A thought on פרשת מצורע
"...v'achar ti'thar...""...and after the immersion she shall be pure..." (15:28)
A married woman who develops a sign of impurity must keep an interval of careful abstinence in the same manner in which a man must observe a process which leads to personal purification. This is well depicted in our Parsha and the formula of cleansing by way of total immersion (compare last week's parsha thought) is a standard in our Torah tradition and in contemporary halacha.
The laws of mikvaos - the ritual baths - are intricate and numerous. Some of them are more familiar to us, such as the requirement of using only natural-sourced water such as those from a downpour of rain or of melted snow. A mikva is not filled with drawn water or that which has been stored in containers. Ever wonder why?Worded differently, have you ever wondered about any deeper meaning within the concept of using natural waters and not those carried from an un-natural (as in human-made) source? Why is drawn water forbidden and how does it invalidate a mikva?
The Recanati dips into this deeper area: He writes that this is a profound concept in the writings of the mekubalim - those sages who have immersed themselves in the study of the secrets of the Torah. A faithful wife, one who is devoted to her husband and who does not entertain the notion of infidelity, does more than solidify her marriage. In ways which we have attempted to describe in earlier parsha thoughts from the Recanati, our acts in this life resonate within the higher realm as well.
HaShem is One and His Name is One. We experience the Sacred in our senses, as well as in our souls. The deep and internal sense of HaShem's infinite might and holiness is the product of long and dedicated avoda and spiritual growth. In contrast, the broader awareness of HaShem's Presence, that which we relate to when we speak of "knowing" that we believe in Him, or when our conduct models that we give homage to Him, or when we study His Torah and are prompted to apply its rules and live by His commandments, is a more shallow level of consciousness, an awareness that HaShem has a role in our experience. It is a dimmer form of awareness. It is not a moving encounter such as that of a prophet, or of one with ruach ha'kodesh or of possibly those moments during intense silent prayer or at the Kosel when something electric takes place deeper than we normally get to within ourselves. The awe and aura of these important yet lesser experiences are a cognizance of the Shechina - a phenomenological state which can occur at different levels and in different ways for each individual.
Our mortal difficulty and challenge is in knowing what to make of those "Shechina- linked" encounters. We can and should associate them with the Divine Alone. Some people end up misinterpreting them as celestial, cosmic, neural, alien, new age, new wave, psychic, psychotic or imaginary. Chas v'Shalom. The existence of that higher concept which we term the "Shechina" is manifest solely through the Divine Will. It is not a separate entity. It is not an emanation or realm of being. The existence of a sense of Presence which we relate to in our efforts to feel connected with the Above is an existence catalyzed only through the Highest Will. Thus, HaShem causes and allows for us to know of Him by way of our sensing or feeling or thinking that we know of His "Shechina." The sense of the Shechina is our way of associating and connecting our experience here with That Which is beyond our ability to experience.
Within ourselves, we must understand that "connection." Within our minds and hearts, we must make a connection between our human sense of the Presence and that this sense and our interpretation of its impact within us is fueled by a Sacredness which is far and beyond all of us and all of our limitedness. In metaphoric terms, the lower world sense is a pool which is filled by the Highest Eternal "waters from Heaven." It is not filled by anything foreign to HaShem or external to Him.
When a wife remains devoted and attached to her husband, she prepares for that return, that approach, through immersion in waters that have a natural source, that come from the sky above. Nothing foreign has come between them and nothing foreign can purify and cleanse. When this precept of mikva immersion is carried out with waters symbolizing their higher origin - the rain and the snow which descend here - this resonates in Shomayim. It gives strength to that potential for people to grow more and more aware that all that is truly holy and spiritual can have only One source of origin. There can be no confusion, no imposters, no substitutes or alien forces.
Mikva Yisroel HaShem (Yirmiyahu 17:13). Good Shabbos. D Fox
A married woman who develops a sign of impurity must keep an interval of careful abstinence in the same manner in which a man must observe a process which leads to personal purification. This is well depicted in our Parsha and the formula of cleansing by way of total immersion (compare last week's parsha thought) is a standard in our Torah tradition and in contemporary halacha.
The laws of mikvaos - the ritual baths - are intricate and numerous. Some of them are more familiar to us, such as the requirement of using only natural-sourced water such as those from a downpour of rain or of melted snow. A mikva is not filled with drawn water or that which has been stored in containers. Ever wonder why?Worded differently, have you ever wondered about any deeper meaning within the concept of using natural waters and not those carried from an un-natural (as in human-made) source? Why is drawn water forbidden and how does it invalidate a mikva?
The Recanati dips into this deeper area: He writes that this is a profound concept in the writings of the mekubalim - those sages who have immersed themselves in the study of the secrets of the Torah. A faithful wife, one who is devoted to her husband and who does not entertain the notion of infidelity, does more than solidify her marriage. In ways which we have attempted to describe in earlier parsha thoughts from the Recanati, our acts in this life resonate within the higher realm as well.
HaShem is One and His Name is One. We experience the Sacred in our senses, as well as in our souls. The deep and internal sense of HaShem's infinite might and holiness is the product of long and dedicated avoda and spiritual growth. In contrast, the broader awareness of HaShem's Presence, that which we relate to when we speak of "knowing" that we believe in Him, or when our conduct models that we give homage to Him, or when we study His Torah and are prompted to apply its rules and live by His commandments, is a more shallow level of consciousness, an awareness that HaShem has a role in our experience. It is a dimmer form of awareness. It is not a moving encounter such as that of a prophet, or of one with ruach ha'kodesh or of possibly those moments during intense silent prayer or at the Kosel when something electric takes place deeper than we normally get to within ourselves. The awe and aura of these important yet lesser experiences are a cognizance of the Shechina - a phenomenological state which can occur at different levels and in different ways for each individual.
Our mortal difficulty and challenge is in knowing what to make of those "Shechina- linked" encounters. We can and should associate them with the Divine Alone. Some people end up misinterpreting them as celestial, cosmic, neural, alien, new age, new wave, psychic, psychotic or imaginary. Chas v'Shalom. The existence of that higher concept which we term the "Shechina" is manifest solely through the Divine Will. It is not a separate entity. It is not an emanation or realm of being. The existence of a sense of Presence which we relate to in our efforts to feel connected with the Above is an existence catalyzed only through the Highest Will. Thus, HaShem causes and allows for us to know of Him by way of our sensing or feeling or thinking that we know of His "Shechina." The sense of the Shechina is our way of associating and connecting our experience here with That Which is beyond our ability to experience.
Within ourselves, we must understand that "connection." Within our minds and hearts, we must make a connection between our human sense of the Presence and that this sense and our interpretation of its impact within us is fueled by a Sacredness which is far and beyond all of us and all of our limitedness. In metaphoric terms, the lower world sense is a pool which is filled by the Highest Eternal "waters from Heaven." It is not filled by anything foreign to HaShem or external to Him.
When a wife remains devoted and attached to her husband, she prepares for that return, that approach, through immersion in waters that have a natural source, that come from the sky above. Nothing foreign has come between them and nothing foreign can purify and cleanse. When this precept of mikva immersion is carried out with waters symbolizing their higher origin - the rain and the snow which descend here - this resonates in Shomayim. It gives strength to that potential for people to grow more and more aware that all that is truly holy and spiritual can have only One source of origin. There can be no confusion, no imposters, no substitutes or alien forces.
Mikva Yisroel HaShem (Yirmiyahu 17:13). Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 8:05 PM
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