Parashat Metzora (Shabbat HaGadol)
Nisan 12, 5784 / April 19-20, 2024
Torah: Leviticus 14:1 - 15:33
Haftarah (Shabbat HaGadol): Malakhi 3:4-24
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PESACH IS COMING!
My 5784 Pesach Resources sheet is available at:
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This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.
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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. There is NO Lunch and Learn on April 22 or April 29. We'll resume on May 6. On May 6, we'll be at BT Shabbat 152a, page 209 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 1 -
'...א"ל רבי לר"ש בן חלפתא מפני מה לא הקבלנו פניך'
"Rabbi said to R. Simon b. Chalafta: why were we not permitted to see you…”
Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at: https://hebrewbooks.org/9630
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria:
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Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at:
Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at:
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Please pass this on to a friend - and please cite the source.
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MATZAH – THE ORIGINAL SOUL FOOD
“Then the priest will command for the one who is to be cleansed two pure living birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread and hyssop.” Leviticus 14:4
Rashi – “Because plagues come from pride. What is his remedy, that he should be cured? He should lower himself from his pride like a worm (a play on the Hebrew word for scarlet thread) and hyssop (a low bush).”
For the Rabbis, the “leprosy” (tzara’at) visited on the Israelites was the symptom of a spiritual disorder. The ritual discussed in our portion was carried out only after the victim had been separated from the community, and had taken time to reflect upon his sins and to change his ways.
There is another ritual which symbolizes the elimination of haughtiness and pride, and that is the observance of Pesach.
“For seven days, chametz (leavening) shall not be found in your houses - anyone who eats chametz, that soul shall be cut off from the assembly of Israel ...” Exodus 12:19
Chametz, such as yeast, causes dough to bubble and rise, and is symbolic of the inflation of one’s ego. The commandment to remove all of the chametz from our homes may be seen as an instruction to remove pride from our lives. By reducing ourselves to eating matzah for the Passover holiday, we remind ourselves of the sin of pride and the need to deflate our egos. Pesach is "The Festival of Freedom", and matzah is food for freeing the soul.
Remove the chametz from your home and your life for a time; attend a Seder (or two!), and learn about freedom from the slavery of self-importance; eat only “the bread of affliction” for the duration of the holiday; take the hot air out of yourself. Removing chametz from your life can be a spring cleaning of both the physical and the spiritual.
Shabbat shalom - a Shabbat of peace!
Chag Pesach Sameach! Happy Passover!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
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