Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Seminal Emissions

If a man has a seminal emission, he must immerse in a mikvah and will remain impure until that evening. Any clothing upon which the semen dropped must be immersed and shall remain impure until evening.

If a man and woman have intimate relations, the both must immerse in a mikvah and will remain impure until evening. This is not due to the semen coming into contact with her, as contact with such semen does not apply to "unseen" parts of organs. Rather she becomes impure as a result of the intercourse.

Zivah

When a woman experiences a menstrual discharge of blood, she must be separated for seven days, within which anyone who touches her will become impure and remain so until the evening.

Anything she reclines or sits upon during this seven day period becomes impure.

Anyone who touches (or even sits or reclines upon without directly touching) this bedding or seat upon which she reclined or sat must immerse themselves and their garments and will remain impure until the evening.

If a person touches riding equipment upon which such an impure woman rode, he becomes impure but his clothing does not.

If a man is intimate with such a woman, he will become impure for seven days* and any bedding upon which he reclines will become impure.

*Side note: even if he was intimate with her in the middle of her seven day period, he must wait a full seven days after that, i.e he doesn't lose his impurity at the time that she does.

What if after the seven day period from when a woman's menstrual flow begins she continues to experience a flow of blood? At that point there is an eleven day period within which if she continues to flow blood, she would be considered a Zivah. If the flow lasts one additional day, or for not more than two consecutive days, she may immerse herself on the day after this flow stops. If however she experiences a flow of blood for three or more days past the requisite seven days of waiting, she must wait until she experiences a full seven clean days with no flow. If these seven clean day happen after the eleven day period, she goes back to being in the category of a niddah.

During this time when she continues to experience a flow, any bedding she lies upon or any seat she sits on becomes impure, just as during her seven days of separation. So too anyone who touches these things becomes impure and must immerse themselves and their garments and remains impure until the evening.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Bodily Discharges - Zav

If a man has a discharge from his male organ* he is rendered impure. Rashi describes the droplets of this discharge as being thin and similar to water coming out of dough made out of barley, or the white of a spoiled egg (which cannot be fertilized). This is unlike semen which is thicker and likened to the white of an unspoiled egg.

*Side note: Rashi deduces that this discharge is coming from the male organ though the text does not explicitly say so since a female discharge (זבה) comes from the same place that the lesser impurity of נדה (her menstrual flow) comes from, so the male discharge described here, called a Zav (זב) must be coming from a similar place.

If there is only one such discharge, such a man is impure, however it is the same impurity as if he discharged semen. He may immerse in a mikavah that day and will be considered pure that evening. Such a man transmits his impurity to food through touching it.

If he has two discharges he is rendered impure for a period of seven days after which time he must immerse in a mikva and will then become pure that evening. Anything he touches or carries becomes impure as well as any bedding (i.e. anything that is meant to be reclined upon like a bed, mattress or bedsheet) which he lies upon.

If he has three or more discharges, he follows the same procedure as for two and must also bring a sacrificial offering to complete his purification process.

The bedding of the Zav* is referred to as the "father" of impurity (i.e the primary source of impurity) such that anyone who touches the bedding which a Zav lied upon becomes impure as do his garments. This is in contrast to anything which the Zav merely touches, which is considered just an "offspring" of impurity (i.e a secondary source of impurity) which only transmits the impurity to food and liquid.

*Side note: Assuming that the Zav reclined on this bedding. If he only touched the bedding, it is considered merely an "offspring" of impurity like anything else he might touch.

If a person sits on something which the Zav sat on*, they must immerse themselves and wash their clothing and stay impure till evening.

*Side note: Even if there are layers of objects on this seat and the Zav sat on the bottom most object and the other person sat on the top most one - the impurity is transmitted through the layers.

If a person touches a Zav's flesh, he should immerse himself and his garments and will be impure until evening.

If a Zav spits upon someone who is pure (and the spit lands on them), the person who was spit upon must immerse themselves and their garments and will be considered impure until evening.

Anything the Zav rides will become impure, even if he doesn't actually sit on it. If he does sit on it, the laws regarding that which a Zav sat on (see above) is applied. If anyone then goes on this riding equipment, they will become impure and must immerse themselves and their garments and will remain impure until evening. If the person doesn't actually sit on the riding equipment but merely touches it, they do not need to immerse their garments, only themselves.

