by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 9, 2023 | Holiness, Israel, Metzorah, Purity, Repentance
This week’s Torah portion describes the purification of a recovered metzora, or leper, by the priest through a specific procedure involving two birds, spring water stored in an earthen vessel, a piece of cedar wood, a scarlet thread, and a bundle of hyssop. Tzaraat,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2022 | Bible Study
Leviticus chapter 18 introduces the Torah’s restrictions on sexual relations. The punishment for violating these transgressions is karet (being cut off from Israel). The title given for the list of the Bible’s prohibited sexual offenses is gilui arayot,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 8, 2022 | Community, Free Will, Metzorah, Temple
The healing process for tzaraat (a spiritual malady frequently mistranslated as leprosy) requires a series of sacrifices in the Temple. Two live birds are brought to the priest. Springwater is placed in an earthenware vessel, over which one of the birds (traditionally...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 7, 2022 | Marriage and Relationships, Metzorah, Modesty, Purity, Repentance, Temple
In modern times, we rarely think of the state of our spiritual purity. We can go into a synagogue, travel where we want, handle fruits and vegetables and sit on any chair without thinking about the spiritual ramifications. But in ancient Israel, when the Temple stood,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 5, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Holiness, Marriage and Relationships, Metzorah, Modesty, Purity
When a woman has her menstrual period she becomes ritually impure. The Torah laws concerning this (referred to as the laws of niddah) are the basis of family purity, one of the most important aspects of the Jews’ status as a holy nation. This Torah portion of...
![Only a priest can diagnose Tzaraat, a skin affliction with spiritual roots. [Image: THE HISTORY OF COSTUME By Braun & Schneider via Wiki Commons]](https://tibretired.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Kohen-Gadol.jpg)