Lev 14:1–15:33; Mal. 3:4-24; Matt. 23:16–24
This week’s parasha reminds us about something that the Church has studiously ignored throughout the ages, that is, the Jewishness of God’s heartbeat. The Church throughout history has failed to understand, and sometimes deliberately misunderstood, that the faith they embrace is entirely Jewish from beginning to end. Instead, they have turned it upside down filling it with pagan traditions and anti-Semitism portraying a Westernised blonde, blue-eyed Caucasian Yeshua who ate egg and bacon for breakfast!
Yeshua, His disciples, the writers of the NT and the Early Church – in fact the entire bible was written by Jews who were embedded in Jewish culture, with a Jewish identity – physical, emotional and spiritual. To ignore this is to promote all that has been ugly throughout the history of Christianity.
The Jewishness of the NT permeates every page against a background that most people ignore. For example, after Mary gave birth to Yeshua she went through the Jewish rite of purification (ritual Mikvah) 7 days later, in accordance with the Laws of Moses, followed by 33 days of ritual purity as required in the Tanakh: Luke quoted from Ex.13:2 where he states that,
“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took (Yeshua) to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’”
On the 8th day following birth, Yeshua was circumcised in accordance with the Law required for every male Jew.
The whole Jewish concept of birth is deeply embedded within the creative heart of God. He gave birth to the physical universe through His Word. Yet, greater still is the spiritual rebirth He has made available for both Jew and Gentile transforming every life tarnished by sin through the precious blood of Yeshua shed for us that Scripture refers to as “rebirth.”
Yeshua told Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, that unless one is re-born one cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Being re-born was a familiar idiom to the Jewish people. At one’s bar-mitzvah at age 13, it was considered a rebirth, Also, when one was baptised. And when one was married, and if one became a member of the ruling religious body, the Sanhedrin. And yet, when Nicodemus, came secretly to Yeshua at night to ask Him questions, he failed to understand when Yeshua told him that he needed to be ‘born again.’
Paul summed this up clearly in 2Corin. 5:17 when he wrote, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings new life].”
Nicodemus entirely failed to grasp this when he approached Yeshua under the cloak of darkness, because Yeshua had categorised something entirely new regarding being “born again” that rendered everything he had achieved unto that point in his life redundant.
We can make connections with the concept of rebirth, new beginnings, in our parasha for this week known as ‘Metzora,’ (isolation) where there are detailed instructions spanning two chapters (13-14) regarding the Jewish laws of purification specifically for tzara’at a deadly infectious skin disease akin to leprosy. It rotted the flesh and disfigured the body causing incredible pain; it was the only disease which rendered a person unclean; a plague which required those who were afflicted to be isolated and remain outside of the camp where they would remain until they finally succumbed. This rule was applied for everyone from King to the poorest of the poor.
Lev. 13:45-46 states that “…everyone (with) tzara‘at sores is to wear torn clothes and unbound hair, cover his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as he has sores, he will be unclean; since he is unclean, he must live in isolation; he must live outside the camp.”
If someone discovered they had any type of skin disease which they had recovered from, they approached the priest on the 8th day who examined him and pronounced him healed. Following this, a guilt offering was made, and the priest placed some of the oil and blood of the offering (male lamb) upon the tip of the right ear of the one cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. (Lev.14:10–14) This was highly symbolic representing atonement and cleansing of everything we hear, everything we do, and every path we take. It was a new beginning and a type of new birth.
Its significance refers to Jewish thought that tzara’at was a physical manifestation of a spiritual condition and a punishment designed to show a sinner that he must mend his ways, for which we see several examples in Scripture.
The word of God teaches us that sin is the most serious of all problems because, like tzara’at it isolates us from God. There cannot ever be anything terrible than this because, without a remedy, it holds eternal consequences more horrible beyond imagination. And yet, each one of us is afflicted. Scripture states that, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
The destructiveness of tzara’at in Scripture is aptly compared to its spiritual counterpart described in Scripture as sin, an unpopular word which all humanity is tarnished with that leads to certain death and a lost eternity unless we are cleansed and restored, what Yeshua described to Nicodemus as being “reborn.”
It is noteworthy that Scripture connects tzara‘at to one specific sin above others – lashon hara – slander. Our words hold untold power that promote life or death – there is no middle ground. However, lashon hara has become an acceptable part of speech in our modern age that sadly also permeates many sections of the church irrespective of denomination and tears it apart.
