Dvar Torah - Mathew Barnard

Good morning everyone!

Shabbat Shalom!

Thank you all for coming to celebrate this special day with me. Today, I’m excited to share a little bit about the Torah portion I’ve been learning—Tazria Metzora, which is Leviticus 12 and 13!  The 3rd of May (today) was also the day that my Granny’s brother, Morris from Israel did his bar mitzvah in 1958. AND my uncle Martin used the same portion as me, Tazriah Metsorah in May 1981. They are both in Cape Town for my bar mitzvah, which is very exciting.

 Most people say that Leviticus is not always the easiest book to read, with all the lists of rules and regulations for medical issues.  But if we look a bit closer, we can find some important lessons hidden in the details.

Tazria Metsora is mostly about how to stay clean—both physically and spiritually! Leviticus 12 talks about how women needed to go through a purification process after childbirth, and Leviticus 13 focuses on something called "tzaraat," which is often translated as "skin disease" or "psoriasis." or in some translations, as “leprosy”.

All the discussions about skin diseases are pretty intense because the Torah talks about a lot of detail about what to do if you have a rash or unusual skin conditions—kind of like a medical checklist for priests.  I can definitely say that this portion makes you appreciate good health a lot more! And let’s face it, I think it’s safe to say that none of us would want to be stuck with a rash and have to show it to a priest to get a “yes” or “no” judgment. The priests might need to also isolate an individual for a period of time before they were allowed to go back into society. This reminds me of Covid 19, where if there were any signs of illness, it meant that you needed to isolate for a period of two weeks before you could face society. The laws for lockdown had some harsh consequences for disobeying the rules.

There were even times during covid 19 when even if you were not sick, you still had to isolate until you were given a clear signal - from a priest? - no, by the World Health Organization who were really acting like priests in biblical times.

To talk more about me, at my age, there are some physical changes that come with a 13-year-old.  This is a time of growing and changing, especially since a Bar Mitzvah is all about beginning a new stage in life. I’m becoming more responsible, learning about using the correct skin washes, of course, and then understanding the importance of community, which is what everyone here represents to me today—thank you so much for your support.

I also want to note that, even though this Torah portion is about some pretty technical and medical stuff, it’s also about being part of something bigger than just ourselves. It’s about being part of a community that helps us heal, grow, and look out for each other. So, while we may not need to check our skin for rashes or go to a priest for a diagnosis today, we can still learn a valuable lesson about supporting each other in times of need.

Now, to talk more about tzaraat:  Imagine you woke up one day and found a strange spot on your skin, and then you had to go and show it to the priest. That sounds a little scary to me. It was the priest’s job to figure out if the spot was something more serious, like tzaraat. The interesting thing is, tzaraat wasn’t just about physical illness. It was also a reminder for people to reflect on their behaviour and how they treated others. If someone had tzaraat, it could mean they needed to work on making improvements in their character or perhaps look at their relationship with others. So, it wasn’t all about “horrible, skin disease”—it was a way to help people grow spiritually and emotionally.

In Tazria Metsora, there’s even a whole process for getting rid of tzaraat! It involves some interesting rituals from back in the day, with birds and blood and cedarwood for cleansing (I don’t know who would have thought of all these things?). But these rituals were symbolic, helping the person who had tzaraat to return to the community "cleansed”. It’s kind of like when we apologize and make amends with people we’ve hurt. We do something to make things right and other areas improve too. My friends and I don’t talk about our skins much, but we do say sorry and we try not to hurt each other’s feelings.

So, what can we take away from all this talk of cleanliness, purification, and skin diseases? Here’s the key point: Leviticus teaches us that caring for ourselves—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—is important. It’s not just about following the rules; it’s about being mindful of our actions and taking responsibility for our health and well-being and that our actions always have repercussions.

To finish off, I was tasked to do a bar mitzvah project for charity. I chose to do a beach cleanup in my area and I was alarmed to see the amount of garbage in just the first 25 square metres. It felt good to help out the community, and also, I like the beach.

Thanks for listening!