Weekly Reading Insights: Metzora 5784

Overview of the Torah Reading

To be read on Shabbat Metzorah, Shabbat HaGadol, 12 Nissan 5784/April 20, 2024

Torah: Leviticus 14:1-15:33;  Haftorah: Kings II 7:3-20 (four metzorah men)

Metzora is the 5th Reading out of 10 in Leviticus and it contains 4697 letters, in 1274 words, in 90 verses

Metzora discusses the process of purification for a metzora (one having tzara’at*), the poor metzora’s offering, tzara’at on houses, and concludes with laws about male and female discharges which cause impurity and means of attaining purification from these.
* tzara’at is a discoloration appearing on skin, hair, garments, and houses, and is sometimes (inaccurately) translated as 'leprosy'

An Essay from
Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, Director of Ascent

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One of the verses in this week's parsha speaks about when a person who has become impure touches a vessel. "And a pottery vessel, if touched by a zav (a person who is impure) must be broken (to become purified) and a wooden vessel needs to be washed." (Vayikra 15:12). Rashi asks if the defilement happens when the person who is impure touches only the outside of a pottery vessel? His answer is "no", it is only if the impure person touches the inner surfaces of the vessel. This is not the case with wooden vessels. Even a slight touch on the outside of a wooden vessel makes it impure.

Putting aside the fact that today we have almost no involvement with ritual purity and impurity and rarely do we think about the abstract difference between the inside and outside of pottery or wooden vessels, still this all seems pretty arcane. What can we learn from this?

Since the Torah was written for all times and all situations, we can begin to understand this verse when we study it in a deeper way. A pottery vessel is a hint to a person, for the body of the first human, Adam, was formed by G-d out of clay. The counter-play between the inside and outside of a vessel is a reference to a person's soul and body, since the soul is the inner part of the person and the body the outer, external part.

One of the rules of our G-d-created reality is that a person is not able to use all of his time involved totally with soul-oriented spiritual pursuits, like studying Torah, doing the commandments, prayer, meditation and myriad other types of divine service. This is the inner part of the vessel. No matter who a person is, or his or her personal situation, for the soul to stay in the body, we have to be involved with some body-oriented physical activities like sleeping, eating, drinking and, for most of us anyway, working. These physical activities are the outside of the vessel.

As in any choice, there is usually a tradeoff. When a person is involved with physical activities, actions connected to this world, he must step down, albeit temporarily, from his ivory tower of holiness and purity. He might then think that his soul will become defiled and contaminated by this physical world. For this reason, he might use all his strength and energy to avoid worldly matters as much as possible.

This is what the Torah is coming to teach us - that a pottery vessel does not become contaminated when you touch its outside. The pure soul remains in its holiness and purity. When a person does the physical activities that he must do to survive, he is not compromised spiritually by the contact with physical things that are needed to sustain his body.

When do we successfully avoid becoming defiled? When we remain a pottery vessel, when we perceive ourselves as being as null and humble as a clay vessel, like earth. What am I? Just an instrument in G-d's hand. As the verse says, "My soul is like dust to all" (Nafshi ke'afar lakol tihiyeh - from the appended paragraph at the end of the silent Amida prayer).However, a person may have an inflated sense of self, either like a wooden vessel - wood being an entity that sprouts and grows - a hint to a person who sees themselves as an important independent creation, or even more so like a metal vessel that is tough like steel - not an image of humility and modesty. In these cases, even a touch to the outside of the vessel makes them impure. With every physical activity that brings them in contact with the material world there is the danger of overdoing this involvement and this might lead to their soul becoming contaminated.
(From Likutei Sichos, vol. 17, pg. 170. Translated from an adaptation in Likras Shabbos.)

Wishing you a kosher and joyful Pesach! Shabbat Shalom, Shaul

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For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the archive.

FROM THE SAGES OF KABBALAH ON KabbalaOnline.org

Specifically, for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists, and more, click to Metzora
one sample:

Mystical Classics

Cleansing Soul Garments

fromTorat Moshe by Rabbi Moshe Alshich of Tzfat-Safed

Clothing represents acquired characteristics. Until such garments, i.e. characteristics, have been "washed", the total rehabilitation of the metzora has not been completed. His subsequent return to "the camp" is also a reference to the "higher" world to which the soul has now been restored.

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