1. What is this week's parsha? This coming Shabbat we read two parshot in the Torah - Tazria and Metzora, in the book of Leviticus.
2. These parshas contain 2 commandments that we still observe today: the commandment of circumcision (brit milah) for baby boys at 8 days old, and the commandment of family purity (mikveh).
3. However, the central topic in this week's parshas is tzara'at (often mistranslated as leprosy), which doesn't exist today. Our sages explain that tzara'at would appear in the past on the skin of someone who spoke lashon hara (evil speech. "Metzora - motzi shem ra" - one who spreads a bad name. This wasn't a physical disease or allergy, but rather a moral punishment for corrupt and ugly speech. The parsha describes in detail how the metzora was sent to isolate from society, and then after a process of correction and purification would return to society.
4. The message is very relevant today: the words we say don't disappear from the world, but rather influence for good or for bad. Even today when tzara'at doesn't exist, every word leaves an impression. The famous verse states - "Life and death are in the power of the tongue."
5. The counting of the Omer continues. On Shabbat we will count day 20 of the Omer. Every day of this month- Iyar- we count the Omer. It’s an opportunity to examine ourselves anew each day.
Have a good month and Shabbat Shalom.
