Parshas Tazria discusses one of the most well-known and observed mitzvos is that of bris mila (circumcision). It stresses that the Mila must take place on the eight day, and the Gemara learns out that this is the case even if the eight day falls on Shabbos one must perform the Mila even though it involves one of the Melachos (creative activites) that are usually prohibited on Shabbos. What is the significance of having the bris on the eight day in particular?
In order to answer this question it is instructive to analyze the significance of certain numbers in Jewish thought. The world was created in six days, and on the seventh day, HaShem 'rested', thereby creating the concept of Shabbos, the day that we refrain from physical creation and focus on more spiritual pursuits. Accordingly, the number 'six' symbolizes the physical world, whereas seven represents the infusion of spirituality into the physical world. On Shabbos we strive to elevate physicality through using the physical world leshem shamayim (for the sake of Heaven). Thus, there is an emphasis on eating good food, and dressing nicely, but not for selfish reasons, rather to use the physical world as a kli (tool) for connecting to HaShem. The number, 'eight' symbolizes spirituality that is beyond this world, going beyond the laws of nature. Removing part of our body represents elevating ourselves beyond our natural physical drives. Some commentaries write that one of the reasons for bris mila is that it weakens man's natural physical lusts (see Moreh Nevuchim, Rabbeinu Bachaye). In this vein, bris mila represents a Jew's disassociating himself from the regular laws of olam hazeh (this world), and clinging to a completely different level of existence.
The idea that bris mila represents transcending olam hazeh is seen in the Torah's account of HaShem's command to Avraham Avinu with regard to this mitzvo. HaShem tells Avraham, "walk before me and be complete." Rashi explains that Hashem was instructing Avraham to perform bris mila and thereby attain completion. Immediately after this, HaShem tells Avraham that He is changing his name, which up till that point, was Avram, to Avraham. HaShem was taking Avraham to a whole new level of existence, and bringing him out of the limits of mazal which had thus far prevented him from having children. It seems clear from the pessukim that this promise and the promise of an eternal bris between HaShem and Avraham's descendants were dependent upon Avraham making his own covenant with HaShem, that of bris mila. Thus, we see that bris mila is intrinsically connected to the fact that the Jewish people live on a whole different plane of existence.
Rav Dessler zt"l applies this explanation of the difference between '7' and '8' to clarify a difficult Yalkut. The Yalkut tells us: "Shabbos and mila argue with each other. Shabbos says, 'I am greater than you' and mila says, 'I am greater than you'... from the fact that mila overrides Shabbos , we know that mila is greater than Shabbos." Rav Dessler explains that there are two ways in which a person can go about his avodas HaShem. One is to be involved in the physical world and elevating it for the sake of Heaven. There are numerous mitzvos that fit this category, for example, giving tzedoko (charity) is a way of using one's money to connect to HaShem, and as we mentioned above, Shabbos is the primary example of elevating physicality. The second way of growing in spirituality is by removing oneself from physicality, and thereby separating from his natural taivas (desires). Mila represents this form of avodas Hashem.
Rav Dessler points out that there is a great danger in the first type of spirituality where one tries to elevate gashmius (physicality) in that a person can easily fall into the trap of thinking he is elevating the physical world, however, in truth, he is really being pulled after his physical desires and the yetser hara is tricking him into thinking that he is doing it leshem shamayim. The second form of spirituality of removing oneself from gashmius does not pose this threat because one avoids the risks of being trapped. Rav Dessler writes further, that the only way that a person can be sure that he can use the physical world in the correct way is by also somewhat removing himself from it for a time.
With this understanding, Rav Dessler explains the meaning of the Yalkut. Shabbos represents the form of avodas Hashem where one uses the gashmius for spiritual purposes, whereas mila represents serving HaShem by weakening one's attachment to the physical world. Mila 'overrides' Shabbos in that it avoids the risks of being trapped by the yetser hara into becoming overly attached to the phsyical world whilst performing seemingly spiritual activities.
