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Thoughts on the Parsha ~
Parshas Tazria
The End is Near:
“Game Over” or “Level Cleared”?
By: Daniel Listhaus
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ
וְיָלְדָה זָכָר וְטָמְאָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים כִּימֵי נִדַּת דְּוֹתָהּ תִּטְמָא
“Hashem spoke to
Moshe saying, 'Speak to the Children of Israel, saying: When a woman
conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be impure for a
seven-day period, as during the days of her menstruant infirmity shall she be
impure.'”
-Tazria 12:1-2
Rashi[1]
points out that only now after having discussed many of the details regarding
bringing animals as karbanos (offerings) does the Torah teach about the
very first halachos (laws) that apply at the beginning of every childbirth.
Rashi brings from a medrash[2]
that the reason for this order is because it is structured after the sequence
of Beraishis (Creation). Just as the creation of man came after all the
cattle, beasts, and fowl, so too the halachos pertinent to man are
taught after those of animals.
The
question that this leads to, however, as the Sifsei Chachomim[3]
asks, is why exactly is it that man was created after animals? The Sifsei
Chochomim answers based on a gemara. The gemara[4]
itself poses the question as to why man was created last, just hours before
Shabbos. The gemara offers four answers. The first answer is in order to
remove the possibility of people believing that man helped Hashem create the
world. After all, if man was clearly not created until Friday after everything
else, then it is impossible that man had anything to do with the creation of
the world. The second answer suggested is that man was created last as a
constant reminder, especially during times when we may feel haughty, that even
the gnat was created before us. The third answer given is that man was created
right before Shabbos in order that he be able to involve himself in a mitzva
right away. The fourth answer the gemara offers is that man was
created last because really the whole world was created for man and this way
all of nature would be prepared for us.
Having
answered his side question, the Sifsei Chochomim asks on the medrash brought
by Rashi that if indeed the Torah was structuring the many halachos of
Sefer Vayikra based on the order of Beraishis, then why is it
that Parshas Tazria comes before Parshas Metzora? After
all, the halachos in Tazria deal with women whereas Metzora deals
with laws subject to men. Adom was created before Chava and
therefore Parshas Metzora should come before Parshas Tazria in
the same way that the Parshiyos dealing with laws of animals come before
the halachos dealing with people?
The
Sifsei Chochomim offers three answers, however we will focus on the
first. The Sifsei Chochomim writes that the reason why the laws of Tazria
are in the Torah before those of the Metzora is because it is much
more common for a woman to give birth (tazria) than for a man to become
a metzora (someone with tzara'as). This answer is simple enough.
It is actually fairly common for the Torah to give preference in order to
something that is more common. This concept is known as tadir v'she'aino
tadir, tadir kodem – for example if one has before him two mitzvos,
one of which is objectively done more often than the other, one should do the
more regular one first and only afterward do the second. However, the words of
the Sifsei Chochomim themselves are worth repeating that the answer as
to why Parshas Metzora does not come before Parshas Tazria
is because it is more common for a woman to give birth than for a man to become
a metzora.
Now-a-days
we live in a world where exactly the opposite is true. Rarely does a day go by
in the news without a mention of pushing the rights of women to be able to not
have children; and when was the last day there was no story in the news of
someone killing many people? Stabbings and shootings all over the country (let
alone the world) of innocent people are things which we have become accustomed
to and no longer even seem to faze young children. In a time when such activity
is so prevalent, and lashon harrah is mass-produced and distributed
instantly, could we really be so sure
that indeed now-a-days it is not the case that man becomes a “metzora”[5]
much more often than a woman gives birth? The metzora side is heavy -
people degrade and belittle each other all the time in more and worse ways now
than ever before. Simultaneously, the tazria side is light – it is no
secret that America's birth rate is speedily decreasing to the point that it is
now even an economic concern that a child born in 2015 will possibly be
expected to carry twice the economic burden than one born in 1985.
The
world has become completely upside-down. The species of mankind has so deeply
deteriorated that those who still represent what an “adom” are extremely
far and few between. Those who are immersed in Torah study and work on their middos
and connection to Hashem represent the last remnant of Adom.
