Parshas Tazria – Metzorah

April 29, 2006

Volume 20, Number 25
1 Iyar 5766

T
The Value of Wealth Contemporary
Halacha
zora’as is a form of ritual niture has been removed. injunction on the kohen
Opening Metal
Ephraim Meth

Cans on Shabbos
impurity (tumah), which Ordinarily, anything inside of affords the homeowner an
results from a nega (affliction) an afflicted house becomes opportunity to save both

L
that is inspected by a kohen tamei. Once tamei, utensils of effort and assets.
Rabbi Eli Ozarowski
ast week we discussed some of
and subsequently pronounced
Wealth is
The Medrash (Toras the opinions concerning
impure. If the kohen’s inspec- Kohanim 5:12) derives from opening bags and containers on

important
tion and pronouncement are the above law that “the Torah Shabbos; this week we will discuss
lacking, the nega alone cannot the issues related to opening metal
had mercy on Jewish assets.”
because it
cans, such as tuna or soda cans, on
cause ritual impurity. These In a similar vein, the Medrash Shabbos.
absolute requirements allow us
enables us
(Shemos Rabbah 11:3) points The earliest case discussed by the
to delay the onset of tumah in out that Hashem warned the poskim concerns the opening of
certain situations. For exam-
to better
sardine cans. The Minchas
Egyptians of the impending
Shabbos and Tehilah L’Dovid
ple, the kohen is not sup- plague of hail so that they
serve
argue that opening sealed sardine
posed to inspect afflictions could rescue their livestock. cans violates the melocha (forbid-

on holidays, nor should he
inspect a groom in the week
following his wedding (Moed
Kattan 7b-8a).
The kohen should similarly
withhold his inspection of
afflicted houses until their fur-
Hashem.
metal and wood must be
immersed in a mikvah, and
pottery utensils must be
destroyed. Therefore, the
Based on this, the Medrash
concludes that Hashem also
has mercy on non-Jewish
assets. The rescue of Jewish
assets even possesses halachic
valence; certain leniencies are
utilized only in situations of
continued on page 3
den labor) of soteir, destroying.1
However, the Chazon Ish (51:11)
suggests that soteir is not relevant
here, because one who is opening
the can is not trying to destroy it;
rather, he is opening it in order to
use it as a vessel. Still, the Chazon
Ish maintains that it is forbidden
to open them for another reason.
Since many people reuse these
cans for other items, and they

T
T abl e Torah Hail to the Priest therefore become functional ves-

he laws of tzora’as provide us with a house.” Only after the Kohen diagnoses the the spiritual leader of the Jewish community,
Yoni Noble continued on page 2

valuable lesson concerning the defer-
ence and respect we must give our commu-
nity leaders. When a homeowner in Eretz
Yisrael suspects that his house has been
afflicted with tzora’as (Vayikra 14:35), he
must seek out a Kohen and announce “it
appears to me that tzora’as might be on my
red or green streaks on the wall as tzora’as
will the house and all its contents become
contaminated. On that verse, Rashi com-
ments that although he may be a worthy
Torah scholar with an expertise in the laws
of tzora’as, the homeowner can only assert
that their might be tzora’as. Only the kohen,
can make a final assessment. Advanced
knowledge of complex subject matter does
not license the layman to adjudicate serious
halachik decisions; we see from these laws,
also, without the firm guidance of a respect-
ed leader, a community is at risk of fragmen-
tation and disorder.

NEW YORK CITY SHABBOS TIMES

Candles Dawn Sunrise Shema (MA) Shema (Gra) Tefilla (MA) Tefilla (Gra) Chatzos Mincha Ged. Shkia Havdala