We have seen that bris mila represents separation from the physical world as a way of becoming closer to HaShem, and how this form of avodas Hashem is essential to one's spiritual growth. In this vein, my Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Berkovits shlita points out that despite the stress on being involved with the physical world for spiritual reasons, the main way of achieving greatness is through involvement in purely spiritual endeavors. The great Torah Sages did not become great through eating leshem shamayim all the time. They became great by developing an overriding interest in spirituality and a disinterest in the physical world. Numerous stories are told of how unimportant food to Gedolim such as the Chazon Ish zt"l and Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt"l. May we merit to emulate them and learn from the mtizvo of bris mila to focus on learning, davenning, and growth, as the main ways of becoming great.
Showing posts with label Tazria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tazria. Show all posts
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
PURIYING OUR SPEECH - TAZRIA-METSORA
The Parshios of Tazria and Metsora discuss in length the spiritual malaise of tzoraas whereby a person is afflicted with white blotches on his skin. He must then experience a period of isolation and finally undergo a process of purification. Chazal tell us that this affliction comes about because of a person's sins, in particular that of lashon hara (negative speech) . The process that the metsora must undergo is intended to demonstrate to him the destructiveness of his sin and teach him how to improve himself in the future so that he avoid sinning in such a way again.
It seems that there are two lessons in particular that one who speaks lashon hara is taught during the period of his tzoraas: Firstly, Chazal tell us, "he caused separation between man and his friend [through his lashon hara] and therefore the Torah said that he must sit alone. " Speaking negatively about others inevitably causes friendships to break apart and people to distance themselves from each other. Therefore, measure for measure, one who speaks lashon hara is forced to live alone for a period of time, separated from others. This teaches him the pain that he causes by breaking up relationships. Secondly, the blotches themselves act as a potent demonstration of the damage that one who speaks lashon hara does to his neshama (soul). Tzoraas is not a regular physical illness, rather it is the physical manifestation of a spiritual malaise that offers indisputable evidence to the sinner that he has greatly damaged himself in a spiritual sense and is in desperate need of spiritual improvement .
Nowadays there is no tzoraas, and superficially this may seem like a good thing. However, the commentaries point out the exact opposite; tzoraas was a chessed (kindness) of Hashem in that He communicated very clearly to the sinner of his transgression and the need to do teshuva. Without this gift, it is immeasurably more difficult for a person to recognize when he has sinned. And yet, it is very clear that the sin of lashon hara remains as one of the most difficult to avoid. Indeed the Gemara writes that whilst a minority of people stumble in arayos , and a majority stumble in certain forms of theft; "everyone [stumbles] in avak lashon hara. " Given the apparently widespread transgression of lashon hara, what replacement is there for tzoraas - how can a person recognize the spiritual damage one causes himself when he speaks lashon hara and the extent of the damage that negative words can have on other people?
Rav Alexander Moshe Lapidus in his sefer, Divrei Emes answers this question . He notes that a person who had tzoraas had to go to a Kohen who would guide him through the process of teshuva. Now, there remains a Kohen who continually guides us how to rectify the sin of lashon hara - that is the Chofetz Chaim zt"l, whose sefarim on this topic are the ultimate authorities in the laws and Torah outlook about guarding ones speech. They teach a person about the damage he causes other when he speaks lashon hara and they show at length the harm that one who speaks lashon hara does to himself. The Chofetz Chaim himself writes in the name of the Maharsha, that when the Gemara says, everyone sins in avak lashon hara, it refers to everyone who does not make a conscious effort to improve his speech . However, if a person learns the laws and outlook about guarding one's speech then he will be able to avoid this pernicious sin. Whilst nobody in this generation is afflicted with tzoraas, it is apparent that everyone who does not work on himself in this area will inevitably speak at least avak lashon hara. Thus, the insight of the Divrei Emes teaches us that it is incumbent upon everyone to learn about the laws of lashon hara from the Chofetz Chaim.
