Guard Yourself
Posted on April 13, 2010 (5770) By Rabbi Berel
Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner
The laws of plagues, purity and impurity are purely chukim – laws
that defy our limited rational capabilities to understand. But this is perhaps
the very message that the Torah wishes us to learn and internalize. Much of life is not rational and does not
fit into our accustomed schedules and plans. And even the most hardened
secularist and/or rationalist must admit that much of life is inexplicable.
Weird things happen to all of us. There are forces in the world,
dreams, inspirations, as well as strangers that suddenly appear that are
present in our lives and are real to us though we have no idea how or why they
influence us.
The whole subject of purity and impurity occupies great sections
of the Torah. In the real but purely spiritual world of the Torah, purity and
impurity are sensations that are real and can be felt and experienced. The
rabbis decreed that the “land of the nations” meaning the part of the world
that is not within the biblical boundaries, carries with it automatic impurity.
The air of the Land of Israel is purity in itself. The rabbis said
that the air of the Land of Israel is one of wisdom and knowledge. It is its
purity that leads to its atmosphere of true wisdom and knowledge. We are all aware
that in cases of illness, G-d forbid, the medical treatment for the patient is
oftentimes the inhalation of pure oxygen. In the world of the spirit, pure
oxygen is the air of the Land of Israel.
There are plagues that descend upon individuals. There are other
plagues that infest a human being’s clothing. And, there are plagues that can
infect one’s home and dwelling. Thus there is no part of human existence, that
is exempt or immune from the possibility of plagues and impurity.
Many of the family laws of the Jewish home are constructed on the
basis of injecting purity into the relationship and into the family and home.
There are no medical or physical rationales existing to these laws that are
readily justifiable to the rational thinker. But the existence and observance of those laws is unquestionably what
has preserved the Jewish home and family structure throughout the millennia.
It is the unseen and intangible that truly carries
us through life and its vicissitudes. And that is why the Torah devotes so much
space and teachings to such a seemingly esoteric subject. Someone who is
shrouded in impurity and whose life is dominated by the plagues that exist all
around, will find life unrewarding and depressing.
It is the latent purity and holiness within us
that gives us a feeling of nobility and satisfaction in our lives. So, our task
in life is to guard ourselves from the plagues that surround us, from the
impurities that infiltrate the very core of our being, and to try and breathe
the pure air of holiness that the Torah attempts to pump into our very beings.
Shabat shalom,
Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Berel Wein
Surrounded by Mirrors
Parshas
Tazria
The city gates swing open, and a solitary man walks out, carrying a
bundle of food and personal belonging on his shoulder. The gates swing shut
behind him. He walks to a secluded spot, puts down his things and sits down to
contemplate his fate in the solitude of his isolation. As we take a closer
look, we notice strange skin lesions that resemble leprosy. Who is this man,
and why has he been banished to sit in isolation outside the city? And why does
he have lesions on his skin?
This man is called a metzora. The lesions, called tzoraas, are not
caused by toxins or microbes. Rather, they are a physical manifestation of a
spiritual malaise. Our Sages tell us that a person who gossips and slanders
other people is afflicted with tzoraas, and as we read in this week’s Torah
portion, he must go into isolation until it fades away.
Why isolation? the commentators want to know. Wouldn’t it have been
better for him to deal with the problems of his character in the company of his
friends and loved ones? Wouldn’t their emotional and moral support help him
overcome his malicious inclinations?
Furthermore, the Torah states, “Impure, impure, he shall call
out.” What is the significance of the repetition of the word impure? Why
wouldn’t once suffice?
The commentators explain that our attitudes toward other people are
always a reflection of our own level of spirituality and refinement. We see
ourselves in others. People of good will and magnanimous spirit will always
view others in the most favorable light. They will attribute only the best
motives to the actions of other people. Mean-spirited people, on the other
hand, are surrounded by mirrors. They always view others with suspicion and
disdain, and they automatically assume that others look at them in the same
negative way.
This is the implicit meaning of the statement, “Impure, impure, he
shall call out.” The impure person sees himself in others and calls out,
“Impure!”
A person afflicted with tzoraas because he accused other people of
improper behavior is most probably guilty of those same offenses himself. He
knows what evil things he himself would do in certain situation and therefore
he assumes everyone else would do the same. The company of others is like
poison to such a person, because he sees every person he encounters through the
malignant filter of his own debased personality and character. Therefore, the
Torah decrees, it is better that he sit in isolation and contemplate what he
has become. It is better that he face the harsh reality that he is unworthy of
human company. In this way, he will be perhaps take stock of himself and decide
to make fundamental changes.
A man sought the advice of a great sage about a
problem he was having with his son. “How do I improve my relationship with my
son? I try to show him how I care about him by giving him many compliments. I
compliment his schoolwork, his behavior at home, his singing, everything. But
he always accuses me of insincerity. ‘You just saying it, but you don’t really
mean it,’ he says. What should I do?”
“The problem, my friend,” said the sage, “is that
your son does not see the good in other people. Therefore, when you say you see
good in him, he doesn’t believe it. Spend more time pointing out to him all the
goodness you see in other people. Once he sees that, he will believe that
others may see goodness in him.”
In our own lives, we often encounter people who relish speaking ill
of others. First of all, we must not accept slander at face value. Most
probably, it is a reflection of the deficiencies of the talebearers themselves.
And even when such people victimize us, we should not react with anger and
retaliation. As long as we maintain our high standards, as long we do not stoop
to the level of our detractors, we can take comfort in the knowledge that it is
not us that these people are seeing but themselves.
Text Copyright © 2011 by Rabbi Naftali Reich and Torah.org.
Rabbi Reich is on the faculty of the Ohr Somayach
Tanenbaum Education Center.
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