📜 Daily Chumash & Rashi – Parshas Tazria Metzora Rishon: The laws of a woman who gives birth & The laws of Tzaraas (Sunday 25th Nissan)

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Parshas Tazria

Pesukim:67 [Siman: בניה]

Haftorah: Melachim 2 4:42-5:19

 

 

Number of Mitzvos:

There are a total of Seven Mitzvos in Parshas Tazria; Five positive commands and Two negative commands. The following are the commands in the chronological order that they are brought in the Parsha.

 

A. Positive:

1. Mitzvah 166/Positive 74: That a woman who gives birth is to be impure for her husband and Taharos, and follow the related Torah regulations.

2. Mitzvah 168/Positive 75: That a woman who gives birth is to bring Karbanos at the end of her pure days.

3. Mitzvah 169/Positive 76: To follow the laws of a Metzora and have him brought to the Kohen and purified or be deemed impure.

4. Mitzvah 171/Positive 77: That the Metzora follow the laws relating to him, such as to have torn garments and long hair.

5. Mitzvah 172/Positive 78: To follow the laws instructed regarding clothing that grows Tzaraas.

B. Negative:

1. Mitzvah 167/Negative 93: For an impure person not to eat Kodshim until he is purified.

2. Mitzvah 170/Negative 94: Not to shave the hair of the Tzaraas.

 

 

Rishon

  1. The laws of a woman who gives birth:
  • A male child: If a woman gives birth to a male child, she is impure for seven days. On the eighth day the child is to be circumcised. She remains with Demei Tohar [blood of Purity] for 33 day. She may not enter the Mikdash or touch Kodshim during this time.
  • A female child: If a woman gives birth to a girl she is to remain a Niddah for 14 days. She remains with Demei Tohar for 66 days.
  • The Karbanos: At the completion of her pure days for a male and female she is to bring to the Kohen a year-old sheep as a Chatas offering and a bird for an Olah offering. The Kohen offers the sacrifice on her behalf and purifies her. If she cannot afford a sheep, she is to bring two birds, one for an Olah and the second for a Chatas.
  1. The laws of Tzaraas:
  • Showing it to the Kohen: One who has a lesion of Tzaraas on his skin is to be brought to the Kohen for examination. The Kohen is to view the ailment and if its hair is white and deeper than the skin, it is Tzaraas, and he is declared impure by the Kohen.
  • Confinement: If its hair is not white and it is not deeper than the skin, the Kohen is to confine him for seven days. The Kohen is to re-examine the Tzaraas on the 7th day, and if it has not changed, and has not spread, he is to re-confine him for a further seven days.
  • The Kohen is to again examine the Tzaraas on the 7th day [of the second week], and if it has lightened in color, and has not spread, he is to purify it. The Metzora is to clean his clothing and he is then purified.
  • Respreads: If the Tzaraas re-spreads after the purification, it is to be reshown to the Kohen and he is to be deemed impure.
  1. Tzaraas that has healthy skin:
  • If the white lesion has a white hair but contains an area of healthy skin, it is in truth an old Tzaraas. The Kohen is to deem him impure. He is not to be secluded, as he is impure.
  1. Tzaraas that covers the entire body:
  • If the Tzaraas covers the entire body from head to toe, he is to be deemed pure by the Kohen. If fresh skin ever appears on the body, he is to be deemed impure.
  1. Tzaraas on a blister:
    • If a skin lesion appears on a blister and resembles the signs of Tzaraas, it is to be shown to the Kohen. If it appears lower than the skin and has white hair it is Tzaraas that has grown on the blister. He is to be declared impure by the Kohen. If it does not have these signs, the Kohen is to segregate him for seven days. If the lesion spreads, then he is impure. If the lesion does not spread, it is not Tzaraas but rather a skin ailment on the blister and he is pure.

 

📘 Rashi Q&A — Vayikra 12:1–8

 

12:2 — Order of the Laws

Q1. Why are the laws of childbirth stated after the laws of animals and birds?

A: Rabbi Simlai explains that just as man was created after animals, so too his laws appear after theirs.

 

12:2 — “If a Woman Conceives”

Q2. What does “כִּי תַזְרִיעַ” come to include?

A: Even if she gave birth to a dissolved fetus resembling semen, she becomes ritually defiled.

 

12:2 — Like Menstrual Defilement

Q3. What is meant by “כִּימֵי נִדַּת דְּוֹתָהּ”?

A: Childbirth defilement follows all the laws of menstrual defilement, even without blood flow.

 

Q4. What does the word “דְּוֹתָהּ” mean according to Rashi?

A:

  • Something that flows from the body, or
  • Pain and sickness, since menstruation brings bodily heaviness.

