MHA-FYOS Dean's Blog

This and next week’s parshiyot are called  torat hanegaim  – the laws related to tzara’at  – the Divine Punishment of an “eruption” – a  nega  – on the home, clothing and/or skin.  Tzara'at  is not a naturally occurring disease in the sense that its cause is not exposure to disease nor is it communicable. Rather,  tzara'at  is a Divine Punishment brought on by sin. Rashi explains that this punishment is prominently associated with two sins -  lashon hara  – sins of speech – and  gasot haruach  – arrogance. Some  averot  – like not eating kosher food or having illicit relationships – typically stem from physical desire. Others – such as not believing in the existence of G-d – can stem from a philosophical mistake. But  averot  like  lashon hara  and  gasot haruach  are members of a unique class of sins. These are sins that stem from a character flaw – a problem in the person’s per...

This week’s parasha , Shemini, deals with the eighth and final day of the inauguration of the mishkan . At the beginning of the parasha , the Torah presents a list of korbanot – sacrifices – that are to be offered on this inauguration day. Two of these sacrifices include a command for Aharon to bring a calf as a sin offering and for the People of Israel to bring a goat as a sin offering. Rav Matis Blum, in his sefer , Torah Le’Daat , discusses why, on the final day of the dedication of the mishkan , there was a command to offer not one, but two, sin offerings – Aharon’s calf and B’nei Yisrael’s goat. Maimonides, in his Guide to the Perplexed, suggests reasons why specific animals were commanded to be offered in the mishkan and in the beit hamikdash . In discussing the calf and the goat as sin offerings, HaRambam explains that each of these animals has an association with a previous sin of the Jewish People. The Rambam suggests that the calf is connected to the sin of the...