Shabbos, 11th Adar 5783/March 4, 2023
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Parshas Tazria-Metzora-Shishi
- The laws of Tzaraas on a house:
- Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron saying that when they come to Eretz Canaan, Hashem will place Tzaraas in houses. One who has Tzaraas in his house is to approach the Kohen and tell him that there is a Tzaraas like lesion in his house. The Kohen is to have the entire house cleared of all its belongings prior to him coming to examine the lesion. This is done to prevent the belongings from becoming impure.
- The examination: If the lesion on the wall is green or red and it is lower than the rest of the wall then the following is done: The Kohen leaves the house and seals it for seven days. The Kohen is to return on the seventh day and see if the lesion has spread.
- The Tzaraas spread-The purification process-stage 1: If the lesion spread, the Kohen is to have the stones of the wall that have the lesion, removed and taken outside the camp, to an impure place. The area around the lesion is to have a layer of its material removed and have that material thrown outside of the camp, to an impure place. New stones are to be placed into the wall, and the peeled area of the wall is to be filled in.
- If the Tzaras returns: If the Tzaraas returns after this, then the house is impure. The entire house is to be destroyed and all of its material is to be removed outside of the camp. [The examination to check whether the Tzaraas returned takes place seven days after the purification process.] Whoever enters the house during this time becomes impure.
- If the Tzaras does not return-Purification process-stage 2: If the Tzaraas does not return, then the house is to be purified. Two birds, cedar wood and crimson wool string are taken. One bird is to be slaughtered and have its blood poured into an earthenware vessel that is filled with water. The cedar wood, a wool string, and hyssop are to be bound and dipped into the water and blood. The bird is also to be dipped into the vessel. The above items are then to be sprinkled seven times onto the house. The bird is then to be let free to outside of the city.
- This concludes the laws of all the types of Tzaraas.
- The Zav impurity:
- Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron telling them to speak to Bnei Yisrael regarding the laws of Zav. A man who has a flow of semen like fluid is to be declared impure.
- Contact with the Zav: Whatever bed he lies on and whatever seat he sits on becomes impure. One who touches his bed becomes impure until the night. Whoever sits on his seat becomes impure until the night. Whoever touches the skin of the Zav is impure until the night. If the Zav spits on a person he is impure until the night. Whatever ride the Zav rides on becomes impure and whoever touches it is impure. Whoever the Zav touches becomes impure. An earthenware vessel that is touched by the Zav becomes impure and is to be destroyed. A wood vessel is to be immersed in water.
- Purification process of Zav: The Zav is to count seven days and immerse his clothing and body in water. On the eighth day he is to take two birds and bring them to the Ohel Moed to the Kohen. The Kohen is to offer one as a Chatas and one as an Olah.
Tanya Middle of Chapter 43
1. The two levels of love:
- Just as there exist two levels of fear of G-d, as explained above, so too love of G-d also contains two levels; Ahava Raba/Great love, and Ahavas Olam/world love.
2. The love of Ahavah Raba:
- A love of ecstasy: The love defined as Ahava Raba is a love of delightfulness and ecstasy. [It is not a yearning and desire to attach to G-d, but rather the act of bonding/Dveikus itself that is the result of desiring Him.]
- For whom-A fiery love as a gift from above for one who has perfected his awe God: This love is a fiery flame that comes spontaneously without the result of one’s own effort. It comes as a gift from above for the individual who has perfected his fear of G-d.
- Perfection of awe draws this form of love: This plays on the statement of the Sages “It is the way of the man to pursue the woman.” Metaphorically, love of G-d is referred to a man or male, as the verse states “Zachar Chasdo,” while fear is referred to a female, as the verse states “Veisha Yiras Hashem. [Hence, the Sages are hinting to the fact that the male/love is revealed from above to one who has perfected his fear/female aspect.]
- Without awe this love cannot be attained: Without preceding the fear, it is not possible to reach this love of Ahava Raba.
- The reason, this loves comes from Atzilus: As this love comes from the world of Atzilus in which there is no separateness from G-d, Heaven forbid. [Accordingly, for one to merit this love, he must spiritually reach the state of Atzilus in his service of G-d, and be completely nullified to Him.]
3. The love of Ahavas Olam:
- The love of Ahavas Olam comes from understanding and contemplation in G-d’s greatness, that He fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds, and all is like naught before Him.
- Transforming love of the self and physical for love of G-d: The above contemplation helps remove one’s lusts and love for worldly matters and transforms it to a lust and passion for G-d.
- One who has no worldly loves or passions: Even one who has no lusts and passions for even worldly matters can arouse a love and passion for G-d through the above contemplation.