This issue is sponsored in honor of the recent engagement of Ben Hutt and Dalya Bryk. Mazel Tov!
7:30 P.M. 4:45 A.M. 5:57 A.M. 8:49 A.M. 9:25 A.M. 10:10 A.M. 10:34 A.M. 12:53 A.M. 1:28 PM. 7:50 P.M. 8:34 P.M.
 Opening Metal Cans on Shabbos
I
A Reassessment of Tzora’as sels once opened, we are concerned
that opening them might violate
the prohibition of asiyas pesach,
n 1868 the British govern- whelming number of proofs
David Moster
making a nice opening in a vessel.
ment published a paper to show that the physicians’ The source of this prohibition is
entitled “Report on Leprosy hypothesis was problematic: based on the Gemara (Beitzah 33b)
by the Royal College of (1) the metzora whose body that says that breaking a barrel is
only permitted in the case of a
Physicians” with the intent of was completely infected with
musteki, an unsturdy and crude
notifying the public that lep- tzora’as was declared pure container consisting of many
rosy is not an infectious dis- and allowed to live in society, pieces of wood glued together,
ease. The physicians also even though he should have because we are not concerned that
one will make a nice opening;
claimed, based on the con- been considered the most
according to Rashi’s interpretation
tent of this week’s parshiyos, “contagious”; (2) even if a there, it would be forbidden to
that the “Jews considered it person was clearly afflicted break open a regular barrel because
to be [infectious], and that with tzora’as, he wasn’t quar- one might make a nice opening in
the strictest quarantine was antined until a kohen official- the process, violating the prohibi-
tion of tikkun kli (making a vessel).
imposed upon those who ly declared him impure; (3) if
R’ Binyamin Zilber (Shut Az
contracted it.” The physicians there was even a minimal Nidberu 11:12) adopts this position
understood doubt that as well, though he permits opening
the term Tzora’as was a the tzora’as the can by way of destruction in a
“tzora’as” was another time of great need, which does not
disease of a constitute tikkun kli.
used in the type of dis-
Torah as
spiritual nature, ease, the Other poskim take a more lenient
referring to caused by a kohen was
approach. R’ Moshe Feinstein
(Igros Moshe, Orach Chaim 1:122)
leprosy, and litany of social obligated to argues that opening these cans
they assumed transgressions, declare the should, in theory, be permissible
that was
since they are comparable to the
that the pre- person
case in the Shulchan Aruch (314:8,
scription of expressed pure, ensur- based on Shabbos 146b) of closed
quarantine ing that the
was meant to
through physical “suspi-
baskets used to hold dates, which
are permitted to be opened on
isolate and symptoms. cious” per- Shabbos. This is because, as R’
Moshe explains, the baskets are
get rid of the son was made specifically for the dates and
disease. They also felt that allowed to remain in society; will not be used for anything else
the kohanim, who were given (4) a gentile who contracted afterwards. Therefore, the baskets
the exclusive rights to exam- tzora’as was never quaran- are batel (subservient) to the dates,
and there is no problem of opening
ine and declare the metzora tined; (5) the kohanim would them in order to remove the dates.
(one afflicted with tzora’as) never check for tzora’as on However, as we saw last week
impure, served as communal the holidays, a time when the regarding the opening of bags that
physicians. Following his entire nation gathered and contain food, in practice, R’ Moshe
rules that it is forbidden to open
presentation of the physi- infection would most likely this vessel out of the concern that
cians’ theory, Rav Shimshon spread; (6) a bridegroom with people will come to confuse this
Raphael Hirsch proceeds to tzora’as was not checked by with similar cases that are genuine-
explain how their under- the kohen until the conclu- ly forbidden.
standing of our parshiyos sion of the seven festive wed- R’ Yaakov Breisch (Chelkas Yaakov
3:8) employs an argument similar to
was mistaken; in fact, tzora’as ding days; and lastly, (7) no
that of R’ Moshe; however, he
is not a contagious disease. metzora was quarantined entertains the possibility that these
Rav Hirsch brings an over- unless he lived in a city with a cans possibly fall under the catego-
continued on page 3 ry of a musteki, which the Gemara
EINAYIM L’TORAH • 2
continued from page 1
quoted above (Beitzah 33b), per-
mitted to be opened on Shabbos.
Therefore, he says we shouldn’t
protest to those that open cans on
Shabbos, though he suggests that it
is better to open the can only
halfway, disarming the can of its
functional ability.
R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
(Maor HaShabbos p.490) deals with
the case of soda cans, and also
rules leniently for the reason cites
above – people throw these cans
out. He also notes that there is no
issue of violating the melocha of
mechateich (measured cutting),
because one generally doesn’t care
where the can opens; it happens to
open along the tab, because that is
the prefabricated route designed
into the can’s design.
Today, since people do not reuse