Until a Zav immerses in a mikvah after his seven days of impurity, even if his seven days are up and he is no longer experiencing the discharge, anything he touches will become impure. Upon immersing (and this applies to any person immersing in a mikvah), only the exposed limbs of the person must come into contact with the water - the inner cavities (eg of the nose or mouth) do not need to come into the contact with the water however they must be cleansed of any barrier like food between the teeth for example. Such that if water were to touch them, there would be no barrier.

If the Zav touches the inside of pottery, that pottery must be destroyed. And if he touches anything wooden, it must be washed.

So after seven consecutive days of the Zav not experiencing any more discharge, the Zav is to immerse himself and his clothing in a mikvah, the Zav is to take two turtledoves or two young doves and bring them to the Kohen before the Ohel Moed. The Kohen is to then designate one bird as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering. And thus the Zav shall be atoned.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Tzara'as on a Home

G-d gives instructions to Moshe and Aaron regarding when they arrive in Israel (AKA Canaan) and someone's home has a Tzara'as affliction.

Rashi comments that if such a thing happens, this is actually a good omen, since the previous Amorite owners had hidden gold in the walls, and due to the Tzara'as afflicting the home, the new Jewish owner would have to break down the walls and thus would discover the gold.

If someone sees this kind of affliction on their home, they are to approach the Kohen and tell him that it appears* to them that their home has been afflicted.

*Side note: Even if they are a Torah scholar and know definitively that this is an affliction, they should still say that it "appears to them" as one for several reasons:

* To practice humility by become accustomed to being aware of the limitations of their knowledge

* Nothing officially has the status of an affliction until the Kohen declares it as such

* Speaking of negative things should be avoided if possible, or at least spoken of in a roundabout way.

So the Kohen orders that the home owner clears the house and only then does the Kohen come in to examine it. This is so that the objects that were in the home do not become impure*.

*Side note: Since the home only takes on the status of impurity after the Kohen has examined it and deemed it so.

The main concern here was regarding the earthenware vessels* which cannot be purified. While an impure person can still use these vessels during their time of impurity, there is a concern that such impure earthenware might come into contact with terumah, which is forbidden from becoming impure.

*Side note: The concern is not really about wood and metal vessels which by contrast can be purified by merely immersing them. And it is not about food or drink either which an impure person is allowed to consume during their time of impurity.

So if the Kohen comes to look at the house and sees that the affliction in the walls is "depressed"* and is deep green or deep red in color and looks like it is lower than the wall, he is then to leave the house and quarantine it off for seven days.

*Side note: This is Rashi's understanding of the word שקערורת but other commentators understand it to be a color, feeling that the terms "depressed" and "lower than the wall" would be redundant.

On the seventh day, the Kohen is to return.

If he sees that the affliction has not spread, he is to close off the house for another seven days.

If he sees that the affliction has spread, the Kohen shall order that the stones that have the affliction on them be removed and cast outside the city to a place which is not where pure things are kept to remain pure. This is because similar to a corpse, impure stones will cause anything within its enclosed space to become impure. Their previous location however does not remain impure once these stones are removed.

The plaster and mortar around the afflicted area on the inside of the house should then be scraped off and what was scraped off should be poured outside of the city to an area that does not have to remain pure.

The afflicted stones should be replaced with new stones and new mortar and plaster.

Seven days* after the afflicted stones have been removed and replaced in the manner described above, if the Kohen comes and sees that this affliction has returned (even if it had not spread)**, the Kohen is to deem the house as having Tzara'as and to be impure.

*Side note: If the affliction returns before that time but disappears before the seventh day, then the house remains pure.

**Side note: The text in this section does use the word "spread", as this is referring to the case in which the affliction was closed off for the second time (when after the first seven days it did not spread - see above), if after this second time the Kohen sees that the affliction has spread, the stones must be removed and replaced and closed off for an additional seven days. If after this seven day period the affliction returns, the owner is to demolish his home. If it does not return, the house is deemed pure.

In sum, the maximum number of weeks that a house would be closed off is three weeks after which time the house would either be deemed pure or demolished.

Anyone who goes into a house which is being quarantined off will become impure until evening. His clothes do not become impure however unless he remains in the house for an amount of time that would been sufficient to "eat half a loaf" (i.e the volume of 4 eggs, which is considered enough for a medium sized meal). This is so even if he doesn't eat anything in the house during that time.

Once the Kohen has declared a home pure, the ceremony of the birds must be performed as described earlier in the parsha:

He is to take 2 live birds, cedar wood, crimson wool. and hyssop. He is then to put water in an earthenware vessel and then slaughter one of the birds on top of it. He is then to take the cedar wood, hyssop, wool and the remaining live bird and dip them into the blood of the slaughtered bird and into the spring water and then sprinkle this in the direction of the house seven times.

