Post by R' Y'hoshua Moshe on Apr 9, 2008 15:57:34 GMT -8
A Clean Heart
By Re’uel D.
For Parshahah M’tzora
By Re’uel D.
For Parshahah M’tzora
This week’s parashah begins with instruction from God concerning a woman whom has just given birth to a son or a daughter. Information is given in regards to how long the mother would be unclean after the birth of a “ben” which is the Hebrew word for a “son” and a “bawt”, the Hebrew for “daughter”. And, we see the following instruction in Vayikra (Lev.) 12:7-8,
“When the days of her purification are completed, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring to the Kohen at the door of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering: and he shall offer it before YHVH, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. "'This is the law for her who bears, whether a male or a female. If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons; the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the Kohen shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean."
By this we should be reminded of “Gan Eden” (the Garden of Eden), when mankind committed the first sin. In B’resheet (Gen.) 3:16 it says the following, “To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." – Beresheet (Gen.) 3:16
In parashah Tazria we see the need for atonement and the need for a sin offering in connection with the bringing forth of new life. Why is this? Every time a woman gives birth we should be reminded for the need for redemption. It should bring to attention the sinful nature of fallen mankind as it originated in the Garden of Eden. Because of this degraded and fallen nature that was passed onto mankind by their parents, we would have to live a life of bitter toil just to get through life.
In B'resheet (Gen.) 3:16 we see the consequence that was given to woman to remember what sin births…namely, pain and travail. We should not be naïve, if we sin and break Adonai’s
, we will experience pain and travail and it will make life extremely unpleasant and difficult. And, it even has lasting consequences after we turn from the sin. But, when reading B'resheet 3:16, we are also reminded of another famous passage with the chapter and verse, “3:16”…“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” – Yochanan (John) 3:16
From the beginning of Adonai’s revelation to mankind the book of B'resheet (Gen.) tells us that we were on a perishing downward spiral that certainly would have a fiery ending. And, scripture confirms that many will crash and burn in the end. But, just as there is new life and hope in the birth of a child, so too through Yeshua the Messiah’s pain and suffering, through His atoning blood and sacrifice, we have new hope of eternal life. Indeed, He gives us new life and He will continually renew it in us if we allow Him to. Just as a baby is in the womb of a mother and becomes a new creation, so too the scripture says in 2Corinthians 5:17,
“Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”
And, just as a woman must go through pain and suffering to produce and see her new beautiful child, so too must Messiah go through pain and suffering to birth us into precious new creations. The book of Yochanan (John) 3:16 says,
“For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” – Yochanan (John) 3:17
Just as the flesh of mankind is preserved through woman, so too mankind’s spirit is preserved through Messiah and He makes atonement for both. There were specific judgments upon the man and the woman in regards to how sin would specifically affect each party. There is no doubt that both parties were guilty. Because of this man must live by the sweat of his brow. And, woman would have pain in childbirth and would strive with man. But, man would maintain his rulership in the family and in the congregation of Messiah. Again, there was a difference between man and woman in regards to the effects sin had on them as seen in
. We see this both in B’resheet (Gen.) and in this parashah. Even to today these differences exist. As we read in Vayikra (Lev.) 12:1-8 we see that the purification for the birthing of a daughter took about twice as long as compared to a male child. And, indeed woman’s monthly fountain of blood is a reminder of when the shedding of blood began on this Earth. And, it is a monthly reminder for mankind’s need for atonement. Because Chava’s (Eve’s) participation in the first sin that took place in Garden of Eden, Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul) teaches us the following in the book of 1Timothy 2:11-15,“Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection. And, I don't permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness. For Adam was first formed, then Chavah (Eve). Adam wasn't deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience; but she will be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and sanctification with sober mindedness (or self-control).”
But, just as a baby is a result of the actions of man and woman, this fallen world is also the result of the sin of mankind together. Therefore, it is incumbent upon both man and woman to do what in Hebrew is called “Tikkun Olam”, the fixing of the world. Both husband and wife must strive towards the righteousness of Elohim in their respective roles and raise children that will help to fix this broken world.
