Apr 16/05 — Shabbat Metzora

Commentary by Rabbi Alan Green

“To remove the sin of the house, he shall take two birds, cedar wood, crimson yarn, and hyssop. He shall slaughter one bird over living water in a clay vessel. He shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the crimson yarn, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and living water, and sprinkle the house seven times. Having purged the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the crimson yarn, he shall free the live bird, outside the city, in an open field. Thus shall he make atonement for the house, and it shall be ritually purified.” — Leviticus 14:49-53

What on earth is going on here? Is THIS Judaism? The short answer to that question is, “yes.” We are an ancient people. The rituals of purification described in this week’s Torah reading come from the most ancient layer of our history, when we were in our barbarian phase, first wandering in the desert, and then conquering the land of Canaan.

Jewish culture and civilization has changed dramatically over the last three thousand years. But the human condition has not. Today, we still must deal with the universal human conditions of sin, impurity, and the need for some sort of atonement. Unfortunately, it is no longer fashionable to even use the word “sin” these days.

Many of us have abdicated the whole idea of taking personal responsibility for our actions. We have all heard of court cases where the most heinous crimes are defended, and excused, on the basis of a defendant’s use of drugs, or their deprived childhood. In these modern times, we are often guilty of psychologizing the reality of sin completely out of existence.

The ancient ritual described above—improbable as it sounds—does nothing of this sort. In that setting, sin is absolutely real, and it has effects—physical, and even environmental. Modern medicine is only now getting back to the idea that physical illness has a spiritual and emotional component to it. And it is only lately that we are starting to become aware of the very serious environmental impacts of the modern life style on planet Earth.

Today, in order to protect our health, as well as that of our environment, rituals of purification and atonement are more necessary than ever. And while it’s clear that we cannot go back to the precise practices of our ancestors, we would do well to think about the ways that we can atone, change our behaviour, and free ourselves from the negative effects of the inevitable mistakes that we all make in life.

Only if we have ways to refresh and renew ourselves on a regular basis, and begin again, is it possible for us to continue on with our lives, healthily and happily, in spite of our mistakes.