This weeks Torah portion, Metzora (literally Leper) deals with the Biblical plague of leprosy and the various processes a person had to go through in order to become spiritually pure. Aside from its literal meaning, Metzora is also one of the names the Talmudic Sages used to refer to Moshiach, commenting on the verse in Isaiah (53:4): Surely he has borne our sicknesses, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, struck by G-d, and afflicted. The name Metzora specifically relates to Moshiach as he exists in exile, prior to the Final Redemption. During this period, although he is already present in the world, he has not yet been revealed as King Moshiach. Moshiachs essential nature is the epitome of perfection, as he is described: My servant is enlightened; he is exalted, lofty and highly elevated. Nonetheless, because he is still in exile and shares in the suffering of the Jewish people, he is termed Metzora. A Biblical commentator, the Ohr HaChaim, explains that the purification process of the leper is symbolic of the process of Moshiachs revelation and the cleansing of the Jewish people from exile. The lepers day of purification corresponds to the day on which the Final Redemption will occur. Furthermore, from the fact that Moshiach is called Metzora, we learn the precise nature of his suffering before the Redemption. Chasidic philosophy notes that leprosy is an external affliction of the skin of his flesh, rather than an illness that has already invaded the inner workings of the body. Accordingly, it symbolizes a condition in which a persons inner essence is whole, and the damage is limited only to his exterior. Thus on a deeper level, Metzora signifies a person on the highest spiritual plane, whose powers of the soul have already been purified and refined. The Metzoras inner essence is pure; all that is left for him to do is to cleanse his skin - the very outermost layers of the body. Moreover, the Metzoras external affliction isnt really his, but that of the Jewish people, as it states, Surely he has borne our sicknesses. This, in fact, is the condition in which we find ourselves now, at the very end of the exile and just prior to the Redemption. Outwardly, it appears as if the Jewish people is suffering from a variety of ailments, but our inner essence is actually pristine, having already been completely purified over the course of generations. The only thing left to be refined before Moshiachs revelation is our outer layer. All other prerequisites for the Final Redemption are already in place. May it happen immediately. Moshiach NOW!!!
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 22:25:29 +0000
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