The live bird is then set free.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

If the person who is being purified for being a Metzora is too poor to bring the requisite offerings (see yesterday’s post for more details), he should just bring:

* One male lamb for a guilt offering

* One* tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering, which is the poured offering of the lamb and

* One log of oil (this is not the oil that is mixed with the flour but rather additional oil to be poured on the thumb and big toe)

* Either two turtledoves or two young doves, whichever he can afford – one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.

*Side note: the text specifies “one” tenth of an ephah instead of just saying “a tenth” to show that this 1/10 ephah of flour is related to (being the poured offering of) the lamb.

On the eighth day after the ceremony involving the slaughtering of one of these birds and the sending away the other and sprinkling blood on him with the cedarwood, hyssop and crimson wool (see yesterday’s post for more details), he is to bring all of the above listed things to the Kohen at the entrance to the Ohel Moed.

The Kohen is then to take the lamb that was brought for the guilt offering and the log of oil and wave them before G-d.

He is then to slaughter this lamb and take some of its blood and put it on the person being purified’s right ear (on the cartilage), on his right thumb and right big toe.

The Kohen is then to pour some of the oil into his own left hand and then with his right index finger he is to sprinkle some of this oil seven times in front of G-d.

The Kohen is then to dab some of the his oil onto the person being purified in all of the places where he had placed the blood – the cartilage of the right ear, his right thumb and right big toe. It doesn’t matter if the blood is no longer there, as it is not the blood that makes these places on the body important for this but rather the places themselves.

The leftover oil is then to be placed on the head of the person being purified.

The ceremony with the two turtledoves or the young doves (whatever he was able to afford) is then to be done. As mentioned earlier, one bird will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering in addition to the meal offering.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Purifying the Metzora, Cont'd.

The lamb for the guilt offering is then to be slaughtered on the north side of the altar. The text specifies this since this is the place that guilt offerings are usually slaughtered. This guilt offering was to be brought to the eastern entrance which is not the case with other guilt offerings so one might have thought that the place for it to be slaughtered would be different as well.

The Kohen is then to take some of the blood from this guilt offering and place it on the cartilage of the one being purified's right ear, their right thumb and right big toe.

The Kohen is then to take some of the oil from the log of oil that was brought and pour it on his own (i.e the Kohen's) left palm.

The Kohen is then to dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm and sprinkle it with his finger seven times towards the east (AKA "Before G-d". In other words towards the Holy of Holies).

The Kohen is then to take some of the remaining oil from his palm and dab it onto the person being purified in the places where he had placed the blood, i.e. the cartilage of the right ear, onto this right thumb and right big toe. The blood must be put on before the oil. If it is not done in that order the ceremony is invalid.

The Kohen is then to take the remainder of the oil from his palm and place it on the person who is being purified's head.

The Kohen shall then perform the sin offering and then slaughter the burnt offering. He shall then bring up the burnt offering and the "poured" meal offering to the altar. Such poured meal offerings were always brought with animal offerings and unlike meal offerings that were brought on their own, only a kometz of flour was taken from them to be burnt. The burnt offering by contrast was burnt up in its entirety.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

A person who is afflicted with Tza'ras is called a Metzora.

During the time when they are officially deemed impure, they must stay outside of the 3 camps (The Mishkan premises, the Levite camp and the Israelite camp).

When the time comes for them to be purified, this must be done during the day.

At that time, the Kohen shall approach them in the area outside of the camps. If the Kohen sees that they have healed from their affliction, then the Kohen shall command that a few things to be taken for the Metzora:

* 2 live birds. These must be of a kosher species and not trefos, i.e not have any mortal defects. Birds are fitting conduits for a Metzorah's purification since the affliction of Tzara'as comes about from speaking Lashon Hara and birds are characterized by constant chirping.

* Cedarwood. Ceder trees are tall and glorious. Tzara'as comes to a person out of feeling haughty so it is befitting that wood from such a tree would be part of their purification.

* Wool which has been dyed crimson and combed but not yet spun (called "tongue" of wool for it is combed into long tonguelike strips). The word for dyed wool is תולעת which also means "worm". It is befitting for wool with such a name to be part of a Metzora's purification to lower themselves from their arrogance like a worm

* Hyssop. This is an herb which does not grow tall like a cedar. Both are necessary for the Metzora's purification.

