Close To Torah

The Torah tells us that one who suffered from tzaras had to go through an atonement process when the tzaras began to get smaller. The beginning verse in our Parsha states that when the Metzora thought that he was ready to be reexamined by the Kohen (14:2) “…the Metzora should go out to the Kohen.” The next verse seems to contradict this by saying, “The Kohen should go out to see him (the Metzora). What is going on here, should the leper go to the Kohen, or should the Kohen come to him?

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l says that from here we learn an important lesson in life. Both the leper and the Kohen should focus on their part in what they have a responsibility to do! They should both go out to greet each other! Rav Moshe states that this is an important lesson in many situations in life.

Rabbi Chaim Volozin explains in Avos (1:12) what it means to be a follower of Aharon HaKohen and to ‘love peace and pursue peace’. What do the Mishna and the verse (Tehillim 34:15) mean by “love peace and run after it”? He says that we should try our best to do our part in seeking solutions and ways to work with others. What happens when we feel that the other party is not doing their part? The verse and Mishna tell us, “pursue peace anyway!” That is what is meant by the stressing of “run after peace!” Continue to uphold and stay true to your moral and ethical character commitments! This is a hard task and certainly expresses greatness on the part of Aharon and anyone who emulates him!

Indeed, Chazal (Taanis 4a) tell us that when Yiftach accidently swore to give his daughter as a sacrifice to Hashem, he had a simple solution to remedy his mistake. He should have had his vow annulled by the Jewish leader Pinchas. But alas this never happened. Yiftach said, “Pinchus should come to me, after all, I am the Chief Judge of the Jewish Nation.” Pinchus refused to go stating, “Yiftach should come to me, after all, I am the Chief Prophet of the Jewish Nation.” And between the two of them Yiftach’s daughter was lost. Chazal say that both of them were badly punished for although each felt that they intended their front for the sake of heaven, nevertheless, their personal ego prevented them from doing what was right. Yiftach died a painful death in which his body dislodged one limb at a time and Pinchus lost his prophetic abilities.

The significance of these two punishments is understood in light of the nature of their sin. The Jewish Nation is seen as one body, where each person is part of the special nation and serves his or her unique function just as the body is made up of diverse limbs and functions. Yiftach was not properly in line with this perspective and he saw himself as an individual who was separate and better than others. Hashem therefore punished him correspondingly by separating limbs from his physical body. Pinchas was the illustrious grandson of Aharon HaKohen and was expected to embody the traits of his grandfather. When he showed himself to be lacking in that department, he lost the privilege of divine prophesy. Being close to Hashem is a privilege that is awarded to those that are willing to open their hearts and respect others. When Pinchus closed his heart to another Jew and did not act with proactive alacrity in order to help someone in need, he lost his connection to Hashem. We can assume that both Yiftach and Pinchus recognized their mistake and repented for it, and their lesson carries on and teaches us the importance of doing our part. May we all merit to emulate Aharon’s love and pursuit of peace.

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