MAY 1 , 1998 VOL 1, ISSUE 25 5 IYAR 5758

Chabad of Northern Beverly Hills, 409 Foothill Road . Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rabbi Yosef Shusterman 310/271-9063

PARSHAT TAZRIA-METZORA

The entire portion of Tazria is a lesson in guarding one's tongue. The Rambam writes that the disease of tzoraas was a supernatural disease sent to warn someone to refrain from speaking loshon hora. There were three levels of tzoraas. The first attacked the person's house. If he repented, then it would spread no further. If, however, he continued speaking about others, his clothes would contract tzoraas. Again, if he repented, it would stop spreading. If he did not, then his body would be afflicted with tzoraas. (Hilchos Tumas Tzoraas 16:10)

The Chafetz Chaim pointed out that from the severity of the tumah (spiritual uncleanliness) of the metzora (the person afflicted with tzoraas), we have an indication of the severity of loshon hora. This is the only type of tumah in which the person is required to stay entirely out of the camp or city where other people live. (Shmiras Haloshon 1:5) - From: Love Your Neighbor

The Midrash relates that Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, sent his servant to the market and said, "Bring me the best thing you can find." The servant came back with a tongue. Another time, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said to his servant, "Go to the market and bring me the worst thing you can find." Again, the servant returned with a tongue. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel was startled and asked his servant, "How is it that you brought me tongue as the best thing you could find, and again a tongue as the worst?" The servant replied, "There is nothing better than a tongue that speaks good and nothing worse than a tongue that speaks evil."

***

In the city of Radin, Poland there lived the great tzaddik and gaon, Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaKohen, known as the "Chafeitz Chaim." An individual who had heard many intriguing stories about him decided to make a visit to the city and see him personally. Upon arrival, he met an elderly bearded Jew in the street and asked him, "Could you please guide me to the home of the holy tzaddik and gaon, the Chafeitz Chaim?" Graciously, the man told him to turn right at the corner and that the first house on the second block is where the Chafeitz Chaim lived. Then he said, "Incidentally, he is not such a tzaddik, nor is he a gaon." The visitor became enraged and furiously slapped the elderly man across the face. "What audacity you have to speak in such a manner!" When the visitor arrived at the home of the Chafeitz Chaim and was let into his study. He turned pale and frightened when he realized that the man he had slapped earlier was in fact the Chafeitz Chaim! Immediately he broke out in tears, apologized, and begged for forgiveness. The Chafeitz Chaim smiled warmly and said, "There is no need to apologize; I deserved the admonition. I have dedicated my entire life to inform Klal Yisrael about the terrible sin of lashon hara (slander). Today, I gained a new insight; not only is lashon hara about others prohibited, but a Jew should not even speak negatively about himself." (From Vedibarta bam)

***

The Talmud (Avodah Zorah 19b) relates that Reb Alexandry called out: "Who wants life? Who wants life?" A large crowd soon gathered. They said to him, "Give us life!" Reb Alexandry procceded with a quote from Tehillim (34:13-14), "Who is the man who desires life and loves days that he may see good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit."

What novel idea did Reb Alexandry reveal to those people? The Chofetz Chaim explained thus: When the people first heard Reb Alexandry's offer of life, they thought he was selling a drug or medicine that had the power to increase a person's life span. But he showed them a spiritual drug that can

actually give a person long life in this world, as well as olam haboh.(From:Guard Your Tongue)

DID YOU KNOW?

"If the hair in the plague is turned white... it is a plague of leprosy; and the Kohen shall look on him and pronounce him unclean."(13:3) QUESTION: The color white is usually considered a sign of purity and taharah (cleanliness). Why, in nega'im is it a sign of tumah? ANSWER: According to the Gemara (Arachin 15b) one of the reasons for which a person may get a nega is because of tzarat ayin -- stinginess. A person who is stingy does not give tzedakah whole-heartedly. Very often, when a stingy person gives tzedakah , he embarrasses the poor man with his attitude. The Gemara (Bava Metziah 58b) says that if someone causes his friend to be embarrassed in public, it is as though he killed him, because the one who is embarrassed blushes, and blood rushes to his face (as if trying to burn the body). Then his face pales as blood rushes to other parts of the body, and it takes on the ashamed, pallid appearance of a corpse. Since a punishment is midah keneged midah (similar to the thing the person did), when he becomes white, it is a sign that he is still getting his punishment.

"The Kohen shall command and for the person being purified there shall be taken two live clean birds." (14:4) QUESTION: Why were two birds used to purify a metzora? ANSWER: One of the causes of leprosy is lashon hara. When someone conveys lashon hara to a person about his friend or to a husband about his wife, he replaces friendship or marital harmony with enmity and strife. The word "Tzipor" - "bird" has the numerical value of 376, which is the same numerical value as the word "Shalom" -- "peace." The Torah is alluding that in order for the one who is struck with leprosy because of talking lashon hara to be forgiven, he must first make peace between the friends or the husband and wife. Thus, the two birds correspond to the two estranged people who need to be conciliated.

Two birds, then, represent the making of peace between two partners. The numerical value of two times "Tzipor" is 752. In Hebrew, the 3 letters Zayin Heh and Beit are 7-5-2 which spell the word Zahav - "gold." Making peace between people is as valuable as gold (From: VeDibarta Bam by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky)

PIRKEI AVOT

"…Do not be like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward…"(Avos 1:3) We find many verses in the Torah which promise rewards for observance of the mitzvos. For example, the Ten Commandments instruct us to "Honor your father and your mother so that your days will be prolonged. This mishnah, like so many of the teachings of Pirkei Avos, is an expression of "mili dechassidusa", pious conduct beyond the measure of the Law. In that vein, it teaches that although every mitzvah generates a reward, a person's focus should not be on the reward, but on the very fact that he has been found worthy to serve G-d. The reward which the mishnah mentions can also be understood as referring to spiritual attainments such as the love and fear of G-d. Just as a person should not focus on the material rewards he will receive for observance, so too he should not have in mind the spiritual benefits it will bring him. (Sichos Shabbos Parshas Pinchas, 5737)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue - King Solomon Mishley 18:21

A person's tongue is more powerful than his sword. A sword can only kill someone who is nearby; a tongue can cause the death of someone who is far away. (Erchin 15b)

Our teacher the Baal Shem TOv said: Every single thing one sees or hears is an instruction for his conduct in the service of G-d. This is the idea of Avoda, service, to comprehend and discern in all things a way in which to serve G-d. (From Rebbe's Hayom Yom IYAR 9).