Rabbi Frand on Parshas Tazria
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 369, Bris
Millah That Causes Chilul Shabbos. Good Shabbos!
A Joyful Time Should Be Had By All
At the beginning of Parshas Tazria, the Torah says that after a woman gave
birth to a male son she is ritually impure for seven days. Then, following
immersion in a Mikveh, a ritual bath, she returns to a state of ritual
purity. On the eighth day, male sons are circumcised. The Talmud [Niddah
31b] provides a very interesting reason for performing the milah
[circumcision] on the eighth day.
During the seven days of ritual impurity following the birth of the son,
relations between husband and wife are prohibited. In early generations,
prior to subsequent rabbinic prohibitions which exist today, husband and
wife were allowed to be together and have relations by the eighth day.
The Talmud explains that the reason we wait until the eighth day for the
bris milah and the accompanying celebration is that prior to this time,
the happiness of the husband and wife would be limited by the prohibition
against intimately sharing their joy together. The lack of ability by
husband and wife to celebrate fully might even dampen the spirits and
restrict the enjoyment of the other guests. Therefore the Torah
established that milah be 'delayed' until the eighth day, so that everyone
will be able to fully participate in the joyous occasion.
Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein (the Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva, zt"l), points out
that the Torah is expressing tremendous sensitivity for people's feelings.
This passage says, essentially, that milah should really be performed
sooner. The Torah has us wait until the eighth day to make sure that
everyone present at the Simcha [happy occasion] will be able to fully
enjoy themselves.
The concept of sharing happy occasions and maximizing the Simcha for
everyone present is so basic to Torah ethics that it justifies
'postponing' milah until the eighth day.
Four times a year, on Yom Kippur and the end of the three major festivals
(Shemini Atzeres (following Sukkos), Pesach, and Shavuos), the Yizkor
prayer is recited in memory of the dead. There is a virtually universal
custom that when Yizkor is said, those worshippers whose parents are both
still living leave the sanctuary during the recital. What is the reason
for this custom?
Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein wrote that the reason for the custom is the
very thought mentioned earlier. Yizkor is usually recited on Yom Tov. If
reciting Yizkor is not exactly a joyous experience for the people whose
parents are deceased, it can at least be a comforting experience to
remember their loved ones on Yom Tov. But if the other people witness this
and watch friends and relatives perhaps shedding tears for departed
parents, that would affect and contradict their enjoyment of the Yom Tov.
This is what we are trying to avoid. We try to provide the appropriate
form of Simchas Yom Tov [happiness on the holiday] for everyone.
This write-up was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tape series on the weekly Torah portion.
The complete list of halachic topics covered in this series for Parshas
Tazria are provided below:
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.