12:4 — Blood of Purity

Q5. What does “תֵּשֵׁב” mean in this verse?

A: It simply means remain, not sitting.

Q6. What does “בִּדְמֵי טָהֳרָה” teach?

A: Even though blood appears, it does not cause ritual defilement.

 

Q7. Why is the letter ה in טָהֳרָה sometimes pronounced and sometimes not?

A:

  • When unpronounced, it is a noun meaning purity.
  • When pronounced, it is a possessive: “her days of purity.”

 

12:4 — Touching Sacred Items

Q8. What does “לֹא תִגָּע” mean here?

A: It prohibits eating consecrated food, not physical touch.

 

Q9. Why does the verse say “בְּכָל־קֹדֶשׁ”?

A: To include terumah, since she is in an extended tevul‑yom state.

 

12:7 — Which Offering Purifies

Q10. What does the suffix “וְהִקְרִיבוֹ” teach?

A: That only one offering is essential to permit her eating sacred food.

 

Q11. Which offering is essential?

A: The sin‑offering, because purification depends on atonement.

 

Q12. What does “וְטָהֲרָה” imply?

A: That prior to this point she was still considered ritually defiled regarding sancta.

 

12:8 — Order of Offerings

Q13. Why is the ascent‑offering listed before the sin‑offering?

A: Because it is entirely burned, but in practice the sin‑offering is brought first.

 

📘 Rashi Q&A — Vayikra 13:1–23

 

13:2 — Types of Lesions

Q14. What are שְׂאֵת, סַפַּחַת, and בַּהֶרֶת?

A: Names of tzara’at‑lesions, differing in whiteness.

 

Q15. What is the meaning of “בַּהֶרֶת”?

A: A bright spot, similar to brightness in the sky.

 

13:2 — Role of the Priest

Q16. Why must the lesion be brought to a priest?

A: Because defilement or purity takes effect only by priestly declaration.

 

 

13:3 — Signs of Defilement

Q17. What does “הָפַךְ לָבָן” mean?

A: Dark hairs turned white within the lesion.

 

Q18. What is the minimum number of hairs?

A: Two hairs.

 

Q19. What does “עָמֹק מֵעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ” mean?

A: The lesion appears deeper because of its whiteness.

13:4 — Quarantine

Q20. What does Rashi say about “וְעָמֹק אֵין־מַרְאֶהָ”?

A: Rashi says he does not know its meaning.

 

Q21. What does “וְהִסְגִּיר” mean?

A: The priest confines him so the condition may clarify.

 

13:5–6 — Second Examination

Q22. What does “בְּעֵינָיו” mean?

A: The lesion remains in its original size and color.

 

Q23. What does כֵּהָה mean?

A: The lesion faded.

 

Q24. What is מִסְפַּחַת?

A: A pure lesion, not tzara’at.

 

Q25. Why must he immerse his garments?

A: Because quarantine renders him temporarily defiled.

 

13:8 — Final Defilement

Q26. What happens once the priest declares him defiled?

A: The status is conclusive, requiring the full metzora process.

 

Q27. What does “צָרַעַת הִוא” mean here?

A: That the mispachat became tzara’at.

 

13:10–11 — Old Tzara’at

Q28. What does “מִחְיַת בָּשָׂר” mean?

A: Healthy‑looking flesh, which is itself a sign of defilement.

 

Q29. What does “צָרַעַת נוֹשֶׁנֶת” mean?

A: An old, festering affliction hidden beneath healthy flesh.

 

13:12–13 — White All Over

Q30. Why is total whiteness pure?

A: Because no healthy flesh remains visible.

Q31. What limitation does Rashi note on priestly examination?

A: A priest with impaired eyesight may not examine lesions.

 

13:14 — Live Flesh Appears

Q32. What special case does this verse teach?

A: If a lesion on a limb tip becomes fully visible due to healing or fat, it renders defilement.

 

Q33. Why does the verse say “וּבְיוֹם”?

A: To teach that some days lesions are not examined, such as during weddings or festivals.

 

13:18–23 — Inflammation (Shechin)

Q34. What does “שְׁחִין” mean?

A: An inflammation caused by heat, not fire.

Q35. What does “נִרְפָּא” mean?

A: It partially healed and another lesion replaced it.

 

Q36. What is meant by “בַּהֶרֶת לְבָנָה אֲדַמְדָּמֶת”?

A: A mixture of white and red.

 

Q37. What does “מַרְאֶהָ שָׁפָל” mean?

A: The spot appears lower due to whiteness, not actual depth.

 

Q38. What does “צָרֶבֶת הַשְּׁחִין” mean?

A: The scar of the inflammation.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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