PARSHAS METZORA:
Dvar Torah
This Parsha begins: "Zos Tihyeh Toras Hametzora Biyom Taharaso". Chazal tell us that a Metzora is a "Motzi Ra", someone who is being punished for his sin of slandering his fellow Jew. The sin of Lashon Hara is incredibly stringent, in a way even more so than the three that we are commanded to give our lives before transgressing, Avodah zara, Giluy Arayos, and Shfichas Damim. How so? Lashon Hara is not only a grave sin of Bein Adam Lichaveiro, it is mitameh the slanderers mouth, and any words of Torah that he speaks henceforth are transferred to the Kochos Hatumah. This however is only before the speaker does Teshuva, as hinted to in Tehillim ,where David Hamelech writes "Guard your tongue from evil... Turn from evil and do good." It is impossible for one to :do good" before turning from the evil of speaking Lashon Hara. Once the Metzora does Teshuva, all of the Tefillos that he davened and all of the Torah that he learned in his impure state return from the Kochos Hatumah and come back to aid him and stand for his merit. This is what the wording of the Passuk hints: "Zos Tihyeh Toras Hametzora" - This Torah that the metzorah learned is only accepted, "Biyom Taharaso" - on the day that his Teshuva is complete and he becomes pure once again.
Story
The phone rang in the Feinstien home on a friday afternoon at a very hectic time. The elderly woman calling asked to speak to to Reb Moshe. "Rabbi Feinstien is very busy at the moment" his gabbai told her, "perhaps there is something i can help you with?" "Yes" said the lady, "I am calling to find out what time candle lighting is this evening." "Its at 6:43" responded the Gabbai, "but you really dont have to call Rabbi Feinstien with that sort of question... the time is printed on every Jewish calender!" There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the woman responded "I have been calling Rabbi Feinstien every friday for 25 years to find out what time Candle Lighting was and he never said anything to me about a calendar..."
Dvar Torah
This Parsha begins: "Zos Tihyeh Toras Hametzora Biyom Taharaso". Chazal tell us that a Metzora is a "Motzi Ra", someone who is being punished for his sin of slandering his fellow Jew. The sin of Lashon Hara is incredibly stringent, in a way even more so than the three that we are commanded to give our lives before transgressing, Avodah zara, Giluy Arayos, and Shfichas Damim. How so? Lashon Hara is not only a grave sin of Bein Adam Lichaveiro, it is mitameh the slanderers mouth, and any words of Torah that he speaks henceforth are transferred to the Kochos Hatumah. This however is only before the speaker does Teshuva, as hinted to in Tehillim ,where David Hamelech writes "Guard your tongue from evil... Turn from evil and do good." It is impossible for one to :do good" before turning from the evil of speaking Lashon Hara. Once the Metzora does Teshuva, all of the Tefillos that he davened and all of the Torah that he learned in his impure state return from the Kochos Hatumah and come back to aid him and stand for his merit. This is what the wording of the Passuk hints: "Zos Tihyeh Toras Hametzora" - This Torah that the metzorah learned is only accepted, "Biyom Taharaso" - on the day that his Teshuva is complete and he becomes pure once again.
Story
The phone rang in the Feinstien home on a friday afternoon at a very hectic time. The elderly woman calling asked to speak to to Reb Moshe. "Rabbi Feinstien is very busy at the moment" his gabbai told her, "perhaps there is something i can help you with?" "Yes" said the lady, "I am calling to find out what time candle lighting is this evening." "Its at 6:43" responded the Gabbai, "but you really dont have to call Rabbi Feinstien with that sort of question... the time is printed on every Jewish calender!" There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the woman responded "I have been calling Rabbi Feinstien every friday for 25 years to find out what time Candle Lighting was and he never said anything to me about a calendar..."