Dvar Torah by ROBERT TORNBERG for ReformJudasim.org
Annoying “Un-Understanding”
What a difficult portion Tazria is! It looks at issues of purity; birth; and illness of men and women, fabric and skin. Even without touching on leprosy (or whatever skin disease it is) there's plenty to discuss in this parashah!
There's more than enough to explore with childbirth and blood, boy babies and girl babies, quarantine and sin offerings. And the questions abound . . .
- Why are there 7 days of isolation and 33 days of "blood purification" for birthing boys?
- Why are there 14 days of isolation and 66 days of blood purification for birthing girls?
- Do 40 (7 plus 33) and 80 (14 plus 66, or twice 40) have anything to do with all the other 40s in our tradition (for example, the Israelites' 40 years in the wilderness, and the 40 days and nights of rain in Noah's time?)
- Why is a woman tam'ah, "impure" at all, after creating life in her body?
- Bringing an olah, "burnt offering" after the period of purification may make sense. But why also a chatat, "sin" (or "purgation") offering?
The questions puzzle and bother! My "un-understanding" annoys!
Our Torah is frequently perplexing. I encounter the Creation story in the first portion of the Book of Genesis, B'reishit, with energy and enthusiasm despite the fact that it is a challenging text. And I approach the account of Revelation at Sinai (Exodus 20) in Parashat Yitro in a similar way. Our text this week demands no less.
How do we examine these questions with all the problems they present for gender scholars?
I turned to the shelf of Jewish feminist literature in our library – commentaries, theology, polemics, and views – for wisdom.
I learned a lot; perhaps, most of all, I understood that the scholars I read had as many – maybe more – questions than I do.
Continue reading.
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