their tuna or sardine cans after the
food has been emptied, it is possi-
ble that even the Chazon Ish would
agree that opening these types of
cans is permitted. Nevertheless,
some contemporary poskim sug-
gest being stringent, if possible, in
order to avoid this question.
We have seen in the past few weeks
that minor differences in the manu-
facturing of various food contain-
ers can create major halachik dis-
tinctions. Since many of these
cases are debated by the poskim,
and since the halachik distinctions
between the cases are subtle and
not always recognized, it is recom-
mended that, ideally, one should
open all of the food utensils prior
to Shabbos.
1. See Rabbi Joseph Stern’s article on this
topic in the RJJ Journal, Spring 1983,
p.70.
2. See Rabbi Mordechai Willig’s Am
Mordechai al Maseches Shabbos p. 158
for a more detailed analysis of this tal-
mudic passage.
3. Though the Chazon Ish does say that
he is not sure whether our case is com-
parable, even if people don’t keep these
cans. See Chelkas Yaakov 3:8:10.
4. See, for example, R’ Ribiat in The 39
Melachos (p.840) and R’ Neustadt in
The Weekly Halachic Discussion (p.137).
 A Reassessment
vhv, ohn, of Tzora’as
wall from the times of Yehoshua ben
Nun. Furthermore, as Rambam points
out in the final halacha of Tumas
Metzora, tzora’as even infected clothing
and buildings, demonstrating that it was
a completely unnatural phenomenon.
Although it is true that tzora’as was a
dermatological ailment, it was by no
means “contagious.” It was a disease of
a spiritual nature, caused by a litany of
social transgressions (most notably
lashon hara), that was expressed
through physical symptoms. Rav Hirsch
explains that G-d kindly bestowed upon
the sinner a physical “warning” that
The Value of Wealth
“hefsed merubah,” potentially major
continued from page 1
financial loss.
This theological value of wealth can be
viewed in a purely practical light.
Without wealth, our lives would be very
difficult, and this being the case, our serv-
ice of Hashem might suffer. Therefore,
wealth is important because it enables us
to better serve Hashem. Rambam
(Peirush haMishnayos, Sanhedrin ch. 10)
articulates this approach, explaining that
“man cannot perform mitzvos when he is
sick, starving, thirsty, embattled, or
besieged. Therefore, He guaranteed that
these afflictions will remove themselves,
that man will be healthy and at peace, so
that he may complete his knowledge of
Want Einayim in your shul?
For information, please email us at
pr@einayim.org
encouraged the metzora to ponder his
continued from page 2
actions. This also explains the necessity
for a kohen to declare the metzora
impure and place him in isolation. As
the symbol of divine service, the kohen
was in a position to stir the people to
repentance. By separating from society,
the quarantined metzora would be bet-
ter equipped to ponder and reconsider
his direction in life.
Although tzora’as no longer exists, it is
also not a mere relic of days gone by.
When reading this week’s parshiyos, we
are reminded that G-d pays close atten-
tion to the actions of each and every
Hashem and merit the world to come.”
An alternate approach argues that wealth
is a prerequisite for performing certain
mitzvos. If Jews are wealthy, they can give
more charity and support more Torah
institutions. Moreover, Jewish wealth
generates greater honor for Hashem in
the world—the Beis haMikdash must be
glorious and imposing because it helps
support Hashem’s honor. Unfortunately,
this approach does not jibe with the
Talmud’s statement that the vessels of
the Beis ha-Mikdash (klei shareis) are
manufactured from relatively inexpensive
metals because the Torah had mercy on
Jewish assets (Yoma 39a). If Jewish
wealth is only valuable for its contribu-
individual, just as the metzora was given
tzora’as as a direct result of the lashon
hara he spoke (Rashi). We are also
reminded that the ability to adjust our
continued from page 1
lifestyles is in our own hands, just as the
metzora, through a detailed repenting
process, could gain atonement. Finally,
the Torah, in this week’s parsha, is also
offering an effective way of recovering
from a low point: via contemplation of
the past and resolution for the future —
pertinent lessons for any day and age.
tion to divine honor, it should surely be
accepted for forming the klei shareis.
However, the Medrash may not have
meant to address the intrinsic value of
Jewish wealth. Rather, it intended to
teach a moral lesson about concern for
others’ property. Consider that the Torah
demands us to spend one third of out
assets on mitzvos aseh (positive com-
mandments), and to forfeit our entire
estate before transgressing a negative
commandment (see Bava Kamma 9b).
This cannot be classified as ‘mercy on
Jewish wealth’. The Torah records how
Hashem spared the Egyptians’ cattle and
the pottery of a metzorah to teach us not
to treat the money of others lightly.
PARSHAS TAZRIA – METZORAH •3
Parsha Points in Tazria – Metzorah
Ephraim Meth
• Childbirth confers a state of ritual impurity on the mother. She must bring an olah and a chattos after 40 days (for a
male) or 80 days (for a female).