One still may ask, why is it necessary to learn the laws of lashon hara, wouldn't it be sufficient to learn mussar about the damage it does, and thereby one would develop enough yiras Hashem (fear of Hashem) to avoid speaking lashon hara. The Chofetz Chaim addresses this issue in his introduction to his mussar sefer, Shemiras Halashon. He writes that it is not sufficient to learn this work alone, rather one has to also learn his halacho sefer, Chofetz Chaim: "What is the benefit of all the mussar in the world that speaks of the severity of the prohibitions of lashon hara and rechillus , since he has permitted himself saying that this thing is not included in lashon hara, or that the Torah did not prohibit speaking lashon hara about this kind of person, therefore one must know which things do fall in the category of lashon hara. " Thus, the Chofetz Chaim teaches us that without knowing the laws of lashon hara a person will inevitably stumble because he is not aware what constitutes forbidden speech.
A second reason for the importance of learning the laws of lashon hara can be derived from a teaching of Rav Yisroel Salanter: He taught that learning about a particular area of halacho is an excellent way of developing an awareness of ever stumbling in that specific area. Accordingly, when he would find himself in a situation that could potentially lead to transgression of yichud he would immerse himself in learning about it, thus ensuring that he would maintain constant vigilance in this area. In a similar vein, one Rav who taught beginners the laws and hashkafa of Shabbos, noted that far more people began keeping Shabbos as a result of his halacho classes than from those in hashkafa. He explained that when a person is learning about the laws of a melacha , it is far more difficult for him to blatantly transgress that very melacha on the following Shabbos. Similarly when a person is constantly learning the laws of lashon hara he is far more likely to be able to maintain awareness of his speech and ensure that he speaks no forbidden words.
Based on the constant test of speaking lashon hara and the Gemara's assertion that no one is free from this sin, it seems that the only way to improve in this area is through constant study of the laws and hashkafa of shemiras halashon (guarding ones speech). Accordingly, many Gedolim signed a document urging everyone to set aside a time to learn both Sefer Chofetz Chaim and Sefer Shemiras Halashon. Moreover, they instructed every institution head to try to include classes about guarding ones speech in the regular learning schedule . In this vein, the Manchester Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yehuda Zev Segal zt"l developed a daily calendar for learning these two sefarim, and shortly before his passing, he asked the Chofetz Chaim foundation to produce the sefer, 'A Lesson a Day' which constitutes a short daily section on halacho and hashkafa . These Gedolim recognized that constant learning about shemiras halashon was the only way to ensure avoiding transgressing the severe prohibition of lashon hara.
In earlier times, one who spoke lashon hare was inflicted with tzoraas and guided by the Kohen in his teshuva process. Now, a person is not blessed with such a clear message, and therefore, and he must turn to the words of the great Kohen, the Chofetz Chaim to guide himself how to improve his speech through constantly learning his great sefarim. May we all be blessed with the ability to avoid all forms of negative speech.
It seems that there are two lessons in particular that one who speaks lashon hara is taught during the period of his tzoraas: Firstly, Chazal tell us, "he caused separation between man and his friend [through his lashon hara] and therefore the Torah said that he must sit alone. " Speaking negatively about others inevitably causes friendships to break apart and people to distance themselves from each other. Therefore, measure for measure, one who speaks lashon hara is forced to live alone for a period of time, separated from others. This teaches him the pain that he causes by breaking up relationships. Secondly, the blotches themselves act as a potent demonstration of the damage that one who speaks lashon hara does to his neshama (soul). Tzoraas is not a regular physical illness, rather it is the physical manifestation of a spiritual malaise that offers indisputable evidence to the sinner that he has greatly damaged himself in a spiritual sense and is in desperate need of spiritual improvement .
