Leviticus 14:1-15:33 – 2 Kings 7:3-20 – Luke 14:25-33

This week's edition of The Set Table contains:

Questions and Commentary on Metzora
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
In Summary
Looking Ahead

Questions & Commentary on Parashat Metzora

1. This week's Torah portion mentions an affliction known as tzara‘at (e.g. Leviticus 14:3). Is tzara‘at identical to leprosy or is it something else? What is the connection between tzara‘at and the suffering of the Messiah?

Rabbi Jason Sobel

The traditional Jewish interpretation of the affliction known as tzara‘at is that it is not the medical disease known as leprosy. Commenting on the spiritual nature of tzara‘at Ovadiah Seforno (16th century Italian commentator) writes: 

The tzara‘at lesions which the Torah speaks of as rendering an individual unclean have nothing in common with the leprous diseases known to medicine. Tzara‘at is a supernatural affliction imposed by God on a person to punish an individual for a sin or to help them make amends for a wicked deed. 

Thus according to rabbinic tradition, the primary sin that causes the supernatural spiritual affliction of tzara‘at is lashon hara‘, gossip and slander (Numbers 12:1-10). Two other major causes given by our Sages for tzara‘at include ga'ava, arrogance and tzarat ayin, miserliness. It is also important to note that this painful affliction is primarily redemptive and not punitive in nature. As Hebrew 12:6 says, "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a child." 

Several rabbinic texts describe the Messiah as a metzora', a leper who suffers on behalf of the Jewish people:

What is his name [i.e., the Messiah]?-His name is "metzora'/the white one/the leper" of the house of Rebbi," for it is written, "Truly he has bore our sickness and carried our pains, yet we considered him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4).

    b. Sanhedrin 98b 

Like the individual with tzara‘at, our Messiah's suffering is also redemptive. First, Yeshua suffered on our behalf in order to bring about forgiveness and purification for our sins. As Isaiah writes, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5) 

The word metzora' can be translated as "white." I believe this alludes to the fact that through Messiah Yeshua's suffering, as the symbolic leper of Israel, he takes the crimson stain of our sin and washes us as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). On the basis of Yeshua's atoning sacrifice, God offers us spiritual cleansing and transformation.  

Furthermore, Yeshua's suffering also brings about reconciliation on two levels. First, his death brings about spiritual reconciliation as Shaul writes, "God was in Messiah reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). 

Second, once we experience God's reconciliation through Messiah Yeshua, we are called to do whatever is in our power to have right relationships with those around. Yeshua clearly emphasized the critical importance of reconciliation when he said:  

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24 

By seeking reconciliation with others who we have wronged us or whom we have wronged, we emulate and bear witness to the love of Yeshua. We also fulfill God's calling to be agents of reconciliation.  

Another similarity between Messiah Yeshua and the metzora' is the way they are treated by the community of Israel. As mentioned earlier, the leper had to live outside the camp due to his uncleanness. He was forced to live alone and was considered stricken by God on account of his sins. This is exactly how the majority of our people view Yeshua today. As disheartening as this may be, we should not be surprised by this reality for according to the prophets the Messiah had to be rejected. Before Messiah can reign as Davidic King over Israel and the Nations, he first had to suffer and be rejected as the prophets write (Isaiah 53:3; Psalm 118:22-23) 

Unfortunately, many of our people will treat us like they treated him, as a metzora'. By following the leper of Israel, we become one as well. We must bear this reproach even as Yeshua did with love and forbearance. By suffering with him, we are spiritually transformed and can help bring hope and healing to other hurting people. Our leprous status is not a badge of shame but one of honor for it will result in great blessing for the nations, our people, and us.  

The good news is that there is coming a time, when all Israel will understand that the leper Messiah found in rabbinic tradition is Yeshua of Nazareth. At that time they will say concerning the suffering servant of Israel, "This was the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our sight" (Psalm 118:23). Until that glorious day, let us find meaning in and embrace our marginalization by going fourth to him [Yeshua] outside the camp and bearing the disgrace he bore with joy for the God's glory and Israel's sake (Hebrew 13:12-13).

2. Why does our parasha for this week focus on rituals for addressing the presence of Scale Disease on people in the ancient Israelite community? What does this tell us about Israel's corporate calling? 

Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan

This week's and last week's Torah portions present us with topics which we rarely discuss in modern religion: Tzara'at topical maladies both on person and property and emissions from parts of the body people tend to blush at when mentioned. Metzora, this week's parasha, deals specifically with the purification ritual for what modern scholars have loosely termed as Scale Disease (not the leprosy with which we traditionally associate with these sections of Leviticus) and with the phenomenon of genital discharges and the rituals for purifying one's body afterwards.  

Some modern commentators like Isaac Klein have suggested that the material in this parasha related to genital discharges is merely a manual of sexuality morality that balances the excesses of modern paganism and the prudish Puritanism of some forms of contemporary Christianity.  Klein tells us that in this parasha, from a Jewish perspective, sex is good but only with-in God given bounds. Others tend to view this parasha as a public health manual designed to keep disease outside of the center of this fragile, new Israelite community. Like with the respiratory ailment SARs, the only option is exclusion and isolation for the sake of the people.  Certainly, both these interpretations are valid, but they tend to reduce this parasha to the categories of public health and sex ed. when the Priests compiling these documents were more concerned with God's Holiness.   

As it says in Leviticus 15:31 vehizzartem et-bene-yisrael mittum'atam velo yamutu betum'atam betam'am et-mishkaniy asher betocham - "You shall put the Israelites on guard against their uncleanness, lest they die through their uncleanness by defiling My Tabernacle which is among them." God is clear that Israel's impurity does not mean that they are sexually immoral or that they are risking the public health of their community. Rather, Israel's impurity threatens God's ongoing presence in their midst. Bodily fluids in particular, are the stuff of life only when they remain as God created them to be. As Jacob Milgrom, in his Anchor Bible Commentary on Leviticus, points out, "Their common denominator is death.  [Bodily fluids] represent the forces of life; their loss-death." This loss brings impurity (tum'a) that threatens God's holiness (qedusha).  Being unclean means there is death in the community and that death threatens God's very presence, God's holiness betocham - "in their midst." 

Luke 14:25-36 - The Cost of Following Yeshua

In the midst of Yeshua's teaching about the Kingdom, he pauses in this week's Besora reading and confronts us with the cost of following him. These are some of the harshest and most difficult words of the Messiah. 

Yeshua begins by challenging us to pause and reflect upon the cost of following him to our very lives. 

Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

    Luke 14:26-27 (NRSV) 

Yeshua is not saying here that our decision to follow him is predicated on our commitment to violate God's commandment at Sinai to honor our parents and the sacred relationships of the family (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). Rather, he is pointing to the difficulties which discipleship entails. One cannot be a lover of life, a bon vivant as the French say, and be in the emotional, physical, or spiritual position necessary to follow the Messiah. As many of us know, whether from our own lives or witnessing the lives of others, following Messiah is costly. We need to be prepared to bear the cost of the Kingdom. 

As Yeshua goes on to tell us. Discipleship requires proper planning. It is like building a building or waging a war. 

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish." Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

    Luke 14:28-33 (NRSV) 

For those of us who follow the Messiah, the challenge is to continually consider the cost and reaffirm our commitment to the Kingdom of God that Yeshua announces and embodies.

NEXT WEEK'S READINGS - PARASHAT ACHAREI MOT

Leviticus 16:1-18:30
Malachi 3:4-24
Luke 22:7-20

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