Gossip and slander is something that has increasingly deteriorated into a bad habit and lifestyle among many who claim to be believers. It has become a socially accepted “sin” that bothers few people to the point that most would not have a problem openly admitting it. It is sometimes couched in false spirituality where a person may whisper into another’s ear about someone who “needs prayer” and then proceeds to spill out all the gory details with great relish. Of course we need to be supporting others in prayer and sometimes it is necessary to share certain details confidentially but we need to be careful how we do so that the reputation of that person is never smeared.
Lashon hara has become socially acceptable even within the Church and, therefore, few people are bothered by it. Some even justify or camouflage it under the umbrella term of “righteous anger.” Let me expand briefly on this.
Yeshua was the only person who ever had the right to be angry because He alone is entirely and perfectly righteous; hence ‘righteous anger’ can only be applied to Him and Scripture reveals that it was only on the rarest occasions He ever exhibited it, and then it was directed to the religious hierarchy rather than those who labelled as “sinners” who He never condemned but rather restored.
Some people might say that Scripture teaches us to “be angry but do not sin” (Eph. 4:26) and interpret it to mean that Paul’s words support anger as a natural and healthy emotion?
In fact the context of this passage from Ephesians demonstrates the exact opposite! Paul was saying that when you feel angry, don’t act on it or as one translation puts it, “Don’t get so angry that you sin.” (i.e., stop whilst the going’s good!) or as the Living Translation puts it, “…don’t sin by letting anger control you.”
Don’t hold onto anger and don’t let it motivate you because it easily leads to unwholesome talk, slander (lashon hara) and many more sins besides.
There is a subtle but important difference between anger and indignation. We have every right and a sacred responsibility to express indignancy against all expressions of evil and unrighteousness and to take appropriate action in both word and deed. But this is different from anger which is an out-of-control negative emotion.
If God ever becomes angry, (bearing in mind that He is infinitely more compassionate, long-suffering and merciful than we are) He is not being mean or selfish, or allowing His emotions to get out of control but doing what is most loving for the people concerned. For example, the account we read in last week’s parasha concerning Miriam’s leprosy was a direct result of slandering Moses that highlighted the seriousness of her sin but ended in her being restored; this is something that reveals the heart of God and is one of several examples in Scripture where we see a direct connection between slander (Lashon hara) and tzara-at.
Our sages highlight the seriousness of lashon hara and its consequences who stated that although a sword can kill those immediately surrounding us, a slanderer can destroy nations for it contains no geographical boundaries. The person who listens to it is even worse than the one who tells it, because no harm could be done if they were only ignored.
The Rabbis considered lashon hara to be worse than idolatry, adultery, and bloodshed combined because it destroys the one who speaks it, the one of whom it is spoken, and the one who receives it. Maimonides defines it as “…referring to whoever speaks disparagingly of his fellow, even though he speaks the truth.” Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 7:2.
Parasha Metzora, is aptly translated as “isolation,” because it highlights and connects the characteristics of lashon hara and tsara-at. It destroys relationships and defiles all that is precious and sacred in life. Lashon ha’ra comes from a root word for perfume. There are different types of scents; some are good and others not. Spreading slander will always cause a bad smell and as has already been implied, it only takes one person to contaminate a whole city. Often it is enmeshed within half-truths yet even if entirely true, spreading it can still cause untold destruction as noted by Maimonides.
The Hebrew word for talebearer is “rakhil” connected to a word for a trader or a merchant. So, a talebearer is like a merchant who trades in negative or slanderous information. But God only gossips good things about us and keeps our imperfections a secret. Although He has a million ways of telling everybody about any negative thing we might do or even think, He keeps it all a secret because He loves to cover for us. He is a faithful and true friend, and it demonstrates to us an important characteristic which marks the family of God.
Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians: “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy.” If we follow this instruction, there will be no room for slander or its negative consequences illustrated by
Focused and genuine praise (unlike flattery) mirrors God’s view of each one of us. His confidence in us spurs us on to believe in His transforming power to change the lives of those we are surrounded with and who we earnestly pray for. Let us always be those who rejoice and are glad, proclaiming the glorious Gospel of salvation with joy and urgency in these end times – to share together in the beauty of His love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3) These are characteristics so precious to our Mekudeshet Fellowship that we treasure and are thankful to God for!
Raphael ben Levi
