Post Are Children Worth the Bother? Whenever I get into theological discussions with clergy of any faith, I always make the claim that God created man, and remains involved in our lives, because of our children…. Read More
Post Eager for life? Guard Your Tongue Leviticus goes into great detail describing the disease of tzaraat and the ensuing process of purification. Though usually mistranslated as leprosy, tzaraat is, in fact, a physical affliction resulting from a… Read More
Post The Power and Permanence of Evil Speech There is a Hasidic tale about a man who went about the community telling malicious lies about the rabbi. Later, he realized the wrong he had done, and began to… Read More
Post Tzaraat On Clothing: The First Warning Leviticus introduces the affliction of tzaraat. Commonly mistranslated as leprosy, tzaraat can afflict the body, a home, or even clothing. Tzaraat only afflicts clothing made of three materials: wool, linen,… Read More
Post Tzaraat: Leprosy or the Messiah’s Affliction? The Torah portion of Tazria (Leviticus 12–13) deals with tzaraat, a disease usually mistranslated as leprosy. Tzaraat is a malady that afflicts the body, clothing, and the walls of houses…. Read More
Post Understanding the Healing Process for a “Leper” The healing process for tzaraat (a spiritual malady frequently mistranslated as leprosy) requires a series of sacrifices in the Temple. Two live birds are brought to the priest. Springwater is… Read More
Post Hold Your Tongue! So begins a detailed description of the rituals involved with purifying someone who has been afflicted with Biblical Leprosy. The original Hebrew word used in the Bible for this affliction… Read More
Post What is so bad about slandering a land? Imagine you walk into a room full of people and as soon as you step in, everybody stops talking and looks directly at you. How does that make you feel,… Read More
Post Why Do Enemies Unite Against Israel? When I rode a motorcycle in New York, I used to hang out at bars that catered to a very rough crowd. It amazed me that biker gangs made no… Read More
Post Why Was Moses’ Arm Stricken With “Leprosy”? Leviticus goes into great detail concerning the disease of tzaraat, a spiritual malady that is similar to leprosy in presentation. But the first time this disease is described in the… Read More