S3E4 Tazria 2023

This week's parsha, Tazria, continues to focus on the laws of tumah and tahara, spiritual impurity and purity. Among other lessons, we learn about: A new mother, who must bring korbanot to God in order to thank Him for having survived the dangers of childbirth. Brit Milah, the rule that every eight day old male must be circumcised as a way of showing they are joining on to the Brit (covenant or treaty) God made with Avraham. The laws of Tzaraat, a skin and clothing condition that God brought upon a person to serve as a wake-up call and help them realize they needed to do teshuva and repent for their wrong choices. Lashon hara, or evil speech, a main reason why someone would have received Tzaraat. Evil speech can cause a person to become excluded from their community, and someone who receives tzaraat upon their body must also physically remove themselves from their community. Hopefully, this experience will cause them to feel more empathy and to refrain from engaging in evil speech in the future.