Parashat
Tazria ("She conceives") Vayikra Leviticus 12:1-13:59
There
are many questionable mitzvot in the Torah, some are wildly offensive to our limited
understanding, but all have a specific purpose and they all point to the nature
of Yeshua and HaShem.
One
of the most interesting passages in the Brit Chadashah is found in Matthew 11:6
, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Even Yeshua knew that some of his mitzvot
and ways were hard to understand. But we trust in the nature of HaShem, even
though our understanding is greatly dimmed.
Or
as we read in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding.”
Now
onto today’s parashat. Please believe me
when I say that this is the most awkward parashah I have done to date.
It
begins with the laws concerning ritual impurity and purity as it pertains to
childbirth. A new mother is treated as is considered "impure" for 40 days (if a boy) or 80 days (if a girl).
On the 8th day a boy must be
circumcised, and once the woman is considered clean, must bring “a lamb of the
first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin
offering”. “Who shall
offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her;
and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood” Leviticus 12:6-7.
A
sin (chata) offering? Yes, it’s true. So is child birth a sin? No, but we enter the sinful world, into
impurity and the sinful selfish nature is passed down through childbirth.
We
know that the soul that sins shall die:
Genesis
2:17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of
it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Ezekiel 18:4 & 20, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Ezekiel 18:4 & 20, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Unfortunately,
we are born selfish. That’s why we read
in Deuteronomy 15:7, "Do not shut close your hand... to your brother in
want". We are born with closed
fists but we die with our hands open.
This
is just evidence that natural life itself is not sufficient for spiritual
life. Thus atonement is required.
As
the Torah plainly states: "For the life of the flesh is
in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement
for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
Leviticus 17:11. Blood is therefore
connected to the holiness of life through sacrificial death....
So
a sin offering was required and a time of separation was required.
Here’s
where it gets tricky. Birth of a male
child made her unclean for only 7 days then she had to continue purification
for 33 days whilst the birth of a female made her unclean for 14 days and then
purification continued for 66 days for sanctuary purity.
Now
before the feminists come out blasting, maybe we should enquire and learn what
the purpose is. This is not about girls
being worth less than boys, it is most definitely not about girls being twice
as dirty as boys (yes, I did actually read that somewhere), it is most likely
about honour.
Culturally,
the birth of a girl was a little bit disappointing and so the male partner
would want to “try again” asap. The 14
day span was, quite possibly, a demonstration that the “life giver” had just
given birth to another “life giver” and should be respected for that. Back off man!
The additional 66 days might possibly to give her a chance to fully
recover before appearing at the Temple.
We either see the time of separation as “punishment” or as a “reprieve”. I know my wife mentioned that she wishes
she had a time of separation.
I
like to compare this particular mitzvah with bubbles. Bubbles that are created from boiling water
and bubbles that form from a soapy bath look exactly the same to a 2 year
old. It is only from a higher
understanding that we see the difference.
And there is a big difference here also.
I
tend to err on the side of HaShem’s mercy and grace in all of his mitzvot.
Interestingly,
the book of Jubilees chapter 3 places the 40th day and the 80th
day as when Adam and then Eve entered the Garden. Hmmmm.
I can’t back that up.
Shalom
vyom nehedar.
Jon
Eaton
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