11 Apr Tazria-Metzora – Unrectified Blemishes – Rectifying Israel; The Mother Land and Her Children
Tazria – Metzora
Unrectified Blemishes – Tzara’as
Rectifying Israel; The Mother Land and Her Children
Inspired by the teachings of HaRav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth
The blemishes of the World are not unlike the blemishes the Torah refers to as Tzara’as (aka leprosy).
In parshas Shemini, Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu bring a ‘foreign fire’ offering to G-d that causes them to loose their lives. An explanation for this consequence of their actions is that they had great personal zeal to ‘run’ to serve G-d, but had no plan to bring back or ‘return’ to this world the spiritual connection they would acquire through their actions. In the Chassidish understanding of run-and-return (ratzon-shov), they had only planned to run to serve G-d, but had not planned to return to serve anyone else but themselves. Therefore, there service was considered by some as an act for their own self interest. This will be discussed shortly.
It is important to understand regarding any imperfection in this world that
‘G-d created the cure before the malady’.
In Parshas Metzora the Torah talks about the affliction or blemish of Tzara’as, also may referred to this blemish (colloquially) as leprosy. Surprisingly, it only afflicted the tzaddikim for speaking loshen hora. We must question how it is possible that a tzaddik could do such a thing. The reason given for the occurrence of this transgression is that the greater the righteousness of an individual, the more astringently is he judged. The measure of sin that is being talked about in this situation is ‘but a drop’.
How? The tzaddik becomes so overwhelmed with the impurities (of a community or Jewish world) and that in his frustration of the obstacles blocking the arrival of Mashiach he makes (an outburst of) an improper utterance (loshen hora).
He, the tzaddik, may for example err to blame a person, place or thing inappropriately. He might even speak loshen hora of himself (one should never speak loshen hora of oneself) .
It is this drop of sin that causes the tzaddik to incur the blemish (tzara’as) and remain connected to this world.
We need to understand that the imperfection the tzaddik incurs is connected to the imperfection that exists in the world (his community). The tzaddik incurs this blemish of impurity in order to guarantee that he brings or ‘returns’ in to this world the needed rectification to bring Mashiach. The tzaddik is then ‘held back or bound’ to remain connected to this impure world to continue the process of rectification, unlike the self serving actions of Nadav and Avihu. (nb. Nadav and Avihu only wanted to be immersed in Torah study for their own self interest. It is known that they never married).
Where the tzaddik acquires a burden of impurity upon himself , his community recognizes he has ‘fallen’ as a result of deficient state of the community and is awakened to do tshuvah. The process of the necessary tshuvah becomes more possible for the community as the tzaddik has lessened the burden . In the understanding that the Mashiach sits at the gates of Rome (metaphorical for Edom aka the ‘Western World’) ‘changing hes bandages’ (of the burden and blemish of sin), awaiting his transition as Mashiach-in-calling (a consummate tzaddik) we can now understand at a deeper level that Mashiach is here ‘at the gates’ waiting for the appropriate amount of rectification of the world to heal the blemishes and bring in the Final Redemption… the Messianic era.
Transformation- The land of Milk and Honey
We see in parshas Kedoshim (chpt 20, Book of Vayikra) the promise again that we will inherit the Land. But it comes with the proviso that we do so in a Torah-appropriate way;
Verse 22: You shall keep all of My statutes and all of My laws and do (observe) them [so that] you will not be expelled by the land to which I am bringing you there to reside therein. Verse 24: And I have said to you [that] you shall inherit their land, and I shall give it to you that you may inherit it, a land flowing with milk and honey, I am Havayah, your G-d who separated you from the [other] peoples.
The inheritance of the Land of Israel, is acquired only
through action and a conscious connection with G-d.
Milk (from the side of chesed-loving kindness) comes from a cow, but it begins as the life force of Blood (form the side of gevurah-might). The Honey (malchut-kingship) as referred to on the Torah is date honey and represent sweetness and abundance received without effort …. as the honey drips freely from the dates on the trees. This is important Messianic image of transformation.
Run and Return-
The concept of ‘Run and Return’ teaches us that G-ds’ message(s) to us descends from the heavens to the earth by the ‘Run‘ of angels (malachim). We may be familiar with some of these forces by name such as Raphael, the Angel of Healing, Gavriel the Angel of Might, and so on. They may ‘Run’ to this world, and their ascent back to the heavens is the ‘Return’. Where Man is concerned, our thoughts and actions that are carried heavenly to G-d by the angels ( G-ds messengers) is ‘Run’, and the response from G-d is done via ‘Return’. When we study Torah, daven, engage in mitzvot or ‘walk on our way’ (Shema), whether we know it or not, we are constantly interacting with G-d and His Angels. The more connected and sensitive we become to this concept through learning and living a Torah life, the more effective we are in rectifying ourselves and the world.
Israel as The Holy Land-
The Holiness of the Jewish Land and Her Holy People are currently mostly concealed awaiting our efforts to reveal it’s true powerful Holiness by revealing and igniting the concealed sparks of holiness. If we are going to be prepared for the arrival of Mashiach, we must not only rectify ourselves, but we must also know to rectify the Land of Israel as the Torah teaches. It is not enough to use the force of Might (gevurah) to simply fight anti-Semitism and fight our enemies in Israel by protest, demonstrate, letter writing, or dropping bombs. This is certainly part of the process in our current world state that is saturated with gevurah, however, action must be accompanied by conscious thought and dedication to Torah study and Torah values. We need to engage in both. On their own, thought or action is empty, and like Nadav and Avihu, self serving. We refer to the coming of the Final Redemption, the Messianic era as the unifying of the Mother and Her Children. This is a reference to the rectification and elevated Holy existence according to Torah values of the The Land of Israel (the Mother) and Her Children ( the Nation of the Jewish People).
Thought or action on their own is like Run without Return.
We need to engage in both simultaneously,
In either case, when they stand separately, they become self-serving. It is Run without Return. It is insufficient to deal with the rectification of our Land or People on either a wholly intellectual or wholly emotional level. We need to focus on and acquire Unity- Harmony…the emanation of Tiferet. We must have in mind that Tiferet is the emanation of the patriarch Jacob, also known as Yisroel (Israel) who is the synthesis of Chesed (loving kindness) and Gevurah (might).We must also look to concretize our actions with pure and Holy thoughts of Torah and G-d consciousness if our efforts are to be fruitful. Then when we run to G-d having an awareness of both thought and action, we will have in our return His blessing and rectification that bring Mashiach Now!
Although we don’t have the spiritual barometer of a ‘fallen’ tzaddik and tzara’as as in Torah times to indicate the spiritual or physical decline of our community or world, we continue to have the opportunity of acquiring greater clarity by Living, Learning and Teaching Torah , and the continued rectification of the blemishes through the process of tshuvah and tikun, and may we merit to become The Holy Land and Her People, and welcome Mashiach Now.
The Land of Israel will not be acquired and elevated through war, politics and protest alone.
It will require the efforts of the individuals and the collective National of Israel to Learn , Live and Teach Torah values.
Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addiction and Counseling (Hnrs)
http://lawrencelax.com
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com