A Thought on Parshas Metzora

"...v'nosati nega tzaras b'bais eretz achu'zas'chem..." (14:34) "...and I will place a severe affliction on the house of your land of possession..." Our parsha brings to a close the multitude of Torah verses which have addressed impurity and afflictions on people, on property and in our possessions. ibn Shu'aib tells us that he too is going to close this section, with a different midrashic approach used by our Sages. Word by word and clause by clause, he interprets the above passage, fortifying each insight with support from verses elsewhere in TaNaCh. It is worth seeing his writing inside, but I will paraphrase him here without including his support verses. After all, as he writes, he is merely presenting the words of our Sages... When our verse(s) above says "the house", this alludes to the Holy House, the Temple known as the Bais HaMidkash. When the Torah says "the one who owns the house", this alludes to HaShem Himself. The clause "and he shall tell the Kohen" (about the affliction on his house), refers to the prophet Yirmiahu (who was a Kohen), who forecast and later lamented the churban, the destruction (affliction) of the Bais HaMikdash. When the verse then says "an affliction has appeared in my house", this refers to the pagan idol placed by King Menashe. When the verse next says, "and the Kohen shall instruct them to empty the afflicted house", this was the attempt to rid the Temple of that impurity. When the verse then says, "then the Kohen shall instruct them to demolish the house", this was Yirmiahu's prophecy materializing as the Temple was actually destroyed. The Torah then says, "and they shall take other stones", which alludes to the building of the Second Bais HaMikdash. The verse stating, "and if the affliction returns and spreads over the house", is a reference to the baseless hatred which arose and spread during the time of the Second Temple. When the verse then cries, "it is a malignant affliction", this alludes to the damage done by the hypocrisy of that behavioral desecration during a sanctified era. "Demolish the house" means the Second Temple will be utterly destroyed. The verse which says, "and if the Kohen will then come", refers to the forthcoming building of the Third Bais HaMikdash. The Kohen of that verse hints to Eliahu HaNavi. The verse, "for the affliction will be purified" refers to that time, when the Temple is rebuilt, when our internal straying will also be healed, and the clauses "the house will be cleansed, cleared, purified" foretell the restoration of the sacrificial rite, which will bring atonement and cleansing. Ibn Shu'aib prays for us all, asking that it be the will of HaShem to rebuild our people, and to restore to us our higher sense of sanctity, so that we will once again sense the Presence. Good Shabbos and good Yom Tov ha'ba aleinu v'al kol Yisroel l'tova. D Fox