Nowadays there is no tzoraas, and superficially this may seem like a good thing. However, the commentaries point out the exact opposite; tzoraas was a chessed (kindness) of Hashem in that He communicated very clearly to the sinner of his transgression and the need to do teshuva. Without this gift, it is immeasurably more difficult for a person to recognize when he has sinned. And yet, it is very clear that the sin of lashon hara remains as one of the most difficult to avoid. Indeed the Gemara writes that whilst a minority of people stumble in arayos , and a majority stumble in certain forms of theft; "everyone [stumbles] in avak lashon hara. " Given the apparently widespread transgression of lashon hara, what replacement is there for tzoraas - how can a person recognize the spiritual damage one causes himself when he speaks lashon hara and the extent of the damage that negative words can have on other people?
Rav Alexander Moshe Lapidus in his sefer, Divrei Emes answers this question . He notes that a person who had tzoraas had to go to a Kohen who would guide him through the process of teshuva. Now, there remains a Kohen who continually guides us how to rectify the sin of lashon hara - that is the Chofetz Chaim zt"l, whose sefarim on this topic are the ultimate authorities in the laws and Torah outlook about guarding ones speech. They teach a person about the damage he causes other when he speaks lashon hara and they show at length the harm that one who speaks lashon hara does to himself. The Chofetz Chaim himself writes in the name of the Maharsha, that when the Gemara says, everyone sins in avak lashon hara, it refers to everyone who does not make a conscious effort to improve his speech . However, if a person learns the laws and outlook about guarding one's speech then he will be able to avoid this pernicious sin. Whilst nobody in this generation is afflicted with tzoraas, it is apparent that everyone who does not work on himself in this area will inevitably speak at least avak lashon hara. Thus, the insight of the Divrei Emes teaches us that it is incumbent upon everyone to learn about the laws of lashon hara from the Chofetz Chaim.
One still may ask, why is it necessary to learn the laws of lashon hara, wouldn't it be sufficient to learn mussar about the damage it does, and thereby one would develop enough yiras Hashem (fear of Hashem) to avoid speaking lashon hara. The Chofetz Chaim addresses this issue in his introduction to his mussar sefer, Shemiras Halashon. He writes that it is not sufficient to learn this work alone, rather one has to also learn his halacho sefer, Chofetz Chaim: "What is the benefit of all the mussar in the world that speaks of the severity of the prohibitions of lashon hara and rechillus , since he has permitted himself saying that this thing is not included in lashon hara, or that the Torah did not prohibit speaking lashon hara about this kind of person, therefore one must know which things do fall in the category of lashon hara. " Thus, the Chofetz Chaim teaches us that without knowing the laws of lashon hara a person will inevitably stumble because he is not aware what constitutes forbidden speech.
A second reason for the importance of learning the laws of lashon hara can be derived from a teaching of Rav Yisroel Salanter: He taught that learning about a particular area of halacho is an excellent way of developing an awareness of ever stumbling in that specific area. Accordingly, when he would find himself in a situation that could potentially lead to transgression of yichud he would immerse himself in learning about it, thus ensuring that he would maintain constant vigilance in this area. In a similar vein, one Rav who taught beginners the laws and hashkafa of Shabbos, noted that far more people began keeping Shabbos as a result of his halacho classes than from those in hashkafa. He explained that when a person is learning about the laws of a melacha , it is far more difficult for him to blatantly transgress that very melacha on the following Shabbos. Similarly when a person is constantly learning the laws of lashon hara he is far more likely to be able to maintain awareness of his speech and ensure that he speaks no forbidden words.
Based on the constant test of speaking lashon hara and the Gemara's assertion that no one is free from this sin, it seems that the only way to improve in this area is through constant study of the laws and hashkafa of shemiras halashon (guarding ones speech). Accordingly, many Gedolim signed a document urging everyone to set aside a time to learn both Sefer Chofetz Chaim and Sefer Shemiras Halashon. Moreover, they instructed every institution head to try to include classes about guarding ones speech in the regular learning schedule . In this vein, the Manchester Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yehuda Zev Segal zt"l developed a daily calendar for learning these two sefarim, and shortly before his passing, he asked the Chofetz Chaim foundation to produce the sefer, 'A Lesson a Day' which constitutes a short daily section on halacho and hashkafa . These Gedolim recognized that constant learning about shemiras halashon was the only way to ensure avoiding transgressing the severe prohibition of lashon hara.
