Rabbi Sacks considers the apparent disconnect between the different laws in Leviticus 19 – in fact, they are about limits, order, and boundaries. Reality has a structure whose integrity must be honored. When the order is violated, then chaos results.
Rabbi Barenblat writes that tum’ah means having a different spiritual frequency, rather than “unclean” vs “clean”. She cites the Talmudic teaching that in public, people should cry out “tamei, tamei”, which seems the be shaming, yet the intention is not to shame to afflicted person. Rather, it should evoke in us compassion for our fellow community members, and lead us to take helpful action.
Alan Cooper writes about the impurity of a “perceived deviation from a ’normal’ state”, requiring rituals to return the person or article from “deviant” to “normal”. As he writes, the responsibility of the kohen is to determine whether the condition causes impurity, not to identify it. Therefore, the definition of tzaarat as leprosy is not accurate.
Rabbi Sacks introduces the challenges in these parashiot: impurity that occurs because of our human physicality. He references Rambam, who wrote about the opposing lifestyles of the ascetic and the hedonist. The former denies the goodness of God’s world while the latter denies God. As Jews, we celebrate both the Creator and creation.
Rabbi Barenblat blogs about the beginning of the Holocaust. Please follow the link below to read the full article:
The parashah begins with the induction of the Kohanim, immediately followed by the dietary laws. Rabbi Sacks considers the logic of this placement. He quotes R. Elie Munk, who reiterated that the Sanctuary was a human counterpart of the cosmos. R. Munk then continues with a passage from the Creation narrative, wherein the first commandment for humans was a dietary law.
What does it mean this year to celebrate freedom?
What does it mean this year to claim we are free?
Are we free to speak – or only if we hold the “right” opinions?
Are we free to be who we are – or only if we fit a certain mold?
In Judaism, we believe that to defend a civilization you need education. Since freedom is lost when it is taken for granted, children must ask questions: “What does this ceremony mean to you?” “What is the meaning of the laws and decrees that God has commanded us?” This custom is actually unnatural compared to other cultures. Elsewhere, the parent or teacher is expected to guide and instruct. In Judaism, the children are obligated to ask and learn
Ms. Lederman references sociologist Harmut Rosa, who stated that rituals have 2 purposes: to enable us to both effect and be affected by God and the world around us. She cites Tractate Brachot (26b) in addressing the 2 paradigms of the Amidah: the affecting side wherein we reach out towards God, and the opposite side of being affected, wherein the prayers correspond to daily offerings at the Temple.
The thanksgiving offering survives in Rabbinic Judaism in the birkat Hagomel, for “one who has survived a hazardous situation.” Rabbi Sacks considers the meaning of a hazardous situation: Psalm 107 describes crossing the sea, crossing a desert, recovery from serious illness, and release of captivity. However, there are many other situations today that merit this blessing. He cites sociologist Peter Berger, who described “signals of transcendence” as the phenomena that point to “something beyond” – the capacity to find meaning in the depths of suffering, and the instinctive desire to give thanks.