Difference between revisions of "Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Tazria/0/en"

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<h1>Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Tazria</h1>
 
<h1>Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Tazria</h1>
 
<category><i>Tzara'at</i>: Natural Disease or Divine Punishment?
 
<category><i>Tzara'at</i>: Natural Disease or Divine Punishment?
<p>Among the many mysteries of Tanakh, <i>tzara'at</i> ranks high on the list of unknowns. What is this malady? Why does a person get afflicted? Is it a natural disease that anyone can contract, or is it a Divinely sent, supernatural phenomenon, meant as punishment for sin?&#160; Contrast the understandings of Chazal <fn>See, for example, <multilink><a href="VayikraRabbah17-3" data-aht="source">Vayikra Rabbah</a><a href="VayikraRabbah17-3" data-aht="source">17:3</a><a href="Vayikra Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Vayikra Rabbah</a></multilink> and&#160; <multilink><a href="BemidbarRabbah7-5" data-aht="source">Bemidbar Rabbah</a><a href="BemidbarRabbah7-5" data-aht="source">7:5</a><a href="Bemidbar Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Bemidbar Rabbah</a></multilink>.</fn>and Ralbag in the topic of <a href="Tzara'at" data-aht="page">Tzara'at</a>, and debate each position at your Shabbat Table.</p>
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<p>Among the many mysteries of Tanakh, <i>tzara'at</i> ranks high on the list. What is this malady? Why does a person get afflicted? Is it a natural disease that anyone can contract, or is it a Divinely sent, supernatural phenomenon, meant as punishment for sin?&#160; Contrast the understandings of Chazal<fn>See, for example, <multilink><a href="VayikraRabbah17-3" data-aht="source">Vayikra Rabbah</a><a href="VayikraRabbah17-3" data-aht="source">17:3</a><a href="Vayikra Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Vayikra Rabbah</a></multilink> and&#160; <multilink><a href="BemidbarRabbah7-5" data-aht="source">Bemidbar Rabbah</a><a href="BemidbarRabbah7-5" data-aht="source">7:5</a><a href="Bemidbar Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Bemidbar Rabbah</a></multilink>.</fn> and Ralbag in the topic of <a href="Tzara'at" data-aht="page">Tzara'at</a>, and debate each position at your Shabbat Table.</p>
 
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<li>Examine all of the instances in Tanakh in which someone is plagued by <i>tzara'at</i>. Can you find a common offense perpetrated by each of those afflicted?&#160; If the malady is indeed a punishment, what seems to be the crime?</li>
 
<li>Examine all of the instances in Tanakh in which someone is plagued by <i>tzara'at</i>. Can you find a common offense perpetrated by each of those afflicted?&#160; If the malady is indeed a punishment, what seems to be the crime?</li>

Latest revision as of 02:32, 22 August 2019

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Tazria

Tzara'at: Natural Disease or Divine Punishment?

Among the many mysteries of Tanakh, tzara'at ranks high on the list. What is this malady? Why does a person get afflicted? Is it a natural disease that anyone can contract, or is it a Divinely sent, supernatural phenomenon, meant as punishment for sin?  Contrast the understandings of Chazal1 and Ralbag in the topic of Tzara'at, and debate each position at your Shabbat Table.

  • Examine all of the instances in Tanakh in which someone is plagued by tzara'at. Can you find a common offense perpetrated by each of those afflicted?  If the malady is indeed a punishment, what seems to be the crime?
  • Why does tzara'at cause impurity? Compare the various cases of impurity in Torah. Is there any common denominator which might explain why specifically these conditions defile a person?

More...

For more, see: Parashat Tazria Topics.