In earlier times, one who spoke lashon hare was inflicted with tzoraas and guided by the Kohen in his teshuva process. Now, a person is not blessed with such a clear message, and therefore, and he must turn to the words of the great Kohen, the Chofetz Chaim to guide himself how to improve his speech through constantly learning his great sefarim. May we all be blessed with the ability to avoid all forms of negative speech.
REACTING TO YISSURIM - TAZRIA
Parshas Tazria discusses the various forms of negaim and the process by which a person can be healed. Since the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash the laws of negaim no longer apply . Given this, how is this parsha relevant to our daily lives? The Sefer HaChinuch answers this question: He writes that the tuma of a metsora comes about because of a person's aveiros. The suffering that a person endures is not coincidental - it comes from Hashem. The metsora must go through a wrenching process of seclusion in which he is supposed to reflect on his behaviour and come to a recognition of how he erred. This message is of course highly relevant in every generation . We no longer suffer from negaim but we are afflicted by many other forms of yissurim. Tumas negaim teaches us that we should not ascribe such suffering to coincidence, rather we should see it as Hashem's way of communicating to us.
There is another mitzvo related to negaim which further teaches us to how we should and should not react to yissurim. The Torah tells us that one form of negaim is a nesek. If a person finds a nesek on his body he goes through a process of seclusion and examination by a Kohen. If, after one week of seclusion, the nesek has not spread, then the person must shave the area around the nesek. However, he is strictly forbidden from shaving the hair that is on the nesek . The Sefer HaChinuch explains the significance of this prohibition. "This mitzvo teaches us that every person should accept whatever pain or punishment that Hashem sends to him; he should not kick out against them, and he should not think that he has the ability to nullify them and hide them from people.. " The Chinuch teaches us that there are two incorrect ways in which people react to yissurim which are symbolized by shaving off the nesek sent by Hashem. Firstly, a person may "kick out" against Hashem when he suffers, questioning Divine justice. A person may be above blaming Hashem for their pain but may adopt another incorrect approach. He may try to remove the suffering without learning the lessons that it represents. Moreover, a person may be more concerned about what people think and primarily focus on hiding the yissurim, rather than using them as an opportunity to grow. The prohibition of removing the nesek teaches us that we should not ‘put our head in the sand’ when we endure difficulty, rather we should strive to grow through them.
The Mashgiach of Slobodka, Rav Avraham Grodzinski zt”l elaborates on the message of yissurim at length in his sefer Toras Avraham . He writes that the main purpose of prophecy was to communicate to the people how they were erring. Even when, ostensibly they were doing nothing wrong, the prophet would delve deep into their hearts and pinpoint an area in which they were lacking. He asks, in the post-prophecy era how does Hashem communicate to us to tell us what we are doing wrong? He answers that ‘yissurim’ are the replacement for prophecy. When a person is in pain, no matter how small, Hashem is communicating to him in some way that he needs to grow. Thus, yissurim are a tremendous gift - they provide us with an opportunity to mend our ways. The Gemara says that suffering doesn’t just refer to great afflictions, rather even minor difficulties; it gives the example of when a person tries to take out three coins from his pocket and he only picks up two. In this way Hashem is constantly communicating with us through yissurim.
