Metzora(Leviticus 14-15)

The Land of Israel

The parsha of Metzorah deals with the plague of tzaraat, a physical malady resulting from certain spiritual deficiencies. Tzaraat can infect a person in one of three ways: on their house, clothes or skin.

What causes tzaraat? The Talmud says that tzaraat comes as a result of speaking Loshon Hara - negative speech about another person. A person's home protects privacy; Loshon Hara invades upon the privacy of others. Similarly, clothing is a way to maintain dignity; Loshon Hara deprives others of dignity. Therefore, such a plague on homes and clothes is measure-for-measure.

The Torah first speaks about tzaraat on the body and clothes, and how to purify oneself from tzaraat of body and clothes. Then the Torah talks about tzaraat on the house and how to be purified from it.

Why does the Torah separate its discussion of "body and clothes" from "house?" Obviously, tzaraat on a house is a different category than on body and clothes.

Leviticus 14:34 tells us the difference: "The plague in the house of the land of your possession..." This teaches that tzaraat on a house can occur only in the Land of Israel, whereas the other two forms can occur anywhere in the world.

Why the difference?

Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, Dean of Ner Israel Talmudic College in Baltimore, explains: Clothing is mine and my body is mine - no matter where I live. But my house is not mine - except in the Land of Israel. For Jews, houses outside of Israel are not true "homes." They are for us to rent, sell and occupy until we find somewhere else. But they do not serve us as living in Israel would. Ultimately, we don't belong anywhere else but our land.

Which is not to say that there's no good reason for living in the Diaspora. I myself do! But under what condition and circumstances that is preferable ... that's a separate discussion.

For someone who never lived in Israel, it would be very difficult to appreciate how a house there is different than America. (It's hard to appreciate a loss when you never had it.) Israelis look at their homes very differently. They view their land as something more than did Polish Jews who lived in Poland for hundreds of years.

Some years ago, when Rabbi Berel Wein was building Yeshiva Shaarey Torah in Monsey, New York, the contractor offered to use special Finnish lumber that lasts 150 years, instead of regular wood which starts rotting after 90. "No thank you," said Rabbi Wein, "we don't want to make our stay outside of Israel too permanent."

If you have never been to Israel, make a commitment and start planning a trip now. You will be surprised at how much you will learn about yourself.

BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Question 1: Do you think of yourself as more American than Jewish?

Question 2: Why do you think Diaspora Jewry has so staunchly supported the State of Israel (both politically and economically)?

Question 3: How do you think the existence of such a large Jewish community in Israel has changed the worldwide Jewish dynamic in modern times?