Shabbos Parashas Tazria - 5774

Shabbos Parashas Tazria - 5774

Rabbi Hal Miller

Upon the completion of the days of her purity for a son or for a daughter,

she shall bring a sheep within its first year for a burnt-offering, and a

young dove or a turtledove for a sin-offering, to the entrance of the Tent

of Meeting, to the Kohen. [Vayikra 12:6]

The most amazing event in life has to be the birth of a child. A man and a

woman combine as partners with G-d in continuing the Acts of Creation. Nothing

can surpass this in importance here in this world, nor in the nearness to G-d.

This is the epitomy of goodness. Nechama Leibowitz asks, "Why should a mother

be declared 'unclean' for fulfilling a Divinely-ordained mission?" Even if we

say that 'unclean' is not the right attribute, the Torah gives here explicit

instructions regarding a sheep and bird. So a better question might be, why

does a woman bring a sacrifice?

Any time there is a difficult question, the commentators spend a great deal

of time giving alternative answers. This is no exception. One of the more

common answers given is that the woman needs to atone for vowing during her

pain that she will never approach her husband again. This seems problematic,

as any such vow, even if the duress component is ignored and it is considered

a vow, would be easy to nullify. But there are many other explanations too for

our question. We do not have the space to deal with all of them. Fortunately,

their answers tend to fall into one of two categories, spiritual or physical.

Since there are two sacrifices, we might think that one sacrifice applies to

each category.

Ramban claims that the need for atonement is "a ransom for her soul", but then

he relates it to the physical, discussing blood, pain and purification. He

cites the verse "who heals all flesh and acts wonderously." Thus the sacrifice

is a form of prayer for physical healing. This would seem to fit the olah, the

burnt-offering lamb.

Rav Hirsch supports the position that the lamb represents the physical: "after

these long trying periods does she, at last, approach the Shepherd of her

life, with the vow, under His guidance, always to keep the eternal freshness

of youth." He explains this to be the woman's effort "to strive upwards

towards the very summit of the mission of womanhood and motherhood." He

continues, "the production of a new human being, is of purely physical

nature." But then he moves on to the second offering: "The mother herself,

under the fresh impression of her physical, passive and painful submission to

the forces of nature at the most sublime moment of her earthly calling, has to

re-establish the principle of her own spiritual station."

Abarbanel tells us that the sacrifice brought by the woman who has given birth

is a sacrifice of thanks to G-d for having made remarkable miracles and for

having saved her from the pain and danger of childbirth. Nachshoni explains,

"This is the reason for the olah that is brought. But she must also bring a

chatas for by this she accepts G-d's judgment and announces that she did not

suffer and feel pain without reason."

The lesson is beyond the specifics of childbirth. Regardless of how important

may be whatever we are doing, regardless of its impact on us physically, we

need to remember there is a spiritual component as well. Not only do we have

to keep up our physical connection to G-d, but but must maintain the spiritual

one as well. It is our job to bring complete holiness into whatever we do.