Chaired by Dr. Ellier Russ. This committee coordinates programs and classes to engage members in lifelong learning. Events include our yearly Scholar in Residence program, Talmud Study, and more. Guest speakers, online webinars and Shabbat morning discussions additionally provide congregants with opportunities to expand their knowledge of Judaism and living a Jewish life.

TAZORIA-METZORA 5785: TRASH And treasure

Shabbat Shalom Weeklyby Rabbi Yitzchak Zweig  APRIL 12, 2025
TAZORIA_METZORA LEV  (14:33- 15:33) Triennial 3

GOOD MORNING! Some years ago, my wife and I bought a house from an elderly couple who were, at their very essence, hoarders. The ENTIRE home was filled with hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of objects. There was not a single empty surface to be found and most of the piles had layers upon layers of stacked items. To the casual observer it looked like some sort of disorganized indoor flea market.

Interestingly enough, in separate conversations with the husband and wife, each one confided that their spouse was to blame. They had bought the house about seven years prior and had originally intended to sell their old home and move into this one. Unfortunately, the only thing that got moved in was a whole bunch of junk. It seemed to me that the one thing they had not managed to accumulate was common sense. 

I then reflected on the conundrum their relatives must have about giving them gifts; on the one hand anything given to them will exacerbate the problem (not to mention that they probably already have three different versions of it). On the other hand, anything you give them will be treasured and kept forever.

It reminds me of the joke about the man who was unceremoniously “dumped” by his hoarder girlfriend. His lament? “The only thing she ever managed to get rid of was me.” 

This week we read two Torah portions: Parshat Tazria and Parshat Metzora. In the second portion we find a reference to a different kind of hoarding.

The Midrash (Torat Cohanim 14:75) says that while the Jewish people were wandering in the desert for forty years, the Amorites, who at that time were the inhabitants of the land of Israel, were hoarding their treasures and hiding them in the walls of their homes.

The Amorites knew that the Jewish nation was focused on returning to its ancestral home and evicting any nation that refused to live under Jewish sovereignty. Thinking that they would eventually return to reclaim the land, the Amorites hid their wealth within the walls of their homes.

I am reminded of a story about the head mafioso who was inspecting his books and found that there was a million dollars missing. He called a meeting with his deaf accountant and a sign language translator. “Okay, there’s a million dollars missing, where is it?” The translator turns to the accountant and signs, “There’s a million dollars missing and the boss wants to know where it is.”

The accountant signs, “What? I have no idea what he’s talking about.” The translator relays the message, “Boss, he says he doesn’t know what you’re talking about.” The mafioso says to the translator “I’m gonna ask one more time. Where is the money?”

The translator signs, “He’s asking one more time; where’s the money?” The accountant reiterates to the translator, “Seriously, I don’t know what he’s talking about!” The translator says to the boss, “He insists that he doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”

The boss is now infuriated. He slams his fist down on the table and points a gun to the accountant’s head. He yells at the translator, “TELL THIS IDIOT THAT I WILL BLOW HIS BRAINS ALL OVER THIS DESK IF HE DOESN’T TELL ME WHERE THE MONEY IS RIGHT NOW!!!”

The translator signs to the accountant, “Okay, look, you can see, he’s dead serious. You better tell him where the money is right now or he’s going to kill you.” The accountant signs to the translator, “OKAY! OKAY! I’ll tell you! I buried it in my backyard under the new deck I just built!”

The mafia boss looks at the translator and asks, “Well, what did he say?!” The translator replies, “He said that he doesn’t believe you have the guts to do anything to him!”

This week’s Torah reading continues the theme from last week regarding the punishment for the sin of loshon hora – gossip. Loshon hora, according to the Talmud, is equated to the three most severe sins; 1) murder, 2) idol worship, and 3) sexual immorality (Arachin 15a). This divine retribution for the sin of gossip came in the form of the affliction called tzora’as.

God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying: “When you arrive in the land of Canaan that I will give you as a possession, and I will place an affliction of tzora’as upon the house […]” (Leviticus 14:33-34).

What exactly is this “affliction of tzora’as”? The symptoms for this punishment include a series of white discolorations or blotches. Because of its similarity in symptoms, tzora’as has been commonly mistranslated as leprosy. However, the “leprosy” mentioned in the Torah is not Hansen’s disease caused by the germ mycobacterium leprae. Rather, it is a heaven-sent physical malady indicating a spiritual defect.

Our sages teach us that this affliction came in progressive waves; first tzora’as appeared as splotches on one’s home then, if the person ignored the message, it appeared on the person’s belongings, and finally on the person’s skin.

Like any heaven-sent punishment, tzora’as was a message from the Almighty that the person had erred and had to repent. Though intended as a heavenly rebuke, the great Biblical commentator known as Rashi observes that when tzora’as first appeared on a person’s home it was actually good news for the homeowner.

As mentioned, the Amorites hid gold in the walls of their homes during the forty years that the Jewish nation was in the desert. The process of purifying one’s home from the affliction of tzora’as involved a partial dismantling of the walls. Thus, as a result of the tzora’as and the purification process, a person would find these hidden treasure hoards within the walls of the homes abandoned by the Amorites.

One must wonder what the logic to this punishment is. How is it possible that the divine retribution for a heinous sin actually leads to a person finding wealth? What is the message that God is trying to convey?

As we have mentioned, all heaven-sent punishments are messages of criticism from the Almighty indicating that one is not behaving properly and that one must change his ways. But criticism is very difficult for a person to accept. Much like the hoarders from whom I bought my home, there is a tendency to ignore and shift blame for things for which we don’t want to accept responsibility. This is why the knee jerk reaction to hearing criticism is to get defensive; because the person feels that he is being personally attacked.

Proper criticism can only be delivered if there is a genuine concern for the wellbeing of the person being criticized. In this way the person being criticized feels that he is not being personally attacked, but rather that someone is trying to help him. Seen in this light, the person being criticized can be awakened to look dispassionately at his own behavior and see if corrective measures are in order.

Obviously, a person who receives tzora’as on his home is getting a very public rebuke from the Almighty. After all, it is very hard to hide having to dismantle one’s home; it’s basically a public advertisement that one has sinned. This is obviously very embarrassing and debilitating to one’s psyche.

The reason that a person who gets the first level of rebuke (tzora’as on one’s home) receives an almost instantaneous reward is because God is sending him a message: “I love you and care about you; I am rebuking you for your own good, so please change your ways.”

In this way, a person is likely to receive the criticism from the Almighty in the most positive manner and consider what changes to make in his life in order to correct his errant behavior. Finding the treasure within his home expresses God’s love and concern. This in turn allows a person to honestly reflect on the message and react in a positive manner to the criticism.

TORAH PORTION: TAZORIA
MAY3, 2025    5 IYAR 5785
Torah   LEV. 14:33-15:33 Triennial  3
  Haftorah: II KINGS 7:3-20

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