Why were the priests in ancient Israel involved in checking for leprosy and other infectious disease? Surely this was the job of the doctor. But then if you think of the term “Witch Doctor” you realize that it was common practice for religion and health to be interconnected. The priest reminded us that we need a spiritual dimension to lead…
Author: Jeremy Rosen
Isolation
The diseases described in the Torah this week as Leprosy are not actually the disease we know of by that name. Rather it is a general way of describing any serious or potentially infectious disease or fungus. The Torah involves the priests in assessing the problem, prescribing isolation if necessary and then participating in the healing process. This interconnection between…
Purity
Nowadays many people are put off when the Torah talks about ‘purity’ and ‘impurity’ because they think it has something to do with cleanliness or dirt. But that’s simply not so. You can be the cleanest, purest person in the world, bathe in a tub of disinfectant and still be ‘impure.’ The Hebrew word Tahor or Tamey often translated misleadingly…
Childbirth
Much in the part of the Torah we read this week, sounds antiquated and obscure to most of us. The main theme is about unusual states of bodies, diseases and infections that affect humans, but clothes and buildings as well. The Torah describes the process of calling in the Cohen, who often served as the medical expert, to evaluate the…
Sin Offering
After giving birth, and having a period of recuperation, the mother brings a sin offering. Many commentators wonder why? What did she do wrong? And some suggest she may have cursed in her pain or sworn never to go through it again. But there is another way of looking at this. Giving birth is so important and so significant for…
Circumcision
We know about circumcision from Avraham’s circumcising his two sons. Also from the failure of Moses to circumcise his son that nearly caused his death. But here we have the actual law stated as part of the constitution, rather than through a narrative. Why is circumcision such fundamental law and why is there no female equivalent in Judaism? Once again…