The Kohen should then order that one of the birds be slaughtered into an earthenware vessel containing a revi'is (3-5.5 fluid oz.) of water. The water is put into the vessel first and there is only a small amount of it so that the bird's blood will be visible in it when it drips into it.

The Kohen should then take the other bird on it's own, and then the cedar wood, hyssop and tongue of wool together (by using the tongue of wool to tie the cedar wood and hyssop together) and then bring all of these together and dip them into the bloodied water.

The Kohen is then to sprinkle the Metzora seven times and thus he shall be purified and the live bird is to be set free.

The person being purified is then to immerse his clothing, shave all his hair and immerse himself. He is now pure and may enter the camp, however he is forbidden from having marital relations for seven days.

On the seventh day he is to shave off all of the hair on his head and face - i.e his beard and eyebrows and immerse his clothing and himself and thus he will become pure.

On the eighth day he is then to take:

* Two unblemished male lambs - one as a burnt offering and one as a guilt offering

* One unblemished ewe that is less than a year old - as a sin offering*

* 3/10 of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is for the "poured offering" for these three lambs which is required for the sin and guilt offerings of a Metzora.

* 1 log** of oil - to be poured onto the Holy of Holies and then dabbed onto the cartilage of the Metzora's ear and on his thumb and big toe (see further on for details).

*Side note: The chumash doesn't explicitly say what every animal was for every offering , however based on 14:12 where the text says that one of the male lambs is a guilt offering and then in 14:19 and 20 it says that the remaining two are sin and olah offerings, Rashi deduces that one of the lambs is the burnt offering (and not the ewe) since burnt offerings can only come from male animals.

**Side note: Approximately 12-21 fluid oz. Since, 1 log = 6x a "beitzah" which is 2-3.5 fluid oz.

The Kohen is then to place the person being purified together with himself in front of the eastern entrance to the Courtyard of the Mishkan which was called the Gate of Nikanor. He is still is not allowed to enter into the Courtyard itself yet as he is not yet pure.

The Kohen then takes the male lamb which was designated as the guilt offering with the log of oil and brings them into the Courtyard and waves them before G-d in service of Him. The lamb must be alive at this point and the Kohen must have the conscious intention that this is a for a guilt offering when bringing the lamb into the Courtyard.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Afflictions on Garments or Other Materials cont'd

After the second seven day period of the material being put in quarantine after being washed (see yesterday's post for more info), the Kohen is to come and examine it.

If he sees that the affliction has not changed color (i.e. did not become darker) even if it did not spread (all the more so if it spread), it is deemed impure and the material should be burned.

Just like with a person, if the affliction covers the entire body and not just a certain area the person is deemed pure, so too if an affliction cover the entirety of a garment (or piece of material), it is deemed pure and not Tzara'as.

If however after being washed and quarantined for a second time the Kohen sees that the affliction got darker, the Kohen is to rip out the afflicted part from the rest of the material and burn it. If after doing so the affliction reappears on the material, the entire piece of material should be burned.

If after this washing (post the first seven day quarantine) the affliction disappears from the material, then the material should be immersed and it is deemed pure.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Tzara'as On Baldness and On Clothing

Tzara'as on Baldness

A man who experiences "posterior baldness" (i.e he loses the hair on the back of his head - from where the crown of the head slopes down towards his back) is deemed pure of netakin as he cannot be judged by the signs of the netek which are a beard or head. Such a man is only diagnosed according to the way afflictions of the skin are (in the bald area).

A man who has frontal baldness (this includes baldness in the area from where the crown of the head slopes towards the face as well as the temples on either side), is deemed pure.

If an affliction that is a mix of red and white appears on the bald area (of either posterior or frontal baldness), the Kohen is to judge it the way he would judge afflictions appearing on the skin (i.e not like an inflammation or a burn nor like a netek - see earlier in the parsha for more info on these). This means it may need two weeks to be diagnosed properly at which time if this red and white appearance is there, he would be deemed impure and diagnosed with Tz'araas.

Once such a person is pronounced as such, the person should tear their clothing, refrain from cutting their hair as well as shaving his mustache, and should announce that they are impure so others know to stay away from them.

This person should then go into isolation for the duration of his/her impurity. They cannot even be together with someone else who is afflicted with Tzara'as . The reason for this strict isolation is because the affliction of Tza'raas comes as a result of speaking Lashon Hara which divides people. So it is fitting that the consequence should be that the speaker so afflicted should go into isolation. This isolation is "outside of three camps" - 1)The Mishkan's property (i.e the "camp of the Schina"), 2)The camp of the Levites which surrounded the Mishkan, and 3)The camp of the Israelites which surrounded that.

