Two Minute Torah Podcast

Metzora 5768 by Rabbi Ed Romm

Shalom, My name is Rabbi Ed Romm, I am Director of education and campus programs for the United Synagogue Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center For Conservative Judaism.

Welcome to KOACH’s Two-Minute Torah; a project of the College Department of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

I would like to speak to you about "Parshat Metzorah". Parshat Metzorah deals with the theme of leprosy. Leprosy in the bible is a physical blemish for a spiritual infraction. "Metzorah" can affect the body; can affect the clothing and can affect the house in which we live in Eretz Yisrael - according to the biblical perspective.

The rabbis however added an additional category, They saw Metzorah as also representing "Tumat HaPeh", a blemish, an impurity of speech. They looked at the word Metzorah and understood it to read "motzi shem ra", to speak evil about a person.

When ever I hear this phrase "motzi shem ra", immediately comes to mind the Book of Psalms chapter 34.

"Which of you desires life, loves long years in which to see goodness,

Keep your tong from telling evil, your lips from speaking lies,

Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it."

These are beautiful words for us to incorporate in our lives. The rabbis tell us that the sin of "Lashon Harah", speaking evil, affects three people: the person who utters the words, the person who hears the words, and the person of whom one is speaking. "Netzur leshoncha mera usefatechah medaber mirma", " Keep your tong from telling evil, your lips from speaking lies."

Lets be very careful and sensitive to the words of our mouth.

Shabbat Shalom.