Torah Parallels

Parshas Tazria-Metzora Be Kind Too! You're a Web-Rooted Friend By: Daniel Listhaus “ Hashem spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, 'If a person will have on the skin of his flesh a se'is or sapachas or a baheres , and it will become a tzara'as affliction on the skin of his flesh; he shall be brought to Aharon the Kohen, or to one of his sons the Kohanim ...'” -Tazria 13:1-2 “ Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, 'This shall be the law of the Metzora on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the Kohen . The Kohen shall look, and behold! - the tzara'as affliction had been healed from the Metzora . The Kohen shall command...'” - Metzora 14:1-4 “ Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying: 'When you arrive in the land of Cana'an that I give you as a possession, and I will place a tzara'as as affliction upon a house in the land of your possession.; the one to who the house belongs shall come to declare to the Kohen, saying: 'Something li...

Parshas Shemini Half and Half: You Are What You Eat By: Daniel Listhaus “ For I am Hashem your G-d – you are to sanctify yourselves and you shall become holy, for I am holy; and you shall not make your souls impure through any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am Hashem Who brings you up from the land of Egypt to be a G-d unto you; you shall be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the animal, the bird, every living creature that swarms in the water, and for every creature that creeps on the ground; For distinguishing between the impure and the pure, and between the creature that may be eaten and the creature that may not be eaten.” -Shemini 11:44-47 The second half of this week's parsha provides the basis of the laws of kashrus 1 – defining which animals are tahor and which are not. The Torah describes that as far as land animals are concerned, the way to tell if they are tahor is if they have split hooves and also chew their cud. One sign does not suffice. 2 When...