Last
weekend,[6]
William Kieren, a 79 year old man, was tragically killed in car accident on the
highway. This accident was one like no other – Kieren was killed but his car
did not have even the slightest scratch in it. As a matter of fact, his car was
not even hit. No one was drunk, no one was on the phone while driving, and the
car that killed him was completely in control. How did he die? William was
driving along the dark Wyoming highway and noticed an injured rabbit in the
middle of the road. So, he left his car on the side and walked to the center
lane where the rabbit was and started to pick it up to save it from its
imminent danger. Ironically, while doing so, he himself was hit by a car, whose
driver could not make Kieren out in the dark. Kieren was sadly killed and
although it was not mentioned, it could be assumed that the unlucky rabbit was
as well.
This
story is a sad one indeed and for many it is still fresh in their minds. When
reading this article, though, it is hard not to wonder what in the world he was
thinking for getting out of his car in the middle of a highway to save the
rabbit? Maybe he thought he would see any oncoming cars and be able to move out
of the way in time, or perhaps there was some other rationale. There is no
argument, however, that it was at best a case of safeik sakanas nefashos (a
situation of a possible loss of human life). As a Torah Jew, there is very
little demanded from one in a circumstance of possible loss of human life, and
saving an injured animal is certainly not on that privileged list. Again, there
is no humor in a nice 79 year old man dying no matter how it happened, but the
fact that someone with so much life experience could make such a miscalculation
is scary. Surely this comes from the double edged sword of two forces pulling
at modern society. On the one side, the anthropomorphism-istic trend towards animal
rights, and on the other, the devaluation of human life. These are perspectives
which are so predominant in our times that they have become seemingly normal.
On
September 24, 2011 a 21 year old man by the name of C.J. Wickersham was a
victim of a bull-shark attack. The good news is that he lived to tell the tale,
something many with a shared experience do not. The bad news is that he lost a
couple of body parts and is obviously not the same person physically or
mentally that he was before. However, despite this man's traumatizing
encounter, PETA thought it to be the opportune time to remind everyone to have
the proper view of life. As Ashley Byrne, a PETA director, said, “We are glad
that Mr. Wickersham is going to be okay, but we do hope that this painful and
frightening experience makes him think about the pain and fear that he is
causing to fish – and other fishermen are causing to fish.”
The
atmosphere modern society advocates of the devaluation of human life, is
expressing itself in the types of debates that are being argued, the daily
violence, and depression at early ages. Man was created last because the world
was created for him. Granted there is a commandment not to destroy the world
Hashem created for us[7]
and that we are warned against tza'ar ba'alei chaim (paining creatures)[8],
but equally is the charge for us to remain an Adom and utilize the world
and its resources productively – for the use of man – even if there be a cost
to the animals involved.[9]
Yes, fish do need to be taken out of their habitat and killed for people to
eat, but that is their purpose. The 'ethical perspectives' of our times are
completely contrary to what was established as the baseline expectations of all
mankind from the time of Beraishis.[10]
May
Hashem help us and the world at large realize how we are failing greatly in our
role as adom. The world is completely upside-down and there is no doubt
that the end is near. However let us make an effort to at least think about
this and help change so that we do not have to end the world with a “game over”
as reshaim who are not even holding on the level of basic Adom,
but rather with a “level completed” as tzaddikim who recognize what it
means to be an Adom and are therefore able to do teshuva.
[1] Vayikra 12:1
[2] Vayikra Rabbah 14:1
[3] Vayikra 12:1
[4] Sanhedrin 38a
[5] Obviously there are no metzoras now
because we no longer have tzara'as and there is no Beis Hamikdash with
a Kohen to declare it to be tamei
or tahor. However, conceptually, the idea that people are constantly
doing things that would be the cause of tzara'as and becoming a metzora
is a very real one.
[6] This was written April 2013
[7] Devarim 20:19
[8] See Gemara Bava Metzia 32a-33a which
discusses whether this is a law from the Torah itself or a Rabbinic decree.
Additionally see Gemara Berachos 40a which states that it is forbidden
for a person to feed himself before his animals
[9] Beraishis 1:26-30; See also Gemara
Shabbos 129
[10] See Beraishis 9:1-7
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