M’tzora
“person
afflicted with tzara’at”
Vayikra/Leviticus
14:1 – 15:33
Haftarah –
M’lakhim Bet 7:3 - 20
Tzara’at, a scourge of some type and
for some reason, had afflicted four men who were now found outside the gate of
the city of Shomron (see 6:24). Where
these men unclean due to things they said, or was it simply the physical
disease known as leprosy? Though we are
not informed directly of the disease type, I tend to believe it was due to the
manner in which they spoke.
We are likely all aware of the
events, but permit me to briefly rehash them. King
Ben-Hadad of Aram has laid siege to the city of Shomron, a city that had been
enduring a particularly harsh famine.
Head’s of donkeys and dung of doves were culinary feasts. Cannibalism had even begun to show its ugly
face. Of course the king of Israel was
swift to blame HaShem.
Contrary to the king’s response,
Elisha advised him to not be rash, for the famine would be over by the next day;
abundance would “rule the day”. The
king’s servant, likely one of his close advisors stated that even the Holy One
would not be able to perform what Elisha had stated.
Let us now return to the four
lepers. Famine afflicts Shomron; they
must be outside the camp due to their affliction. Presumably food would either be set outside
the gate for them or it might be dropped down from the top of the wall. Regardless, famine within the city meant that
there was relatively nothing to be passed out to them. What would they lose were they to go to the
camp of the Arameans? They were going to
die where they were, and were they to enter the city, death was a certainty as
well. Their only hope was to go to the
Arameans who very well might kill them, but there was some possibility, slight
though it might have been, that the siege-holders would show them mercy. The decision was made; a visit to the
Arameans was to occur.
They left the city walls at
twilight, and by the time they arrived at the Arameans camp enemy camp they
noticed that the enemy was not there.
The Ancient of Days had caused them to panic and flee. Having fled for their lives, the Arameans had
left virtually every item they possessed within the camp. Food had been prepared and drink was
certainly available. Hungrily, this
quartet began filling their faces and pilfering valuables of the vanished
enemy. Like Achan, they hid the bounty
they had absconded with.
Unlike Achan, these men had a change
of heart. Realizing their actions would
only bring punishment upon them, they decided that though it was the middle of
the night, the king and his household needed to be informed. Upon hearing the news the king, reasonably,
thought that the Arameans had set an ambush.
Wisely he sent out two chariots to reconnoiter the whole area and to
discover the location of the enemy.
Upon their return with the news that
the enemy truly had fled, the people of the city ravaged the camp of the
Arameans, spoiling it completely. As
spoken by the prophet, there was an abundance of abundance.
It seems that the leprous quartet,
suffering from tzara’at, likely a disease as a result of their wicked speech,
had learned their lesson. Even though we
are not told so, I like to think that they had been healed because of their
turn-around, their teshuvah.
On the other hand, as Tevye would
often say, there is one whose speech brought upon him a tzara’at that would not
be healed – the king’s right-hand-man.
As the prophet had told him when he spoke that not even HaShem could
perform this deed if He made windows in Heaven, “You yourself will see it with
your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”
The king had placed him in charge of the gate, and in the rush of the
people to gorge themselves on the available bounty, he had been crushed to
death. He had seen the event take place,
but his mouth would not partake of it.
May the name of the One Who is above
all, be eternally glorified! Shalom.
No comments:
Post a Comment