This week’s Torah portion is a double portion found in the book of Vayikra, chapters 12 through 15. This parashah is deeply concerned with the matters of ritual purity and impurity, which in Hebrew are termed taharah and tumah. These concepts are often misunderstood in modern thought, for they do not necessarily relate to sin or morality, but to the conditions under which a person may or may not enter the sacred space and approach Alaha in holiness.
The first section, Tazria (which means “she conceives”), begins with the laws concerning a woman after childbirth. The Torah states that after giving birth to a male child, a woman is ritually unclean for seven days, followed by thirty-three days of purification. If she bears a female child, the period is doubled—fourteen days unclean and sixty-six days of purification. At the conclusion of these periods, she is to bring a burnt offering and a sin offering to the Kohen (priest). This is not because she has sinned in childbirth, for the act of bearing life is holy. Rather, the offerings serve to mark her reintegration into the full covenantal life of the community. This reminds us that the sanctuary, which represents the very dwelling place of the Most High, requires a condition of wholeness and sanctity. The physical processes of the body—especially those involving blood and life—must be acknowledged before re-entering that sacred space. There is wisdom here which the modern world has largely forgotten – that which is holy requires preparation and reverence.
The greater portion of Tazria and Metzora deals with a condition called tzaraat, often translated as “leprosy” in English, but this is misleading. It is not the same as Hansen’s disease. Rather, tzaraat is a spiritual affliction which manifests upon the skin, clothing, and even the walls of a house. It is a sign of disorderedness in the soul, a breach in covenantal fidelity or moral issues. The affliction must be examined by the Kohen, who alone has the authority to declare someone clean or unclean. In the writings of the sages, tzaraat is closely associated with lashon hara, the evil tongue – slander, gossip, or malicious speech. The Aramaic term Metzora may be seen as a contraction of motzi shem ra—”one who brings forth an evil name”. This suggests that impurity is not simply a private condition, but one which disrupts the shalom of the community and dishonours the image of Alaha in others. The afflicted individual is sent outside the camp and must dwell alone until the condition is resolved. This isolation is not really punitive, but corrective. It mirrors the inner reality, meaning the person has become spiritually disjointed, and thus must undergo a period of introspection and repentance before returning to the Assembly of the righteous.
The restoration process is overseen by the Kohen and involves offerings, including cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn. These items symbolise pride (cedar), humility (hyssop), and cleansing (scarlet). Through this ritual, the person is brought back into covenantal wholeness. The Peshitta, the Aramaic Scriptures, when read in these passages, emphasises the seriousness of such defilements, but also the mercy of Mar-Yah who provides a path to purification. The role of the Kohen prefigures the ministry of Yeshua Mshikha, who, in the Gospel according to Mattai 8, stretches out His hand and touches the leper, saying, I will it, be made clean. This act is not only a miracle of healing, but a fulfilment of the Torah. In no way did Yeshua abolish these laws (see Mattai 5:17-20); He embodied their deepest intention—to restore what was broken and to purify what was unclean, not only outwardly, but inwardly.
May each of us heed the lesson of Tazria-Metzora. The physical and spiritual are intertwined. What we say with our tongues, what we permit in our hearts, leaves a mark upon our beings. The path to holiness requires vigilance, repentance, and submission to the authority of Alaha’s instruction. But it also holds forth the promise of cleansing, through the compassion of our Great High Priest, Yeshua the Mshikha.
May Yahweh bless you.
Mar Chayim bar Ya’aqub
2 May 2025