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Monday, May 21, 2007

Parshat Naso

This weeks parsha is Naso. I am supposed to be giving a class on shabbat. This is the topic that I've chosen. I still have a few questions that i need to ask but this is the general idea:

This weeks parsha talks about many different mitzvout and ideas. The ones that i want to focus on are the issues regarding Tzaraas and Tamei Mes.
There are a few questions that came to my mind when i read the pasuking and rashim.
One.) what is the connection between these two situations. If we look at the decrees dealing with the two type of people, a metzora of tumei mes person, we find that both are sent out of the entire camp of Benei Yisroel for an extended period of time.

Second.) what is it with the physical touch of a dead person that causes both man and women alike to become impure? How does death cause this kind of impurity that requires the removal of any person in contact with it to be removed from the rest of the klal?

In regards to the mes, i have been able to start to answer my question.

It is understood that naturally the physical of man must die. Why, because that part of a human is from the world we live in and has an expiry date on it, just like everything else in this world.

The spiritual part of man, the neshma, however, comes from Hashem and it, therefore, is eternal and infinite. This part of man, I believe, lives on forever.

We also know that man was created to live forever. However, this was altered when Adom preformed a sin, distancing himself from his creature, and caused death to come into the world. This distancing lengthened the connection that man had from his eternal source, Hashem, thuse causing him , man, to be 'worthy' for death.

When we recieved the Torah Klal Yisroel was returned to this state of perfection, and death was removed from the world again. However, only 40 days later Benei Yisroel created the aigel and returned the death into the world again.

So here i have come to understand that Death represents the distance between us and our creature. Because we only experience death in this olam because of our sins, which bring the malach hamaves back in control and, distance ourselves from our eternal source, Hashem. The spark that is inside us which connects ourselves to Hashem

And then i get confused, because if death is the result of our sins then a.) why is the next step olam haba? a place where we get to e closer to Hashem? is it because, although we are closer to Hashem then we are supposed to attain a certain amount of kadusha in this world? and that after when leave we can't change our 'status' in onlam haba? b.) why to tzadikim die?

I think that this is a very complex idea and I'm worried that i decided to speak about something too deep. I'll check back with you on how things go. I'm gonna ask Rabbi Meltzer and/or his wife.

Furthermore, i was unable to come up with a drasha that connected the two, tzaraas and mes, though I'm sure that if i gave it some more thought I'd be able to figure it out.

Well this is it for now. All comments are welcome, as usual, though I don't know when is the next time I'll have access to the Internet. Be well everyone, an I'm sorry if i confused anyone unneedingly.

3 comments:

Earlyriser said...

Thanks Sarah Rut!!!

Sarah Rutti said...

np- i didn't end up sppeaking about thiss... but it was good intellectual sitmulation and i hope to answer the questions, eventually

SEP said...

You'll do it - I know you will. ;p