Tzara'as and Clothing

If a Tzara'as affliction is found on a garment or the threads of what is to be a garment of wool or on worked or unworked leather clothing or anything leather which is deep green* or deep red, it must be shown to a Kohen. The Kohen shall than close off this affliction for seven days.

*Side note: According to Rabbi Elazar, it is actually deep yellow, however the halacha follows Rashi that it is deep green.

If after seven days the Kohen sees the this affliction has spread on the material, the Kohen shall deem it a pain inducing Tzara'as and impure.

This material should be then burned. If the said garment or other item has a hem that is made from a different material, this other material may be removed before the burning.

However if the Kohen sees that the affliction has not spread on the material, the Kohen is to order that they wash the area of the material that contains the affliction together with some of the non-afflicted material and then close it off for another seven day period.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Afflictions in Hair

For areas on the body that do not grow much hair, the appearance of white hair is a sign of Tzara'as. For areas that are more abundant with hair (such as a man's beard or on a man or woman's head), dark hair that turns yellowish* (but not if it was originally that color) is a sign of Tzara'as.

*Side note: Rashi later (in verse 13:37) defines this color as being golden (pointing out the similarity between the words צהוב (yellowish) and זהוב (golden))

In cases of afflictions in the hair (i.e. in a beard or scalp), if the Kohen sees that the affliction appears deeper than the skin and has weak hair that has becoms yellowish, the Kohen shall deem the person impure, diagnosing the person with a netek (AKA Tzara'as of the head or beard).

However if in looking at the netek, it does not appear to the Kohen to be deeper than the skin, but there is no dark hair in it, the afflicted must be quarantined for seven days. If the Kohen does see dark hair, the person need not be quarantined, as dark hair is a sign of purity.

If after the seven day quarantine, the Kohen looks at the afflicted and sees that the netek has spread, or sees yellowish hair (only one of these criteria need be present), then the person is deemed impure.

If however after the seven day quarantine, the Kohen sees that the netek has not spread and there is no yellowish hair in it and it does not appear deeper than the skin, the afflicted is to shave themselves around the netek area, but make sure to leave a circle that is two hairs wide all around the affliction. This way if the netek spreads, it can be seen. The afflicted should then quarantine themselves for another seven days.

If on the seventh day of the quarantine the Kohen looks as the netek and sees that it has not spread and it does not look deeper than the skin, the Kohen shall declare the person pure and the person should then immerse their clothes and they then have the status of being pure.

If however after the Kohen declares the person pure the netek then spreads, the person is deemed impure*.

*Side note: This is true whether it is after the first or second week of quarantine, as alluded to in the repetitive wording "פּשה יפּשה (literally "spread it shall spread")" as pointed out by Rashi.

In such a case, if a Kohen looks at this netek and sees that it has spread, it is not necessary for the Kohen to look for yellowish hair. The spreading that the Kohen sees is sufficient to deem the person impure.

If however the netek stays as is and any colored hair other than that yellowish color grows from it (i.e actual yellow (in Hebrew called ירוק - which in modern hebrew is known as green - not just pale/yellowish), red or dark), this means that the netek has healed and the Kohen shall declare it pure.

A Kohen must declare a pure affliction pure to deem it such, however a Kohen declaring an impure affliction does not cause it to lose its status of impurity.

Spots on Flesh

The chumash now presents a case of a man or a woman who has white spots on their flesh. In such a case, a Kohen shall examine the person and if he sees that the spots are dark and white (i.e not "intense white"), it is called a bohak and is pure. Rashi describes this as being similar to someone with a red complexion, or someone who has freckles, and it is the shining white skin between the redness of their complexion or between their freckles.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here  https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Diagnosing Burn Scabs

Today's aliya begins with describing a person who has a burn on their skin which then heals and turns into a baheres that is either colored a mix of red and white or is fully white.

In such a case, if the Kohen then sees that the hair turned white and appeared deeper than the skin, this means that it is Tzara'as which came out from the burn and the Kohen shall declare him impure.

If however the Kohen does not see any white hair on the baheres and it is not deeper and it is dark, the afflicted should be quarantined for seven days.

If after seven days the Kohen sees that the baheres spread, he should deem the afflicted person impure and diagnos the person with Tzara'as.

If however the baheres does not spread and is dark, it is called a se'is of the burn and the Kohen should declare him pure - it is just scarring of the burn.