Parashas Metzorah

In this week's parashah, we are told that when a person had a discoloration on the wall of his house that may be tzaraas, he must call the Kohen to come view it and determine its status.

If the kohen determines that it is tzaraas, the house and its contents become tamei as soon as the Kohen announces his decision.  

This being the case, the Torah tells us that, before going to look at the house, the Kohen should have the house emptied of its contents, to prevent the possessions becoming tamei. Rashi quotes the Mishnah in Negaim that makes the following observation: Almost all the objects in the house – anything made of fabric, leather, wood or metal – can be purified through immersion in mikvah. The only utensils that would actually be ruined through tumah were the most inexpensive ones, those made of earthenware. The Torah was concerned that the home-dweller should not lose even those inexpensive utensils;  “HaTorah chassah all memonan shel Yisrael; the Torah had pity on a Jew’s resources.

The Torah does not merely advise that the person should remove his possessions from the home; it seems to insist that the Kohen should tell him to do so. It seems to be saying that the Kohen can’t simply go check and hand down his decision; he must first do what he can to help the person mitigate the possible damage. There’s an important lesson to be learned from this: When doing someone a favor, it isn’t enough to do the minimum; we must look at the whole picture, and try to help the person with every detail.

Secondly, if the Torah was concerned that insignificant earthenware vessels should not go to waste, how much more must we be concerned not to waste – and to properly use – the most valuable resources we have been bequeathed, our natural talents.

May we use those talents to make the most of ourselves and to help others in every way, even beyond what they asked us to do.

Gut Shabbos