Divrei Mav

Parshas Metzora 2018 Neutralizing Our Negativities Parshas   Metzora , like  Tazria  also discusses the laws of  Tzaraas  and one who is contaminated is called a “ Metzora ”. The  Torah  forbids us from speaking  Lashon   Hara  (gossip). Slandering another with words is a great sin and is in fact, a primary reason developing  Tzaraas . A person who is a  Baal   Lashon   Hara  (habitual speaker of  lashon   hara ) can also be referred to as a “ motzee   shem   ra ” which literally translates to “one who give someone else a bad name”. Just as one’s personal feelings toward his fellow Jew surfaced into gossip and slander; the  Metzora’s  body surfaced with  Tzaraas . To eradicate  Tzaraas,  proper  teshuva  (repentance) is needed. One of the steps in  teshuva  is committing to never transgress that sin again. We are taught, ...

Parshas Vayikra 2018 Relating To Animal Sacrifices The book of  Vayikra  (Leviticus) deals primarily with the parameters for the relationship between  Hashem  and His nation as well as each individual. Much of this third  sefer  (book) is devoted to explaining the  korbanos  (animal sacrifices). The  korbanos  (offerings) consisted of four broad categories;  Olah  (elevation offering),  Chatos  (sin offering),  Shlamim  (peace offering) and Asham  (guilt offering). Each  korban  (sacrifice) serves a different purpose throughout the year. Some were brought with the high holidays and others with  YomimTovim  or  Shabbos . All this was an active and integral part of Jewish life. If a man sinned, his atonement was realized when he offered a  korban  and did proper  teshuva  (repentance). The atonement came through experiencing the animals’ dem...