My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Metzorah
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel on April 10, 2008 | Tags: Metzora
Parshah Metzorah continues with the rituals regarding impurities, making for less than edifying reading. Even if we acknowledge that "impure" is not the same as "unclean" or "evil," and refers to a ritual status, it still seems to have little to do with our lives. Thus it helps to think about what the overall message of the text is: if you find yourself ritually "impure," there IS something you can do about it. You are NOT permanently cut off from the people. You are NOT sent into exile. You simply perform the proper rituals, and you are ritually "pure" again. Perhaps most important, this process is not one based on personal wealth. At one point in the process dealing a "leper," we read, "He shall then offer one of the turtledoves or pigeons, depending on his means - whichever he can afford..." (Lev. 14: 30, 31) The means for returning to a state of ritual purity are to be open to all regardless of personal means. If the rituals seem alien to us, the notion that participation in Jewish observance should not be barred to any Jew because of financial limitations is a message that continues to speak to us today.
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Daniel M. KimmelJoined: October 2, 2007 Daniel M. Kimmel is a Boston area film critic, lecturer and author. He does these weekly mini-lessons for the Mishkan Tefila Brotherhood's newsletter. You are free to use them for similar purposes. Divrei Torah (117) |
