Nisan 7, 5776/April 15, 2016
The book of Leviticus has traditionally been referred to as Torat HaKohanim, that is, 'the Torah, as it applies to Temple Priests.' This description is self-evident, as so much of the book of Leviticus is taken up with the responsibilities of the kohanim concerning the tending to of the offerings and the other facets of the Divine service in the Holy Temple. Last week's Torah reading, as well as this week's reading of Metzora, describe the important role the kohanim are to play even outside of the Tabernacle/Holy Temple, as they tend to the metzora, the man or woman afflicted with skin lesions, a result, Torah teaches us, of speaking ill against others.
The designation, Torat HaKohanim - 'the Torah of the Temple Priests,' however, can lead us to believe that the book of Leviticus is not relevant to all we who are not Temple priests, that much of the book may be of academic interest, but other than that, not truly applicable to our lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Leviticus' frequent use of the Hebrew word Adam, the generic term for man, derived, of course from the name given the first Man and father of us all, Adam, and its frequent employment of the parallel expression, Torat haAdam - 'the Torah of Man,' belies the notion that the message of Leviticus applies only to one segment of the people.
Not only is the Holy Temple intended to be a meeting place between man and G-d , the place to which all humanity streams, but the great, holy, purifying light which spreads forth from the Holy Temple will reach the farthest corners of the earth and the darkest chambers of the heart of every man. This great light is most intense in the land of Israel and it is this light which makes visible even the hidden intentions of man.
In a lesser light the wicked intentions of a speaker of lashon hara - evil talk - may remain hidden to others, but in the light which emanates from the Holy Temple and permeates the land of Israel, destructive speech leaves a visible mark on the flesh that can only be cured by true repentance and the ministrations of the kohen. Like natural sunlight, which is a disinfectant against germs, the light of the Holy Temple provides a spiritual light which, when understood and heeded, can enable individuals to cleanse and purify their spirits and souls.
The kohanim, who so often are the subject of the book of Leviticus, serve G-d in the Holy Temple. Their work is rightfully referred to as Torat HaKohanim - 'the Torah of the Temple Priests.' But the Divine service of the Holy Temple, which the kohanim oversee, serves Man - Adam - enabling man to right himself, to rehabilitate and purify himself, and this prime function of the Holy Temple is rightly referred to as Torah haAdam - 'the Torah of Man.'
Adam harishon - the first Man - learned in the garden that he cannot hide from G-d . His thoughts, like his deeds, are seen by G-d . The light of the Holy Temple translates this transparency into an effective tool for man to use to properly serve G-d and serve his fellow man.
From Adam's original missteps mankind entered a downward spiral that culminated in the generation of the flood, an entire generation in which man was acting hurtfully, not toward G-d , per se, but toward his fellow man. The Leviticus description of and prescription for the uttering of destructive words is intended to apply to the individual in a manner that will quickly redirect and reinstate him into the community of man. Parashat Metzora opens with a description of the steps to be taken by the kohen to bring the ostracized bearer of tzar'at (skin lesions) back into the embrace of the community. This redemptive prescriptive includes the slaughter of one bird and the release of the second"live bird into the open field." (Leviticus 14:7) This is reminiscent of the process employed by Noach to release himself from the exile of the ark back into the community of mankind. He, too, dealt with two birds, and only after the second bird found refuge on the face of the earth was Noach able to reemerge into the light of day.
G-d promised Noach that He would never again punish man with a great flood. The Holy Temple, its cleansing light and the faithful service of the kohanim give man the ability to monitor and correct his ways, and return to the fellowship of man and G-d , no flood required. This is the promise of the Holy Temple, in the service of Man and G-d .
-The Temple Institute
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