Rambam-Hilchos Melachim Umilchamos
Chapter 11: The King Messiah
Halacha 1: The actions to be performed by the Messiah
- Re-instilling the Davidic dynasty: The Messiah will re-instill the monarchy of David to its original state of power.
- Building the temple: The Messiah will rebuild the Temple.
- Gathering the dispersed of Israel: The Messiah will gather the dispersed of Israel.
- Re-instilling Torah law: The Messiah will re-instill the laws of the Torah to their original biblical state, which includes the offering of sacrifices, the sabbatical and Jubilee years, as well as all the other commands written in the Torah.
- Denying his coming is heresy: One who does not believe in the coming of the Messiah is considered to have rejected not only the later prophets but even the Torah of Moses himself, as the Torah itself testifies to his coming in numerous verses in Scripture.
- Not awaiting his coming is heresy: Likewise, one who does not await his arrival is considered to have rejected the Torah and the prophets as stated above.
Halacha 2: The mitzvah of establishing cities of refuge will only be complete with the Messiah
- A further proof from Scripture for the coming of the Messiah is from the command that a further three cities of refuge should be established once G-d expands our borders of land. Now, this has never yet occurred and certainly G-d did not command us regarding something that will never take place.
- A proof from Tanach: There is no need to bring any proof from Tanach for the coming of the Messiah, as all of the books of Tanach are filled with this information
Halacha 3: The Messiah does not have to perform miracles
- One should not mistakenly believe that the Messiah must perform miracles and wonders and change the natural order of the world and resurrect the dead, as in truth this is completely unnecessary for him to be deemed the Messiah.
- A proof for this concept can be gleaned from the fact the Rabbi Akiva, who was the weapon carrier of Ben Koziva, believed Ben Koziva to be the Messiah even though he performed no miracles. This belief was likewise shared by all the other sages of that generation, despite the fact that we do not find a request from him to perform miracles.
- His death proved otherwise: The eventual murder of Ben Koziva put the above belief to rest, as when he was killed due to his sins it proved that he was not the Messiah.
- The Torah and mitzvahs are eternal: The Torah and all of its commands are eternal and one may not add to it or subtract from it.
Halacha 4: Identifying the Messiah
- Chezkas Moshiach-the presumed Messiah: A Jewish leader can be presumed to be the Messiah if he fulfills the following criteria:
- His lineage goes back to the house of David.
- He assiduously studies the Torah and fulfills mitzvahs like David his ancestor.
- He influences and imposes upon all of the Jewish people to go in the ways of the Torah and he strengthens its points of weakness.
- He fights the wars of G-d.
- Moshiach Vadaiy-the definite Messiah: The presumed Messiah becomes the definite Messiah if he fulfills the following criteria:
- He is successful in fighting the wars of G-d.
- He builds the temple in its place.
- He gathers the scattered multitude of Israel.
- He establishes for the entire world to serve G-d together, including the Gentile nations.
- If the presumed Messiah is not successful in the above: If the presumed Messiah was not successful in all the above, or if he was killed, then he is definitely not the Messiah, and is rather considered like all of the other righteous kings of the monarchy of David who have died.
- The reason G-d sends presumed messiahs: The reason G-d sent this presumed Messiah, despite him not reaching the criteria of the definite Messiah, is in order to challenge the masses and refine the people until the true kind of redemption arrives.
- The negation of Yoshka as the Messiah: Yoshka who believed himself to be the Messiah and was killed by the Jewish court was the exact opposite of the Messiah. All the prophets speak of the Messiah as an individual who redeems the Jewish people and gathers those scattered amongst the nations and strengthens their mitzvahs. This individual however did the exact opposite, as he caused the Jewish people to be killed and caused them to be exiled throughout the world, and to be viewed with disdain, and to switch the Torah with a false religion, and to fool the majority of the world to serve a deity that isn’t G-d.
- The divine purpose of Yoshka and Mohammed: The creator of the world had His calculations for allowing this man Yoshka to be successful, as through him and the Ishmalite who came after him, the path for the coming of King Messiah became paved, and the world progressed towards serving G-d in unity, and having even the Gentiles serve G-d together.
- How this is so: As a result of the above two individuals, the world became filled with the knowledge of the Messiah as well as knowledge of Torah and mitzvahs, and reached even the furthest of islands, and many of the uncircumcised nations. These people now are involved in discussion of the Torah and mitzvahs, although denying its current necessity, either due to believing that they were not meant to be eternal or due to believing that they have a higher and more spiritual nonliteral intent. Now, when the true King Messiah will arrive and be successful, it will be revealed to them that they have inherited a lie from their ancestors, and have been drawn astray by them from the truth of the Torah and mitzvahs.
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