Questions for Tazria Metzora

1.  Our pesukim tell us that certain halachos stem from childbirth. Assuming that the word “וילדה” is only natural childbirth and not a caesarian section, what four halachos that apply after natural childbirth will not apply after a caesarian section.

 2.  In mid seventeen hundreds, the Frankist cult arose that believed that Mashiach would only come if the Jewish People kept the Torah perfectly or if it totally broke all the laws of the Torah, and since perfection is extremely unlikely, we should try the opposite. This idea that you can bring Mashiach by breaking all the Torah laws was even given a name- antinomianism. As the Gemara says,  אין בן דוד בא עד שתתהפך כל המלכות למינות   What passuk in our parsha was used to support this belief.  

3.  Why is a bald man like a shmatteh.

4.  Is there a geographic limitation on where a section of the law of Tzaraas applies?  Is this true with all the types of Tzaraas?

5. There are three kinds of Tzaraas. One, for example, is Tzaraas of people. Of the three kinds, two need a korban to become tahor, and one does not. Which, and why?

6.  We make a bracha on counting Sefiras HaOmer because of the Mitzva of וספרתם לכם. There are two mitzvos of counting in the parsha but no bracha is made on them. What are they, and why are they different than Sefiras HaOmer.

7.  What issur deoraysa does a metzora have to transgress in order to become tahor.

8.  What word in the parsha can be either a verb or an adjective.  Hint: it's a color.

9.   A man came to Rav Chaim Kanievsky with a shailah. He had a very uncomfortable rash or psoriasis which he showed to Reb Chaim. The doctor had prescribed a medicated ointment. The question was whether he could put it on the rash on Shabbos, or whether there would be an issue of dissolving a thick cream, or refuah, on Shabbos. Rav Chaim asked to see the rash and said "You should be asking whether you can use the cream during the week, not only on Shabbos, because the rash has the symptoms of tzaraas, and the Torah forbids removing the signs of Tzaraas." 

Was this man allowed to walk into the old city of Yerushalayim?

1.  Our pesukim tell us that certain halachos stem from childbirth. Assuming that the word “וילדה” is only natural childbirth and not a caesarian section, what four halachos that apply after natural childbirth will not apply after a caesarian section.

12:1-6

After a caesarian birth, there are no special laws of tuma and tahara; There is no korban. The child’s bris can be but does not have to be on the eight day. If the bris is done on the eighth day, it is not docheh Shabbos.

 

 2.  In mid seventeen hundreds, the Frankist cult arose that believed that Mashiach would only come if the Jewish People kept the Torah perfectly or if it totally broke all the laws of the Torah, and since perfection is extremely unlikely, we should try the opposite. This idea that you can bring Mashiach by breaking all the Torah laws was even given a name- antinomianism. As the Gemara says,  אין בן דוד בא עד שתתהפך כל המלכות למינות   What passuk in our parsha was used to support this belief.  

13:13

וראה הכהן והנה כסתה הצרעת את־כל־בשרו וטהר את־הנגע כלו הפך לבן טהור הוא

As the Gemara (San 97a) there says,

דאמר רבי יצחק: אין בן דוד בא עד שתתהפך כל המלכות למינות. אמר רבא: מאי קרא? ״כלו הפך לבן טהור הוא״.

 

 

3.  Why is a bald man like a shmatteh.

Because he is called a קרח  or a גבח, and a shmatteh is called קרחת או גבחת.

Man- 13:42

כי־יהיה בקרחת או בגבחת נגע לבן אדמדם צרעת פרחת הוא בקרחתו או בגבחתו

Shmatteh- 13:55

וראה הכהן אחרי הכבס את הנגע והנה לא הפך הנגע את עינו והנגע לא פשה טמא הוא באש תשרפנו פחתת הוא בקרחתו או בגבחתו

 

4.  Is there a geographic limitation on where a section of the law of Tzaraas applies?  Is this true with all the types of Tzaraas?

Yes.  Nig’ei battim is exclusively in Eretz Yisrael.  This limitation is unique to the Tzaraas of houses. There is no such limitation for Tzaraas of people or of cloth and leather

14:34

כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם׃

 Not explicit in the pesukim, but a metzora is only banished from walled cities that were given a special kedusha. This is how Chazal understand the words  (13:46) "בָּדָ֣ד יֵשֵׁ֔ב מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה מוֹשָׁבֽוֹ"

5. There are three kinds of Tzaraas. One, for example, is Tzaraas of people. Of the three kinds, two need a korban to become tahor, and one does not. Which, and why?

Tzaraas of people and Tzaraas of houses require a korban to become tahor. Tzaraas of clothing does not require a korban. This was pointed out and explained by the Rama in his sefer Toras HaOla volume III chapter 68.   https://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=35871&st=&pgnum=206&hilite=  see there. My simple explanation is that the first two hurt kedusha; of a person, and of a house, symbolized by the mezuza. Clothing has no inherent kedusha, so no korban is required to restore kedusha.

6.  We make a bracha on counting Sefiras HaOmer because of the Mitzva of וספרתם לכם. There are two mitzvos of counting in the parsha but no bracha is made on them. What are they, and why are they different than Sefiras HaOmer.

15:13, a Zav:

וכי־יטהר הזב מזובו וספר לו שבעת ימים לטהרתו וכבס בגדיו ורחץ בשרו במים חיים וטהר

15:28, a Zavah

וְאִם־טָהֲרָה מִזּוֹבָהּ וְסָפְרָה לָּהּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְאַחַר תִּטְהָר׃

Both have to count, neither makes a bracha. Why is this different than Sefiras HaOmer?

