Parshat Tazria 5779
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week's parsha the laws of purity and impurity in man, beginning with their application after childbirth. Rashi begins the parsha by quoting the words of Rav Simlai who comments that just as man was created after the animals, his status of Tumah and Taharah is brought after the animals. Last week's parsha contained the laws of pure and impure animals, and this week's parsha deals with man's state of impurity.
The teaching of Rav Simlai comes from the beginning of the Medrash Rabbah on our parsha. The Medrash actually begins with a quote from the pasuk in Tehillim (Chapter 139, Pasuk 5), Achor V'Kedem Tzartani, You have created me front and back. Rabbi Yochanan teaches on the verse that if man merits, he can receive a portion in both Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba. And if not, then he receives a punishment as the pasuk concludes, Vatashes Alai Kapecha, He shall place His hand on you and punish you. The main idea of Rabbi Yochanan seems to be that man can determine his fate. He can just focus on this world and then he will be punished, or he can work hard and merit in the world to come as well. Either Kedem, he merits only his first place, i.e. Olam Hazeh, or Achor, he will merit later Olam Haba.
The Sfas Emes learns that the words in the pasuk Achor V'Kedem Tzartani, represent the two parts of man, the body and the soul, the Guf and the Neshamah. You have created me with two conflicting desires; the Guf, which desires physical pleasure, and the Neshamah, which is seeking spiritual fulfillment. And he learns that the word Tzartani is to be understood as the word Tzarah, a term which can refer to two wives married to the same man. Just as two women married to the same man are rivals for his attention, so too our physical and spiritual sides rival for our attention.
And how do we resolve this conflict? The third pasuk in our parsha says (Chapter 12, Pasuk 3), U'Vayom Ha'Shemini Yimol Besar Orlaso. The mitzvah of Milah, which is an Os Bris Kodesh, give us a connection to the holiness of Olam Haba. This is expressed in the fact that the Bris Milah is performed on the eighth day. The natural world was created in seven days and the number eight is Le'Ma'alah Min HaTeva; it is above and beyond nature. And the Mishnah in Sanhedrin teaches, Kol Yisrael Yesh Lahem Chelek B'Olam Haba She'Ne'emar V'Ameich Kulam Tzadikim. The reason all of Israel merits in the world to come is by being a Tzadik, and this definition results from the Os Bris Kodesh as was illustrated by Yosef HaTzadik.
The mitzvah of Milah highlights this dichotomy in man. While man has a spiritual Neshamah which can bring him to amazing levels of Kedushah, he also has a physical Guf. And the pure physical side of man is even lower than animals; a dead animal, Neveilah, passes on tumah, or impurity for one day, while the corpse of a human is Avi Avos Hatumah, the greatest source of impurity. Similarly, the place of the greatest physical desire in man can be his source of connection to holiness by having a Bris Milah on the eighth day. Or conversely, it can cause him to spend a lifetime in pursuit of pleasure and face the punishment of not having a life beyond this physical world of Olam Hazeh.
The connection to the holiness of the Bris Milah is present at all times. And this could be the idea behind the Gemara in Menachos 43B that Dovid Hamelech was in the bathhouse and was upset that he didn't have any mitzvos with him at that moment; no talis, no tefillin, etc. And then he saw his Bris Milah and remembered that this is a mitzvah which is always with him. It's the Os Bris Kodesh which is our constant connection to Kedushah.
And we have this connection once a week as well on Shabbos. Shabbos is Me'Eiyn Olam Haba, it is a weekly connection to Ruchniyus. On Shabbos, the constant struggle between Achor V'Kedem comes to a halt. Even eating on Shabbos is B'Kedushah; on Shabbos the physical becomes spiritual. And this is the Shalom of Shabbos, the notion of U'Feros Aleinu Succas Shelomecha. The rivalry between the Guf and the Neshamah ceases and all is holy.
The end of the pasuk, Vatashes Alai Kapecha, is understood by the Sfas Emes to mean He shall place His hand on you and help you. Chazal teach in Yoma 38B, Haba Letaher Mesayin Oso, the one who comes to purify himself is assisted by Hashem. When we decide to allow our spiritual to dominate over the physical and to merit both the present world and the world to come as well, Vatashes Alai Kapecha. Hashem will give us the assistance we need to constantly maintain our connection to the Os Bris Kodesh and be zocheh to merit Olam Haba.
Good Shabbos
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