Our next parashah discusses in much detail the mitzvot (laws) of someone affected by the skin plague called “tzara’at”, which most people know as leprosy. The Mishnah (in Arachin 15 a-b) notes that this disease was a divine warning that the afflicted person has acted sinfully. Of course this is one of the first possible implications as we see the plagues of Egypt were indeed an indication of this. Furthermore, we see Adonai Himself saying….
“And YHVH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving to you for a possession, and I have put a plague of ztara’at (leprosy) in the house in the land of your possession…” - Vayikra (Lev.) 14:33-34
We see Adonai doing the placing of ztara’at in this passage, but we also see that Adonai says He will do the following in Shemot (Exo.) 15:26….
"If you will diligently listen to the voice of YHVH your God, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his mitzvot, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am YHVH who heals you."
And again, we see Adonai saying the same in Vayikra (Lev.) 26:18-21,
“If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like brass; and your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won't yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit. "'If you walk contrary to me, and won't listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins.”
Why does Adonai do this to us?? In Hebrews 12:4-15 we read…
“You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, "My son, don't take lightly the chastening of Adonai, nor faint when you are reproved by him; For whom Adonai loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn't discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby. Therefore, lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Follow after shalom with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see Adonai, looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it…”
So indeed, if we are experiencing some type of plague in our life that seems to just cling to our skin, first thing we should do is diligently seek our Heavenly Father to search us and examine us just like the Kohen (the priest) searches the “m’ztora” (the person afflicted with leprosy) to see what part of our being this tzara’at (leprosy) as found root. As we see in Vayikra (Lev.) 26:18-21 these plagues will get worse and worse as Adonai is trying to warn us. This is actually God’s grace shown to us before we are totally consumed and perish from our spiritual tzara’at (leprosy). But, we should turn from our sin with all our heart, soul, and strength before the tzara’at makes us so numb…that we lack any sense at all. Sin literally numbs us to spiritual discernment. In many cases we may be so numb that we may even step on sharp thorns without even noticing. And, unbeknownst to us, our wound begins to fester. Before we know it, we have gangrene and are loosing our limbs and are on the path of death.
Adonai always sends witnesses to warn us before this death claims our lives. The first witness he sends us many times is pain and suffering. He created our body with this model in mind. If we are suffering pain in our body it is an immediate witness that something can be wrong with our body. So too, with our spiritual body, we should as a part of our do diligence recall all the previous witnesses that God has sent us when searching out our sin, the cause of our pain. We must do this so that we may effectively perform what is called “teshuvah”, so we may “turn” from whatever things we are practicing that are not pleasing in the sight of Adonai. Teshuvah (turning from our sin) is in essential part of the prescription given to us by the Great Physician so that we may be healed of our tzara’at. For many this spiritual tzara’at or leprosy comes about because they have engaged in one of Aharon and Miryam’s sins. In B’midbar (Num.) 12:2 we see Moshe’s siblings speaking against him,
“They said, Has YHVH indeed spoken only with Moshe? Hasn't he spoken also with us? YHVH heard it.”
We go on to read in B’midbar (Num.) 12:9-10 the following,
“The anger of YHVH was kindled against them; and he departed. The cloud removed from over the Tent; and behold, Miryam was leprous, as white as snow: and Aharon looked at Miryam, and behold, she was leprous.”
Sometimes this spiritual tzara’at is a result of something in Judaism called “leshon hara”. In Hebrew “leshon hara” means (evil or slanderous speech). It takes on several different forms such as evil speech most often found in congregational gossip. When we partake of this and are then plagued by the fruit of it, we acquire a type of tzara’at…In this case we are then what is called in Hebrew “tamei”, which means “unclean”. And, we will remain this way before God until we seek reconciliation and are healed by His Anointed Priest and Physician. If we remain “tamei”, or unclean, we will experience a separation from the blessings of the community of Yisrael. My hope and prayer as we all allow the Great Physician to examine us is that we submit to His prescription and that we follow through with it, without fail. If we do so, we will become what in Hebrew is called “tahor”, meaning clean. And, for all those whom sincerely wish to live by Adonai’s ways, may He grant us our request to be cleansed and live righteously and give us all “lev tahor” (a clean heart).
Shavua tov!