• A nega (affliction) can cause tzora’as in clothes, houses, and people. The nega may appear on smooth skin, hair, a
bald scalp, or healed burns or wounds. Einayim L’Torah
500 W. 185th Street
• Tzora’as is a form of tumah (ritual impurity).
New York, NY 10033
• A nega tzora’as must always appear deeper than its surroundings. www.einayim.org
• Depending on its setting, the nega’s color and the presence of colored hairs contribute to its tzora’as status. editor@einayim.org
• A nega that expands is automatically considered tzora’as. A kohen checks for expansion every seven days for up to
Editor in Chief
three weeks. Editors In Chief
Yehuda Brand
• A human metzora must tear his clothes, cover his lips, and verbally proclaim his impure status. He may not cut his Yehuda Brand
hair, nor may he enter the Jewish camp (i.e. walled cities in Israel). M a n a g i nFriedman
Pinchas g Editor
Joshua S. Weinberg
• Garments with tzora’as are burned. Houses with tzora’as are demolished, and their ruins are removed from walled Executive Editors
cities. Zev
E x e cKoller
utive Editors
• Even pure nega’im are removed from the garment or the house and destroyed. DovidVogel
Josh Skversky
Zev Koller
Josh Weinberg
• The Torah describes the offerings for purifying a metzora, which varies depending on his financial standing. In addi-
Dovid
Oren Kaufman Skversky
tion to the offerings, the metzora must immerse himself and his clothes twice (one week apart) and shave all his
hair.
Oren Kaufman
Literary Editors
• The Torah discusses the laws of ritual impurity associated with bodily discharges (zav, zavah, and niddah). Different LEitan
i t e r a rBitter
y Editors
types of contact with discharges convey different levels of ritual impurity. The Torah describes the immersion proce- Eitan Bitter
Yossi Farkas
dure and offerings that are brought in order to resume a state of purity. Yossi Farkas
Yosef Lindell
Yosef Lindell
Jonah Shulman
Jonah Shulman
Public Relations
Public Relations
Omer
Omer Antman Antman
Benjamin
Benjamin Fakheri Fakheri
Ephraim Meth
Ephraim Meth
Yoni Noble
David New
Yoni Noble
Design & Layout
D e s i g n &Content
Graphic Layout
Graphic
646.387.8573 Content
646.387.8573
Staff Writers
SDovi
taff W riters
Bergman
Dovi Bergman
Noah Cheses
Noah Cheses
Avraham Engelson
Avraham Engelson
David Moster
David Moster
Leib Zalesch
Leib Zalesch

Einayim L’Torah
is the weekly publication of the
Student Organization of Yeshiva,
Tzvi Simcha Cohen • (646) 387-8573 the student council of the
Mazer Yeshiva Program of
Yeshiva University.
Menachem Butler, President.

EINAYIM L’TORAH • 4 PARSHAS TAZRIA – METZORAH