The obvious question that we are faced with is, ‘it was very easy in the time of the Beis HaMikdash when people suffered from afflications such as negaim that arose when specific aveiros such as lashon hara were committed. But nowadays, how can a person know what message Hashem is trying to tell him through the yissurim?” Of course it is impossible to be certain but The Toras Avraham brings a yesod from Chazal that Hashem punishes a person mida ceneged mida for his aveiros. For example, The Mishna in Sotah tells us that Shimshon sinned with his eyes, therefore he was punished that the Plishtim took out his eyes, and Avshalom was arrogant about his beautiful hair, therefore his hair was the cause of his death when it got tangled up amongst the branches of a tree . Therefore it is recommended that a person look for a cause that is somehow connected to the form of suffering. For example if someone experiences pain in his mouth then perhaps he should first assess whether he transgressed in an area connected with speech. There is, ironically a very good example of this idea in relation to Rav Grodszinski’s life himself. He suffered from a noticeable limp and when a shidduch was first proposed to Rav Ber Hirsch Heller’s daughter Chasya, she rejected it because of his limp. Shortly thereafter she fell down the stairs to the cellar, breaking her leg. She concluded that this was a sign not to reject the match because of Rav Grodzinski’s bad leg and they did indeed marry .
However, more important than whether we find the ‘correct’ aveiro or not is that we search for it at all. In the previous example, if the person’s pain in his mouth comes as a result of lying but he works on lashon hara then he has achieved the main tachlis of the yissurim - trying to grow. This is an extremely important point because there is a common trend that when a person experiences suffering he looks for different segulos in order to end the pain. However, this seems to contradict the lesson of the Chinuch that we should not merely strive to nullify our pain. Hashem does not send us yissurim merely so that we can do some kind of segulo (even if it is effective in ending the pain), rather he wants us to grow. This does not necessarily mean that all segulos are negative but one should not forget the tachlis of the yissurim - that Hashem is telling us to grow . The parshas of negaim are indeed highly relevant to all of our lives - they teach us how we can utilize yissurim to become better people. May we all be zocheh to grow from the yissurim Hashem sends us.
There is another mitzvo related to negaim which further teaches us to how we should and should not react to yissurim. The Torah tells us that one form of negaim is a nesek. If a person finds a nesek on his body he goes through a process of seclusion and examination by a Kohen. If, after one week of seclusion, the nesek has not spread, then the person must shave the area around the nesek. However, he is strictly forbidden from shaving the hair that is on the nesek . The Sefer HaChinuch explains the significance of this prohibition. "This mitzvo teaches us that every person should accept whatever pain or punishment that Hashem sends to him; he should not kick out against them, and he should not think that he has the ability to nullify them and hide them from people.. " The Chinuch teaches us that there are two incorrect ways in which people react to yissurim which are symbolized by shaving off the nesek sent by Hashem. Firstly, a person may "kick out" against Hashem when he suffers, questioning Divine justice. A person may be above blaming Hashem for their pain but may adopt another incorrect approach. He may try to remove the suffering without learning the lessons that it represents. Moreover, a person may be more concerned about what people think and primarily focus on hiding the yissurim, rather than using them as an opportunity to grow. The prohibition of removing the nesek teaches us that we should not ‘put our head in the sand’ when we endure difficulty, rather we should strive to grow through them.
The Mashgiach of Slobodka, Rav Avraham Grodzinski zt”l elaborates on the message of yissurim at length in his sefer Toras Avraham . He writes that the main purpose of prophecy was to communicate to the people how they were erring. Even when, ostensibly they were doing nothing wrong, the prophet would delve deep into their hearts and pinpoint an area in which they were lacking. He asks, in the post-prophecy era how does Hashem communicate to us to tell us what we are doing wrong? He answers that ‘yissurim’ are the replacement for prophecy. When a person is in pain, no matter how small, Hashem is communicating to him in some way that he needs to grow. Thus, yissurim are a tremendous gift - they provide us with an opportunity to mend our ways. The Gemara says that suffering doesn’t just refer to great afflictions, rather even minor difficulties; it gives the example of when a person tries to take out three coins from his pocket and he only picks up two. In this way Hashem is constantly communicating with us through yissurim.
