cloven hoofs but not chewing their cud, as the Torah actually notes (Lev. 11:7). We can look for similar parallels in today's chapter.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":106055,"alt":"","title":"-62bc1673dd88d--62bc1673dd88elev14-purtiy and 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My husband is a leper.
\r\nThe smell of ruptured putrid boils
\r\nThat cover his decomposing flesh
\r\nAnd infect his rotting skin
\r\nRepulses even the flies.<\/p>\r\n

My husband is a leper.
\r\nThe bell around his neck clanks and clinks,
\r\nWarning all who might come near,
\r\nAs if he were an ox that gores.
\r\n\u201cImpure! \u00a0Impure!\u201d he lisps as he limps.<\/p>\r\n

My husband is a leper.
\r\nChildren, crueler than the dogs that growl at him,
\r\nThrow stones and spit;
\r\n\u201cFilth! Pig!\u201d they snarl, \u201cGo back to your cesspool!\u201d<\/p>\r\n

But I,
\r\nI chase away the children and the dogs;
\r\nI accompany my husband as he inches along,
\r\nSupporting him, walking with him arm in arm.<\/p>\r\n

Each morning I wake up early, go to the village well
\r\nAnd bring back fresh, cool water to wash the pus
\r\nFrom his legs, his arms, his eyes,
\r\nThen bind his wounds with clean, white gauze.<\/p>\r\n

Because his fingers \u2014 disjointed and swollen \u2014
\r\nCannot hold a fork or knife,
\r\nI feed my husband as if he were a child,
\r\nAs he sits in the dust and ashes.<\/p>\r\n

And my fingers have grown nimble and skilled
\r\nWhen I search his hair for lice by candlelight,
\r\nNight by night.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cDo not stay with me,\u201d my husband stammers
\r\nAs I scrape his boils with a potsherd;
\r\n\u201cGive me up, live a better life,\u201d he begs.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cDo not ask me to leave you,\u201d I answer
\r\nAnd hold his hand in mine;
\r\n\u201cWherever you go, I will go,
\r\nWherever you lodge, I will lodge.
\r\nDo not speak as one of little faith;
\r\nYou will yet heal, I know this.<\/p>\r\n

You will leap from cliff to cliff,
\r\nLike a gazelle on mountains of frankincense.
\r\nYou will build us a house of polished ivory
\r\nAnd plant us vineyards and orchards and gardens of spices;
\r\nWe will go down together to gather our lilies
\r\nThat grow in our bed of sweet herbs.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

My husband weeps when I comfort him,
\r\nWhen I place his head on my lap
\r\nAnd gently stroke his mangy hair;
\r\nI whisper to him that he is like a cluster of henna,
\r\nbag of myrrh that lies between my breasts.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cAnd one day,\u201d I promise him,
\r\n\u201cOne day I will bear you a child.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

My husband is a leper.
\r\nBut I will never leave him,
\r\nI will never abandon
\r\nThis husband,
\r\nWhom I love,
\r\nIsrael.<\/p>\r\n

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\u201cContagious? Tazria-Metzora 5778\u201d<\/a> by Karla Worrell: How can words affect our lives for good and bad?<\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Go deeper into the chapter....","tile_main_caption":"Sefaria Source Sheets - Leviticus 14","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Click to get links to learning resources","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42232,"alt":"","title":"sefaria-words-sunburst","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","width":608,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-300x195.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","medium_large-width":608,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","large-width":608,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","1536x1536-width":608,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","2048x2048-width":608,"2048x2048-height":395,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","post_full_size-width":608,"post_full_size-height":395,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","home_baner-width":608,"home_baner-height":395}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"Sefaria word sunburst visualization","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":13,"id":"106045","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Points To Ponder: Leviticus 14 ","post_title":"Points To Ponder: Leviticus 14","slug":"points-to-ponder-leviticus-14","old_id":"106045","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":false,"related_cahpter":"104","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

    \r\n\t
  1. A riddle<\/em>. As part of all the riddles that the <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em> and its purification suggests, try and decipher the symbols in the purification ceremony. Here\u2019s a possible interpretive key: cedar and hyssop = pride and humility. The two birds - life and death, the blood of the slaughter and the living waters. Who is released in the field and who returns to the camp.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Right and left, blood and oil<\/em>. Just like the priests during their ordination, blood is applied to the right ear-lobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the one being purified from <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em>. The \u201cpatient\u201d also receives oil on those body parts from the left hand of the priest.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Spot the differences.<\/em> Verses 21-32 describe the ceremony of purification of the <\/span>metzora<\/span><\/em> who is \u201cpoor and his means are insufficient,\u201d to bring the animals that wealthier sacrificiant was to bring according to verses 10-20. Even though the difference between the two sacrifices is only a detail of the overall narrative, the two ceremonies receive the same amount of attention. The attitude is one of equality between all those needing purification.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. The leprosy of the house.<\/em> This too is a puzzle, but it\u2019s possible to see in it some sort of punishment (verse 34): \u201cI inflict an eruptive plague upon\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Daily Summary","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder: Leviticus 14","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Leviticus","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"104","date":"20260121","wall_id":"104"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/44943"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}