Shavuah Tov!!! Wishing everyone a blessed week.
This week we live with Parasha “Tazria.” At the end of last week’s Parasha “Shemini,” we dealt with the laws of kosher and not kosher animals. Which animals are pure and therefore permitted for our consumption and which are treif (impure) and therefore are not permitted for us to eat.
This week’s Parasha deals with the laws of ritual purity for humans.
Why would the Torah put first the laws regarding the animals and then the laws of humans?
According to the Midrash, the order of laws of purity follow the order of creation.
The Talmud offers two other explanations:
1. Humans were created last so that, should he become arrogant, he could be told “even a mosquito preceded you,” implying that men is inferior to the rest of creation if he doesn’t behave like a human being should behave.
2. In order that humankind would benefit from a full world prepared just for him. As the Midrash puts it: “Man was invited to to the banquet once the meal was already prepared.”
These two reasons are true and valid, but there is something else.
Man is unique from the rest of creation for his ability to choose to rise above his instincts. We have an intelectual power that gives us the ability to discern between right and wrong.
When we don’t use this extra power given to us, then we are lower than the lowest of animals, but when we do use our intelectual power using the knowledge of H”S Wisdom, then we have the ability to rise to a greater Divine consciousness and spiritual heights.
Some excerpts taken from “Why Animals Come Before People” by Menachem Feldman
www.livealittlehigher.com