The obvious question that we are faced with is, ‘it was very easy in the time of the Beis HaMikdash when people suffered from afflications such as negaim that arose when specific aveiros such as lashon hara were committed. But nowadays, how can a person know what message Hashem is trying to tell him through the yissurim?” Of course it is impossible to be certain but The Toras Avraham brings a yesod from Chazal that Hashem punishes a person mida ceneged mida for his aveiros. For example, The Mishna in Sotah tells us that Shimshon sinned with his eyes, therefore he was punished that the Plishtim took out his eyes, and Avshalom was arrogant about his beautiful hair, therefore his hair was the cause of his death when it got tangled up amongst the branches of a tree . Therefore it is recommended that a person look for a cause that is somehow connected to the form of suffering. For example if someone experiences pain in his mouth then perhaps he should first assess whether he transgressed in an area connected with speech. There is, ironically a very good example of this idea in relation to Rav Grodszinski’s life himself. He suffered from a noticeable limp and when a shidduch was first proposed to Rav Ber Hirsch Heller’s daughter Chasya, she rejected it because of his limp. Shortly thereafter she fell down the stairs to the cellar, breaking her leg. She concluded that this was a sign not to reject the match because of Rav Grodzinski’s bad leg and they did indeed marry .
However, more important than whether we find the ‘correct’ aveiro or not is that we search for it at all. In the previous example, if the person’s pain in his mouth comes as a result of lying but he works on lashon hara then he has achieved the main tachlis of the yissurim - trying to grow. This is an extremely important point because there is a common trend that when a person experiences suffering he looks for different segulos in order to end the pain. However, this seems to contradict the lesson of the Chinuch that we should not merely strive to nullify our pain. Hashem does not send us yissurim merely so that we can do some kind of segulo (even if it is effective in ending the pain), rather he wants us to grow. This does not necessarily mean that all segulos are negative but one should not forget the tachlis of the yissurim - that Hashem is telling us to grow . The parshas of negaim are indeed highly relevant to all of our lives - they teach us how we can utilize yissurim to become better people. May we all be zocheh to grow from the yissurim Hashem sends us.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
REACTING TO YISSURIM - TAZRIA
Parshas Tazria discusses the various forms of negaim and the process by which a person can be healed. Since the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash the laws of negaim no longer apply[1]. Given this, how is this parsha relevant to our daily lives? The Sefer HaChinuch answers this question: He writes that the tuma of a metsora comes about because of a person's aveiros. The suffering that a person endures is not coincidental - it comes from Hashem. The metsora must go through a wrenching process of seclusion in which he is supposed to reflect on his behaviour and come to a recognition of how he erred. This message is of course highly relevant in every generation[2]. We no longer suffer from negaim but we are afflicted by many other forms of yissurim. Tumas negaim teaches us that we should not ascribe such suffering to coincidence, rather we should see it as Hashem's way of communicating to us.
There is another mitzvo related to negaim which further teaches us to how we should and should not react to yissurim. The Torah tells us that one form of negaim is a nesek. If a person finds a nesek on his body he goes through a process of seclusion and examination by a Kohen. If, after one week of seclusion, the nesek has not spread, then the person must shave the area around the nesek. However, he is strictly forbidden from shaving the hair that is on the nesek[3]. The Sefer HaChinuch explains the significance of this prohibition. "This mitzvo teaches us that every person should accept whatever pain or punishment that Hashem sends to him; he should not kick out against them, and he should not think that he has the ability to nullify them and hide them from people..[4]" The Chinuch teaches us that there are two incorrect ways in which people react to yissurim which are symbolized by shaving off the nesek sent by Hashem. Firstly, a person may "kick out" against Hashem when he suffers, questioning Divine justice. A person may be above blaming Hashem for their pain but may adopt another incorrect approach. He may try to remove the suffering without learning the lessons that it represents. Moreover, a person may be more concerned about what people think and primarily focus on hiding the yissurim, rather than using them as an opportunity to grow. The prohibition of removing the nesek teaches us that we should not ‘put our head in the sand’ when we endure difficulty, rather we should strive to grow through them.
