פרשת תזריע מצורע

In this week’s parsha, Parshat Tazria and Parshat Metzora there's one main topic, which is Tzara'at.  There are three places Tzara’at can be: the skin, clothes of a person and a person’s house.  When Tzara'at appears someone must call upon a Kohen to inspect it.  Also this double parsha talks about the laws of birth. Since the majority of the parsha is Tzara'at it is fitting for  that to be the topic of my dvar torah.

There is one case of Tzara’at that Rashi says has never happened. This is the case of Tzara’at on one’s house.  This is not the only law in the Torah that has never happened. This is the case of Ir Hanidachat and Ben sorer umoreh.   So, a question arises, which is why does the Torah teach us rules about items that aren’t relevant to Bnai Yisrael?

Well it may not seem like it but the answer is rather simple.  The Torah teaches these laws so it is easier to help us understand the Torah better. The Tosefta (Sanhedrin 14,1) states: "There never was a subversive city-עיר הנידחת  and never will be. Why then was this law written? That we may study it and receive reward". As we know, the laws of a rebellious son (ben sorer umoreh), whose details have similarly troubled scholars of all generations, are likewise described by the Tosefta and the Talmuds: "There has never been a stubborn and rebellious son and never will be. Why then was this law written? That we may study it and receive reward". (Tosefta Sanhedrin 11,6; Talmud Sanhedrin 71a).  Without all these rules we would not have parallels from commentaries.  With these rules we wouldn’t have as much of an opportunity to learn Torah.  Or maybe these cases have never happened because we were warned about them.  These cases haven't happened because the Torah warns us of all the terrible things that will occur if these cases happened.  The Torah warns us about this to keep us safe.

The lesson that can be learned from this is that we should learn Torah, not for our gain but just for pleasure.  Torah is something that can be helpful and enjoyable. I like to think of Torah as a interactive game that I am playing with my family.  The game is a great bonding experience where we get to know each other better while having a very fun time.  This can also happen with Torah. If you learn Torah with your family it is a great bonding experience while having a good time.  The Tzara'at on the house has never happened because our families are playing in the game of Torah so we don’t get Tzara'at.  And we should carry this message through our whole lives.

Shabbat Shalom,
Mickey Nadritch