Rabbi Frand on Tazria-Metzora
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 335, The
Microscope in Halacha.
Good Shabbos!
The 'Eyes' Have It When It Comes To Tzaraas of Clothing
At the end of Parshas Tazria, when the Torah states the laws of the Tzaraas
affliction affecting clothing, the pasuk [verse] says, "the Kohen shall
look, after the affliction has been washed, and behold (if) the affliction
has not changed its appearance (lo hafach es eino) and the affliction has
not spread, it is contaminated, you shall burn it in fire..." [Vayikra
13:55].
Although the literal and straightforward interpretation of the expression
"lo hafach es eino" means that the appearance of the affliction has not
changed, the Chidushei HaRim (R. Yitzchak Meir of Ger [1799-1866]) cites a
beautiful insight based on a Gemara [Eruchin 16a]. The Talmud mentions that
Tzaraas is a punishment for certain specific sins. The most commonly known
sin in this category is that of tale bearing (lashon haRa). However, the
Talmud teaches that Tzaraas is also a punishment for "tzorus ha-ayin"
[narrowness of the eye]. This term does not merely refer to stinginess and
being tight-fisted. A person is described as "narrow of eye" if he never
sees the positive. It is the opposite of generosity of spirit. It connotes
someone who always sees evil. It is a stinginess that extends beyond one's
money to the way in which one views life in general.
If tzaraas is a punishment for "tzorus ha-ayin", it would follow that the
remedy which would cause the tzaraas to go way is repenting and changing
from a 'narrow eyed' (tzar ayin) person to a 'good eyed' (tov ayin) person.
In other words, change from being a disciple of Bilaam the wicked, who was a
'narrow eyed' person, to being a disciple of Avraham who was a generous
person, possessing a 'good eye' [Avot 5:19].
If the tzaraas does not improve... If it stays the same size then the
garment has no remedy. The garment remains impure and ultimately it must be
burnt.
The Chidushei HaRim says that the expression "lo hafach es eino" has a
double meaning. Certainly, on a simple level, the meaning of the phrase is
that it did not change its appearance. But, the phrase also connotes the
fact that the affliction did not change the 'eye' of the owner of the
garment. In order to repent and to have his garment's affliction remedied,
his 'eye' must change - from being stingy of spirit to being generous of
spirit.
In addition, the Chidushei HaRim says that the word "Nega" [affliction],
which appears in this pasuk can actually be considered a rearrangement of
the letters of the word "Oneg" [pleasure]. The difference between the word
"Nega" and the word "Oneg" is just a matter of where the (letter) "ayin" is
placed. (The letter "ayin" also connotes 'eye'!) In these two words, the
letters 'Nun' and 'Gimmel' are stationary. The only difference between the
words is whether the 'ayin' is at the beginning or at the end. This alludes
back to our theme that the difference between having an affliction and
having pleasure is completely dependent on the placement of the 'eye'. If a
person has a 'good eye', with the proper approach and the proper perspective
on life - he will have 'Oneg'. Otherwise he will be stuck with 'Nega'.
If a person finds himself incapable of changing his perspective, he will
wind up being forced to burn his clothes. "If the affliction has not changed
its appearance (lo hafach es eino)... you shall burn it in fire..."
The Peddler's Lesson: Listen To Your Messages
There is a famous Medrash that tells of a peddler who came into a city and
inquired "Who wants longevity? Who wants longevity?" Rav Yannai inquired of
the peddler what he was selling. The peddler directed Rav Yannai to the
pasuk in Tehillim: "Who is the man who desires life...? Guard your tongue
from evil and your lips from speaking deceit" [Tehillim 34:13-14]. Rav
Yannai commented that he never understood the interpretation of this pasuk
until this peddler taught him about it.
All the commentaries are bothered by an obvious question on this Medrash:
how is it that Rav Yannai never understood the interpretation of a
straightforward pair of pasukim [verses] in Tehillim, until a peddler
explained it to him? It would seem that there is nothing subtle to
understand here! What did the peddler see that Rav Yannai did not see?
The Shemen HaTov explains that certainly Rav Yannai understood that a person
who desires life needs to guard his tongue. But Rav Yannai had understood
that the only way to guard one's tongue from evil is to become a hermit. Rav
Yannai thought that cleanliness of speech required being somewhat anti-
social. Rav Yannai believed that mixing with society, having friends and
engaging in conversation was a sure formula for NOT being able to live up to
the standards of "Who is the man who desires life".
Rav Yannai was shocked that the PEDDLER was "selling" this verse. Peddlers
are known for their 'gift of gab'. They travel from city to city and from
house to house and have plenty to tell and plenty to share and plenty to
say. In classic Hebrew literature, the peddler was always portrayed as a
gossip. The very name of the profession (Rochel) is related to the word for
tale-bearing (Rechilus).
Rav Yannai's revelation was not so much the interpretation of the pasuk but
the teacher of the lesson: "If the peddler can tell me that a person such as
he can be careful about Lashon HaRa (gossip), then my approach must change.
I now realize that a person can intermix with society, talk, be sociable and
still be careful not to speak Lashon HaRa."
Rabbi Layzer Levine, the father-in-law of Rabbi Berel Wein, grew up in the
house of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisrael Mayer Kagan. [Rabbi Kagan was the
author of numerous works of Halacha and ethics, but is known by the name of
his largest work on the laws of gossip, "Chofetz Chaim" ("desires life",
from the passage in Psalms quoted above).] It is well-known that the Chofetz
Chaim was himself the paradigm of someone who was careful not to speak
Lashon HaRa. Therefore, we imagine that he was a person of very few words,
who rarely spoke to those around him.
Rabbi Wein heard from his father-in-law that the opposite was true. The
Chofetz Chaim was constantly talking! He was constantly engaged in
conversation with people. And nonetheless, he was careful about Lashon HaRa.
That is what Rav Yannai learned from the peddler.
In addition, there is another lesson here. Many times in life we are
bombarded with messages. Some of these messages are very important. Some of
these messages may come from the most unlikely of sources. Even the lowly
peddler can deliver a powerful message to the great Rav Yannai. However, we
must listen for such messages. Someone like Rav Yannai, who is constantly
open to messages, will constantly learn and constantly grow.
"From all my teachers I have become wise" [Tehillim 119:99]. A person must
have the ability to learn from every teacher and from every situation. The
messages are out there. Our job is to remain awake enough to receive them.
This write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah Portion. The
halachic topics covered for the current week's portion in this series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
