This week's reading deals in great detail with the healing of an obscure Torah 'disease' called Tzoraas which manifests on the skin and hasn't been around for at least two thousand years! But really the Torah is eternal and vitally relevant to every instant of our lives. And this section especially proves it.
To understand, here is a story.
Rabbi Shlomo was a Talmudic genius renowned for his piety and austere devotion to G-d. Every waking moment of his day whether eating or just walking in the street was he was usually deeply immersed in some Talmudic problem. But for the last few days he was pondering a different problem.... should he murder his son in law!
And all because of a book! The scene; Vilna about 300 years ago. Orthodox Judaism was in turmoil over a new, Messianic movement called 'Chassidim' that seemed similar to the destructive heresies of the evil Shabbai Tzvi some ninety years earlier. This dangerous and charismatic Jew also got people excited about the Messiah and redeeming the Jewish people, but ended up trying to destroy Judaism by discouraging the holy commandments and encouraging much of what the Torah forbids. But unlike Tzvi's movement the Chassidim were attracting some very serious Rabbis to their ranks and almost everyone that seriously investigated this new way became a follower! The Rabbis of Vilna decided to take drastic action. They declared it an obligation to hate the Chasidim, branded them as apostates that must be ostracized.
So you can imagine how Rav Shlomo, reacted when one of 'their' books "Toldot Yaakov Yosef" was discovered under his own son in law's pillow!! It was written by one Rabbi Yakov Yosef who had once been the chief Rabbi of Polnoy but then 'defected' to the Chassidim. It was filled ideas that (then) sent shivers down the spine of all 'normal' G-d fearing Jews like: we give G-d pleasure, G-d reacts to everything we do. G-d creates everything constantly, all Jews (even sinners) are holy and all Jews, even the totally righteous must repent. But what to do? How could he save his daughter? Despite the arguments, bribery and threats his son in law refused to divorce her and on the other hand declared eternal allegiance to the Chassidim.
Rab Shlomo was actually considering murder.
The entire town of Vilna was in an uproar, even the gentiles began to take interest until finally the word got around to the old Baron who owned all the lands in the area, and he decided to arbitrate. He demanded that both parties appear before him for trial and that Rab Shlomo bring the book. The next day they were all standing before the seated Baron in his study in his huge castle as he was looking through the book. "Hmmm". He said out loud as he turned the pages filled with Hebrew script. "Aha!" On the bottom of the front page was written a few lines in Russian; "Yaakov Yosef of Polnoy! He fell into deep thought for several minutes, smiled, looked up at Rab Shlomo and said, "The man who wrote this book is a holy man. You should be proud to have a son-in-law that follows him. I see the time has come to tell the story, please be seated."
Rab Shlomo shot a menacing look at his son in law. They all pulled up chairs, sat down and turned their attention to the Baron. What did he mean by 'the time has come'? He cleared his throat and began.
"Almost fifty years ago when I was a colonel in the Czar's army with two thousand men under my command, we were encamped near the town of Polnoy. It was the first night of your Passover holiday and several of the soldiers requested permission to enter the city and have a look how the Jews celebrated. "I granted permission to some fifty of them on the condition that they return one hour after midnight, but when the time arrived three soldiers were missing. I sent three more to find them and they returned with the strangest news: They had gone from house to house calling out and peeking in windows with no luck until they came to one a small wooden hut whose door was wide open. Candles lit up the room brightly. An old, bearded Jew sat at the table swaying back and forth with his eyes closed in deep contemplation completely oblivious to his surroundings. And standing in the middle of the room, paralyzed like statues, were our three soldiers! "The men I sent rushed from the house in fear and reported the news to me. I mounted my horse, took a few mounted soldiers with me to see for myself. I returned to the house they spoke of, entered and it was just as they said; the old man was sitting there deep in thought, oblivious of everything around him. "I cleared my throat loudly, begged the old man's pardon and introduced myself. He turned to me, smiled, nodded and motioned for me to have a seat. 'I've come for my men' I told him. 'What have you done to them?' "He looked at them as though for the first time and calmly answered. 'You have my word that I had nothing to do with this. They must have stolen something from the table, have your men check them.' Sure enough when my men made the check they found that each had taken silverware and when it had all been returned two of them returned to normal. "'What about him?' I asked pointing to the third one, 'Oh' the old Jew replied, ' perhaps he put something in his boot.' Sure enough the old man was right. He had stolen a silver spoon and when it was removed from his boot he too returned to his former self. "The soldiers were really shaken up and after they recovered, they told me what had happened.
"Earlier that night, after they finished looking through windows at the various 'Seders' and were about to return to the camp, they noticed one house with its door wide open so they entered. When they saw only the old man with his eyes closed, they figured he was asleep so they first ate all leftovers on the table and then, unable to control themselves, began filling their pockets with silverware. But as they turned to leave, they suddenly discovered that they couldn't move, they were paralyzed! "I put the men under arrest, ordered them to apologize and to return to the camp and then, as soon as they left, I sat back down and asked the old man if he would bless me. He looked so friendly and well, holy, that I couldn't resist; I had been married for years with no children. He blessed me with children and with long life.
"That was fifty years ago. Today I am ninety years old with children and grandchildren thanks to the blessing of that holy man. But he also told me that I would know that my end was near when I had to advertise this story... and now I see the time has come. "Now just ask yourself." The Baron concluded. "That Rabbi had the power to grant long life and children and he didn't ask for any reward! Nothing at all for himself!! Could that be an evil man? Certainly not!! You should be happy that you have such a son in law that wants to learn from him!"
Rab Shlomo became a different man.
This answers our question about the relevance of "Metzora' today. Just as in our story; Rab Shomo would never have been able to purify himself of his misplaced hatred had the book of his son-in-law not brought it to the surface. So too in our generation: all the evil coming to the surface is a positive sign! The Lubavitcher Rebbe says that ours is the last generation of exile and the first generation of redemption .... through Moshiach. Moshiach will do both: 'redeem' the world from its false egotism and direct it to its true meaning. Therefore, Moshiach is also called a Metzora (Talmud Sanhedren 98b). Because just as in Metzora all the inner defects of the soul are revealed on the SKIN, so too Moshiach will remove all evil from the world by first bringing it to the surface.
This is the importance of this week's reading and its connection to this Shabbat (Shabbat Ha Gadol). Because this Shabbat prepares us not only for the coming Passover Holiday but mainly for the TOTAL redemption when all good will be revealed and there will be even greater miracles than those of the Exodus. (see Micha (7:15)).
It is in our hands to make it happen even one moment sooner, and not much is lacking. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish prayers, self-sacrifice, faith and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can bring.... Moshiach NOW!! Rabbi Tuvia Bolton Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel
