Back in 1996, Rabbi Finman was asked to speak to the niece of one of his students. After spending many hours answering her questions, the woman gave Rabbi Finman her e-mail address. Rabbi Finman wrote the woman a note and included in it a short insight into that week's Parsha and a short Chasidic story.
Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.
Metzora 5784
Tazriya 5784
Shmini 5784
Tzav 5784
Vayikra 5784
Tazriya 5784
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axYouParsha Tazria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl79bM1Evoo Tsoraas doesn't happen anymore - too bad.
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The Shelah Hakodesh (D. 1698) writes that there is an intrinsic connection between the Parsha of the week and holidays that occur in relationship to those Parshas. Parsha Tazria - Leviticus 12-13 - is always read a few weeks before or after Pesach. There must be a connection between the two.
The Parsha discusses the purification process of five types of people who became impure: menstruant, post childbirth, metzorah (white spots on skin, etc) zav and zava (male or female who experience an unusual genital flow). In each case, there is a seven-day purification period followed by going to mikvah. The specific need to wait seven days is in order to complete a full cycle of days - including Shabbos. Each of the days of the week is governed by a Divine attribute; Sunday - kindness, Monday - severity (which might explain why Mondays are so hard), etc. Once a person has experienced the full expression of the Divine attributes without showing any signs of impurity, they may now go to the mikvah and resume normal life. With tzoraas and zavos, going to the mikvah does not end the ordeal; on the contrary, it is just the beginning. These malaises were in response to some action or misdeed in which the person engaged. To prevent reoccurce, the person would need to grow in the right way, continually improving.
Pesach commemorates the exodus from Egypt. The Jewish people were hanging at the edge of the 50th gate of impurity. They were obviously effected by their environment (Rashi comments that Jews are like sardines. The sardines of Spain taste different from the sardines in Acco. Just as a sardine is effected by their environment, so are the Jews effected by their environment. Ever notice that there are no Jewish restaurants serving Jewish food. Jewish food resembles the area in which those Jews reside). Being in such a state, the Jews, having left their impurity, required a purification process. The Jews traveled seven days. The seventh day of Pesach commemorates the splitting of the Reed Sea. The sea split into 13 tunnels. Each person was surrounded by water - similar to going to the mikvah. Once the Jews emerged, they were not finished. Only then, could they continue to improve to be able to receive the Torah.
Receiving the Torah was not the end, but only the beginning. With the Torah, the Jewish people have been able to fulfill Hashem's desire for a dwelling in the terrestrial realm. The end will be when Moshiach comes and finally creates that absolute dwelling for Hashem.
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Reb Shmuel Zalmanov, the legendary author of Sefer HaNigunim and coordinator of the Nichoach music series, once asked the Rebbe if it would be possible for the Rebbe to edit something Reb Schmuel had prepared. The Rebbe explained that he did not have time as there would be a wedding that night and he was preoccupied. Reb Shmuel was puzzled; the Rebbe had already officially stopped performing weddings and would surely not be attending the wedding! The Rebbe explained: “Being there spiritually is more work than actually attending physically." ====================
In memory of Chaim Elozar ben Dovber HaLevi Niftar Lag B'Omer 5783
May their families be comforted among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
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