1.      Sefiras HaOmer is an independent mitzvah. The counting of tahara is only a הכשר, it is just a prerequisite for becoming Tahor.  If they don’t care to become tahor, they don’t have to count.  (pashut.)  (problems – Machlokes Beis shammai + Beis Hillel against R Yosi b’reb Yehuda in Nidah 30a. BSh and Bh hold טבילה בזמנה מצוה So it’s not just optional.  Also, Shechita is a macshir and you still make a bracha.)

2.      Sefira is a set number of days. In the case of Tahara, if tuma interrupts, you have to start over. (Tosfos Kesuvos 72a)-

וספרה לה לעצמה - וא"ת אמאי אין מברכת זבה על ספירתה כמו שמברכין על ספירת העומר דהא כתיב וספרה וי"ל דאין מברכין אלא ביובל שמברכין ב"ד בכל שנה שלעולם יוכל למנות כסדר וכן עומר אבל זבה שאם תראה תסתור אין לה למנות:

Explanation of Tosfos in Noda B’Yehuda II YD:23 arguing with Shelah who makes it into a mitzvah:

כוונתן דביובל ועומר שתמיד הזמן נמשך כסדר לא צריך קרא למכתב וספרת שהרי אין צריך בזה השגחה כלל א"ו מצוה היא אבל בזבה שאם תראה תסתור ואין הזמן עובר ממילא וצריך השגחה על זה ואם כן אין כוונת הפסוק בוספרה לה על הספירה אלא על ההשגחה שיהיו נקיים ולא למצוה לכך אין לה למנות. זהו הנלע"ד לדחות עיקר דברי השל"ה. אבל לדידן אפילו אם יהיבנא ליה להגאון השל"ה סברתו שפסוק זה וספרה לה למצוה הוא אכתי אין לדבריו קיום בנשי דידן דהרי זה פשוט אף אם נימא שהיא מצוה מ"מ מצוה זו שייכא להטבילה דאטו אם לא תטבול כלל ואין רצונה לטבול מי יש מצוה בספירה הזו אתמהה

 

8.  What issur deoraysa does a metzora have to transgress in order to become tahor.

Shaving his head and face with a razor- 14:9 – a double issur for any man, and an extra issur if he is a nazir, but a metzora who needs to become tahor has to shave all his hair.

והיה ביום השביעי יגלח את־כל־שערו את־ראשו ואת־זקנו ואת גבת עיניו ואת־כל־שערו יגלח וכבס את־בגדיו ורחץ את־בשרו במים וטהר

Just interesting – the Gimmel in והתגלח is written large. Reasons given are:

1.    Three people have this halacha of being shaved as bald as an egg- The initial group of Leviim during their inauguration, every nazir after his term ends; and the metzora.

2.      That this taglachas supersedes three issurim – peios harosh, peios hazakan, and nazir.

3.      That a boy’s first haircut should be at three years old.  I’m not making this up. It is said in the name of the Arizal. And it’s passuk 33, so you should do it on Lag BaOmer. If you believe that the passuk numbering is holy, which is isn’t. Even though נעשה ונשמע is 24:7.

 

7.  What word in the parsha can be either a verb or an adjective.  Hint: it's a color.

Yarok. ‘Green’ and ‘will spit’.

Green- 14:37

וְרָאָה אֶת־הַנֶּגַע וְהִנֵּה הַנֶּגַע בְּקִירֹת הַבַּיִת שְׁקַעֲרוּרֹת יְרַקְרַקֹּת אוֹ אֲדַמְדַּמֹּת

Spit- 15:8

וְכִי־יָרֹק הַזָּב בַּטָּהוֹר

9.   A man came to Rav Chaim Kanievsky with a shailah. He had a very uncomfortable rash or psoriasis which he showed to Reb Chaim. The doctor had prescribed a medicated ointment. The question was whether he could put it on the rash on Shabbos, or whether there would be an issue of dissolving a thick cream or refuah on Shabbos. Rav Chaim asked to see the rash and said "If the medicine is to cure the rash, and not just for the discomfort, you should be asking whether you can use the cream during the week, not only on Shabbos, because the rash has the symptoms of tzaraas, and the Torah forbids removing the signs of Tzaraas." 

Was this man allowed to walk into the old city of Yerushalayim?

Yes, he is allowed to go into Yerushalayim. 

The Tuma and Tahara status, and the banishment of the Metzora, only go into effect when the Kohen says "Tamei" or "Tahor" (as the Meiri says in MK 7b d'h אפילו,  

'אפילו היו סימני טומאה של מצורע או סימני –רפואה ניכרים לכל אדם אינו לא טמא ולא טהור, עד שיטמאנו הכהן או יטהרנו'.)

Rav Kanievsky was not a Kohen so despite his psak halacha, the man remains tahor.

However, the prohibition of removing signs of Tzaraas is inherent. It is Safeik Issur Deoraysa to remove what might be symptoms of tzaraas (Devarim 24:8, השמר בנגע הצרעת) until an expert, Kohen or non-Kohen, says that they are not tzaraas.   

Note: There is one and only one solitary shittah that obvious tzaraas is immediately tamei, with or without a kohen. That is the Yaavetz, שו"ת שאילת יעבץ א, קלח. The only achron  (the Minchas Yitzchak in  ה, א, יד; ו, קלב ד"ה והנה) who cites him lehalacha does so for purely political reasons, to keep people off of the Har Habayis, an issur kares.   Everyone else only mentions him as a curiosity: 

Ayeles Hashachar here in 13:2;   Lehoros Nassan, 13:2;  and more.