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PARSHAT TAZRIA-METZORA -- Keeping Up With The Torah Times by Avi Cohen ('21)
This week's Torah portion is made up of two parshas.
In Tazria, Hashem tells Moses about the laws, rules, and rituals for a mother's childbirth. There are rules concerning the mikvah process, and boys have to get a bris after eight living days. Hashem then tells Moses and Aaron about how to respond to those infected with leprosy.
In Metzora, Hashem gives over the ritual and purification rules for people and homes afflicted with skin diseases. All together, it's about the rules of purity and impurity.
The Torah gives us a guide for how to deal with infections and diseases properly. This portion is very much like how we live life currently. Back then AND now, a new disease was spread and people were getting sick, dying, or getting better. Back then, G-d was able to verbalize how to treat this sickness (leprosy). But now... we question where is G-d when many lives have been lost? This is the case in different times recorded in Jewish history. When we were slaves in Egypt... where was G-d? During the Holocaust... where was G-d? And even during Covid... Where IS G-d?
But think about this now, why was G-d specifically present during the times of the portion. He INSTRUCTED Moshe AND Aaron how to treat these diseases killing people. So some are left to wonder… Where do you see G-d in the world's current situation? What do you think is going to happen in the future when other diseases, or disasters occur?