Shabbat Shalom Kol Yisrael. It is our great pleasure to present this
week's Torah Parsha commentary by Nazarene Yisraelite Rabbi, T. (Mordecai)
Mitchell, Rabbi and Rosh Zaken of B'nai Yeshurun Nazarene Yisraelite Synagogue,
Kittanning, Pa., and board member of the Union of Nazarene Yisraelite
Congregations Our Parsha this week is M'tzora (Infected one)
Vayyiqra (Leviticus) 14:1 15:33.
Our Haftarah portion is Melakim Beth (Second Kings) 7:3 20. Our
suggested Brit Chadasha readings are: MattithYahu 9:20-- 26, and Ibrim (Hebrews)
13:4. Please also read Tehillim (Psalms) 51 and 70.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS PARSHA IS INTENDED TO BE READ APRIL 12 (NISSAN 7).
YOU ARE RECEIVING IT A WEEK EARLY.
14:1 And YHWH spoke to Mosheh, saying,
2
this shall be the Torah of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He
shall be brought to the priest.
3
and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look and
see, if the leprosy is healed in the leper,
4
then the priest shall command, and he shall take for him who is to be
cleansed two live and clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and
hyssop,
It is interesting to
note that the Parsha continues to describe various forms of leprosy. The dreaded
disease can attack the walls of a home, and even clothing. According to some
Rabbinical teachings, leprosy first attacks the walls of a home. This is
construed as a warning to a person. If the warning goes unheeded it then attacks
the clothing. After two warnings the leprosy attacks the person themselves. This
should teach us that we must learn to pay close attention to the sometimes
subtle clues and signs warnings --
that Yahweh may send
us regarding our personal lives.
House may also be
an analogy for the spiritual body, our soul. When a house is infected with
leprosy (no doubt something akin to common mold) then infected sections of the
house (portions of a wall, for example) had to be torn out and replaced with
clean, uninfected, materials. However, if the infection was not cured by this
method, but continued to spread, then the entire house was to be dismantled and
all building materials were to be taken outside of the city and cast into an
unclean place (usually a common cesspool or
latrine).
This teaches us that
we must get rid of negativity in our lives and replace it with good or we
will become totally infected and be fit only for destruction. Moreover, any
clothing in an infected house was to be treated as unclean and an attempt was
made to cleanse the clothing. The same went for anyone who spent any amount of
time in the house they too became unclean.
As we read this
Parsha we notice that cleansing came about when the infected people appealed to
the priest. Moreover, cleansing always called for a sacrifice to be made. The
sacrifice as symbolic of the leper's commitment to change once he or she
received cleansing and healing. Lepers were always examined outside the camp or
village, signifying that uncleaness must separate us from the body of Israel,
the body of Messiah, until we are made clean. Sacrifices signify both a
commitment and a desire to change our way of life.
Part of the leper's
cleansing was that he not only washed his clothing but shaved all the hair off
his body. This of course is symbolic of making a new start both physically and
spiritually and breaking all ties with our previous way
life.
It is commonly
taught that leprosy is the result of laShon haRah, the
evil tongue. Speaking evil of others, or engaging in idle gossip is infectious
to us spiritually as actual leprosy is to the body. Leprosy is actually a type
of skin cancer that gradually eats away at the skin and sinews, leading to a
slow and excruciatingly painful death. Leprosy is highly contagious it is
easily spread to others. The Parsha closes with instructions regarding family
and personal purity. It is so easy for us to contaminate ourselves that it is
inevitable that we sooner or later will.
However, the message
of hope in M'tzora is that cleansing and healing are always
available, if we are willing to accept them and follow the instruction of Torah.
However, simple ritual keeping of Torah alone is never enough.
Our Yisraelite faith is not religious rituals
or practices, it is spirituality, true spirituality. Spirituality means close
personal contact with Almighty Yahweh through the Living Torah, Yahshua Messiah,
through deep, heartfelt personal prayer. One aspect that must not be overlooked
when we receive a spiritual cleansing, a healing or forgiveness for sin, is
thankfulness. We see this in Luke 17:12 19, the story about the 10 leprous
men. As we read in this account, although all 10 had been cleansed by their
faith in the Word of Yahshua, only one returned, Verse 15:
...praising
Elohim with a loud voice, 16
and fell down
upon his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him...
I like to say that perhaps more often than not,
when we pray, we ...got the gimmies...
gimmie
this and gimmie that, I want, I need, I want... etc. etc
ad infinitum, ad nausem. It's so easy to pray for what we want, but how often do
we forget or downplay the importance of thanksgiving and simple praise in our
prayers. Perhaps the fact that there was only one leper out of 10 symbolizes
that 90 percent of our prayers are demands for things we want and 10 percent (or
less) are prayers of simple praise and blessing. This is one reason why the
traditional Hebrew blessings are so important. They rarely ask for anything.
They are designed to give thanks and to bless
Yahweh.
On a final note, we cannot always expect that
although we may have forgiveness of sin as evidenced by healing or cleansing,
that we can expect to escape all the consequences of our sins. This is borne out
in one of the Kabbalat Shabbat
(Welcoming
the Sabbath) Psalms, Psalm 99:8
You answered
them, O YHWH Elohim. You were a forgiving El to them, though You took vengeance
on their deeds.
______________________________________________________________________
Although the above Parsha commentary is
intended for next week, this Shabbat (April 5) is the last Shabbat of Adar II.
As we end the Shabbat we must sanctify the Rosh Chodesh of Nissan (Aviv).
Therefore Yom Rishon (Day one of the seek, commonly called 'Sunday', which
begins at sundown 'Saturday') will mark the start of not only a new week, but a
new month. Please be sure to sanctify the Rosh Chodesh in unity with Kol
Yisrael. May Almighty Yahweh bless us all as we seek to serve Him and learn His
ways.
Comments or questions regarding this Parsha may
be addressed to Rabbi Mitchell via e-mail at: yoel@arm-tek.net
Thank you for your prayers for my continuing
recovery. Progress is slow but progress none-the-less is being made. Baruch
HaShem Yahweh. Please continue to pray with me that I will be able to resume
writing weekly Parsha commentaries on
schedule.
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