The Mashgiach of Slobodka, Rav Avraham Grodzinski zt”l elaborates on the message of yissurim at length in his sefer Toras Avraham[5]. He writes that the main purpose of prophecy was to communicate to the people how they were erring. Even when, ostensibly they were doing nothing wrong, the prophet would delve deep into their hearts and pinpoint an area in which they were lacking. He asks, in the post-prophecy era how does Hashem communicate to us to tell us what we are doing wrong? He answers that ‘yissurim’ are the replacement for prophecy. When a person is in pain, no matter how small, Hashem is communicating to him in some way that he needs to grow. Thus, yissurim are a tremendous gift - they provide us with an opportunity to mend our ways. The Gemara says that suffering doesn’t just refer to great afflictions, rather even minor difficulties; it gives the example of when a person tries to take out three coins from his pocket and he only picks up two. In this way Hashem is constantly communicating with us through yissurim.
The obvious question that we are faced with is, ‘it was very easy in the time of the Beis HaMikdash when people suffered from afflications such as negaim that arose when specific aveiros such as lashon hara were committed. But nowadays, how can a person know what message Hashem is trying to tell him through the yissurim?” Of course it is impossible to be certain but The Toras Avraham brings a yesod from Chazal that Hashem punishes a person mida ceneged mida for his aveiros. For example, The Mishna in Sotah tells us that Shimshon sinned with his eyes, therefore he was punished that the Plishtim took out his eyes, and Avshalom was arrogant about his beautiful hair, therefore his hair was the cause of his death when it got tangled up amongst the branches of a tree[6]. Therefore it is recommended that a person look for a cause that is somehow connected to the form of suffering. For example if someone experiences pain in his mouth then perhaps he should first assess whether he transgressed in an area connected with speech. There is, ironically a very good example of this idea in relation to Rav Grodszinski’s life himself. He suffered from a noticeable limp and when a shidduch was first proposed to Rav Ber Hirsch Heller’s daughter Chasya, she rejected it because of his limp. Shortly thereafter she fell down the stairs to the cellar, breaking her leg. She concluded that this was a sign not to reject the match because of Rav Grodzinski’s bad leg and they did indeed marry[7].
However, more important than whether we find the ‘correct’ aveiro or not is that we search for it at all. In the previous example, if the person’s pain in his mouth comes as a result of lying but he works on lashon hara then he has achieved the main tachlis of the yissurim - trying to grow. This is an extremely important point because there is a common trend that when a person experiences suffering he looks for different segulos in order to end the pain. However, this seems to contradict the lesson of the Chinuch that we should not merely strive to nullify our pain. Hashem does not send us yissurim merely so that we can do some kind of segulo (even if it is effective in ending the pain), rather he wants us to grow. This does not necessarily mean that all segulos are negative but one should not forget the tachlis of the yissurim - that Hashem is telling us to grow[8]. The parshas of negaim are indeed highly relevant to all of our lives - they teach us how we can utilize yissurim to become better people. May we all be zocheh to grow from the yissurim Hashem sends us.
[1] See Derech Sicha by Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita which discusses why this is the case.
[2] Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvo 169.
[3] Tazria, 13:31-34.
[4] Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvo 170.
[5] Toras Avraham, p.14-26. He was the father-in-law of Rav Wolbe zt”l and Rav Kreiswert zt”l and the brother-in-law of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”. He wrote the sefer whilst living in Europe at the time of the Nazi rise to power. He was eventually murdered by the Nazis.
[6] Sotah, 9b.
[7] Rosehblum, ‘Reb Yaakov,’ p.80.
[8] Even getting brachos from Gedolim, whilst being perfectly acceptable, should not distract a person from the ikar point of the yissurim.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
