Tazria-Metzora

The phone rings. “Hello, this is Rabbi Schwartz.” “Hi, Rabbi, this is Mrs. Goldberg. My husband and I were discussing the upcoming Bar Mitzvah of our son, Yitzi. He just turned 11 and we know it’s time to set a date for his Bar Mitzvah. I was looking at the calendar for April of 2022 and I see that his birthday will fall just before the Shabbat when we read parashat Tazria. And then the following week it will be Metzora. Please, Rabbi, don’t make him have his Bar Mitzvah on either of those weekends! They are just NOT the Torah portions I want my kid to have to chant, leave alone write a drash about!”

Sound familiar?

There are some Torah portions that are rich with narratives, guiding our journey of Jewish history from Creation to entering the Promised Land. And then there are others, like this week’s double parasha, that make us cringe. But lead a junior congregation service and announce that this week’s Torah portions are full of gross, disgusting information that resemble science fiction, and they will be on the edge of their seats wanting to hear about what Torah has to say.

Tazria and Metzora continue the discussion of the laws of tumah v’tahara, ritual impurity and purity. We begin with a new mother being considered unclean. The time is likened to that of a menstrual cycle, which requires the mikvah, or ritual bath, to transform her to a state of purity. I find it interesting that the beginning of this double parasha begins with the label of Tazria, with its root being zerah, or seed. We are introduced to the creation of a human, with focus on the healing of the one who gave life to the child. Taking liberty with the interpretation of the section, which spins a web of negativity around the woman, I all-too-well remember those first few weeks of motherhood in which my body struggled to heal, my hormones raged, and I suffered from sleep deprivation.   If I had had the 6-8 weeks of seclusion, as dictated by our parasha, I may have been better able to deal with the demands of parenthood, for which I was utterly unprepared. In fact, three weeks after the birth of my first-born, I remember thinking that all I wanted to do was to give her back and return to my old way of life, one in which I was in total control. I made an appointment with my doctor, and her shoulder, on which I cried, allowed me to return home and better cope with the challenges that unfolded as I realized that I was not alone in this struggle.

Our parasha continues with the details of skin rashes, blemishes, and lesions, some of which required the Kohen’s intervention. Determining the extent of the disease, it was the Kohen’s job to identify the type of malady and to prescribe a course of action. Was the afflicted to be quarantined within the home or outside of the community; were the clothes to be simply cleaned, or disposed of; and was the home affected and if so, to what extent. The job of the Kohen carried great responsibility in determining the cohesion of the community, as the disease became more than merely a physical ailment. You may say, in fact, that these bugs were more than just skin deep.

In the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, a research report posits a concept trilogy of “illness,” “disease,” and “sickness,” which is used to capture different aspects of ill health.  

Disease is defined as a condition that is diagnosed by a physician or other medical expert. Ideally, this would include a specific diagnosis according to standardized and systematic diagnostic codes. This would in most cases also mean that the specific condition has a known biomedical cause and often known treatments and cures. 

Illness, on the other hand, is defined as the ill health the person identifies themselves with, often based on self reported mental or physical symptoms. It may include health conditions that limit the person’s ability to lead a normal life. According to this definition illness is seen as a rather wide concept. 

Sickness is related to a different phenomenon, namely the social role a person with illness or disease takes or is given in society, in different arenas of life.1

In the medical arena, there are upwards of fifty career opportunities, some dealing directly with the sickness, others with the disease, and yet others with the illness. In our current world pandemic, roles are being redefined as there may be a shortage of those available to handle the work load of the Covid-19 demands. In a recent conversation with a Jewish chaplain, I was made aware of the fact that there is most likely a lack of those who usually fulfill the role as spiritual guide as a patient fights for his/her life during a disease such as Corona. With the virus being so highly contagious, it is considered a risk for unessential workers to be in the environment of the disease. Therefore, clergy are being asked not to visit in person. We know that there are many who lie in hospital beds without spiritual and emotional support to offer comfort at the time of death. And of course, there are the rituals and services that follow death that are redefining how we do funerals, shiva, and other Jewish rituals. Nurses and others in the medical field are thrust into the role of spiritual counselor, a job for which they no doubt feel inadequately prepared for.

We do not read of how the Kohanim dealt with the burdens of dealing with the sick in parashat Tazria-Metzora. One can only imagine that they distanced themselves from not only physical contact, but also from becoming emotionally and spiritually drawn into a relationship with those afflicted. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the Kohanim are restricted in participating in funerals. It is just too difficult to maintain emotional distance from those within the community you live, physically and spiritually.

Thinking back to that angel of a doctor who allowed me to cry after the birth of my first-born, all the way to today when those who work on our behalf to serve those who suffer disease, I share this prayer, by Captain Lyman. M. Smith:

Compassionate God,

From the shores of the river Jordan to the steps of the Temple Mount,

You have cared for the well-being of your people.

Your healing teaches us your compassion for our frailty.

Thank you for caring for us no matter our status in this world.

We ask your blessing on those who emulate You

As they provide … healing to all those in need.

Guide, bless, and encourage those

Who willingly jeopardize their own, and their family’s,

health and safety to confront sickness and disease.

Enable them to relieve suffering and assist in the healing process.

Adonai, you love us enough to walk in our midst

on a disease-filled Earth.

Abide with us,

and surround all engaged in the healing sciences and arts.

Bless them as they labor for you in stressful,

anxious, and sometimes threatening settings.

Keep them close in your loving embrace.

Guide researchers as they seek greater understanding of your universe

and develop vaccines and treatments which will reduce suffering and death.

Enable suppliers who ensure materials and equipment are available as needed using creativity as they sometimes seek to do more with less.

Encourage the families of health care workers

as they support them in their call, knowing that through their loved ones, lives are saved and your tenderness is known.

Provide your health care servants rest

during wearisome hours of constant demand.

Dispense comfort in moments of loss or setback.

Grant peace that goes beyond human understanding.

In our present surroundings which tempt us to despair,

may we all come together as part of your global community

and embrace God’s love for all precious souls.

Help us overcome our fears

and unite across all borders of every type

to share, manufacture, support and supply knowledge, equipment, and resources.

Your world is a place of plenty.

Let us live in your abundance, knowing you provide enough for all.

In your mercy God, grant health.

Bless those you have called to be your hands and feet in healing and the provision of care.

May they always know how thankful we are for their gifts, service, and sacrifice.

Hear our prayer, O God. Amen.2

1https://jech.bmj.com/content/59/6/450

2https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/prayers-for-chaplains-and-health-care-workers/