While commonly translated as “If a woman conceives …”, the word ‘tazria’ seems to imply almost a unilateral, even botanical, sprouting; a spontaneous occurrence that appears to lack any active male ...

Parshat Tazria opens with laws of ritual purity relating to childbirth. After the birth of a son, the mother is considered ritually impure for seven days. She then immerses in a mikvah (ritual bath), ...

For the past eight years, I have led a study group for physicians from my congregation. Every few months, we get together for good food, some wine (OK, lots of wine) and to discuss issues like medical ...

The Torah explicates how the high priest undertakes the task of declaring someone a metzora (a person afflicted with a rare skin disease): “And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the ...

Our guest this week is Rabbi Alan W. Bright of Shaare Zedek Congregation in Montreal. He completed his education doing Jewish Studies from London School of Jewish Studies (London) and Concordia ...

Parashat Tazria-Metzora: Clean living The law of ritual circumcision and the laws of ritual purity which involve a woman immersing herself in a mikve are at one and the same time among the most ...

In our Parasha, we read of the windrous affliction of Tsaraat, which, as our Sages explain, usually came about due to a number of sins, most notably the sin of lashon ha’ra, which causea the afflicted ...

After explaining the laws of childbirth, the laws of the metzora are presented (Leviticus 13). While many translate metzora as leprosy, in truth there is no exact English equivalent. In general, it ...

It happens every year. The b.mitzvah student comes into my office to discuss their Torah portion. “Rabbi,” they ask, confused and perplexed, “why does the Torah spend so much time discussing skin ...

While commonly translated as “If a woman conceives ….”, the word תזרעי (tazria) seems to imply almost a unilateral, even botanical, sprouting; a spontaneous occurrence that seems to lacks any active ...