Merciful Discipline

Accessing The Kohen Within

By Rabbi Yosef Kahanov, Jax, FL

Until you can see the good within a person, you are incapable of helping him. (Tzvi Freeman, Bringing Heaven Down To Earth)

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Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch was imprisoned in 1927 for perpetuating Jewish life within the vast boarders of the Soviet Union. The incarceration and physical abuse took its toll; leaving the Rebbe in a deteriorated state of health, for which he eventually sought treatment at various European sanatoriums. The Rebbe wrote the following letter to one of his sons-in-law in the winter of 1935:

BH, Tuesday, 21 Adar II, 5695 [March 26th, 1935]

Purkesdorf Sanatorium, near Vienna.

…I experienced something today whose principle can be applied to man’s life work (Avodah). This gave me much joy.

A central theme of Chassidic doctrine is that man derives many lessons in his Divine service from worldly models. Human intellect, thought process and character, as well as natural phenomenon, all serve to explain the various aspects of man’s relationship with the Almighty.

Our master, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, has in fact taught that every single matter or event that a person sees or hears is meant to instruct and guide him in his service of the Almighty. This is what Avodah is all about: to discover in every experience, chance and observance, a path in one’s service of the Almighty.

Some incidents do not necessitate extensive contemplation, their lesson in Avodah is apparent at first glance. The incident that I experienced today was of this very type.

I have been observing for some time now the vigorous regimen that holds sway at the sanatorium. All revolves around the axis that the utmost results in healing the body require meticulous adherence to the laws of medicine.

I observed the extreme care the doctor and his assistant took in preparing to administer a certain remedy applied by injecting a healing drug with a needle.

First they meticulously examined their white clothes for cleanliness, then they washed their hands twice and three times while checking their nails for the slightest trace of dirt. Finally, they poured upon their finger tips – especially on their nails – a strong chemical which removes the slightest contamination.

They continued to scrub my legs, twice and thrice, with strong spirits and other chemicals that remove the most insubstantial and invisible amount of dust. Seeing these extensive precautions I asked why they did this, if I had bathed but a short while ago and my flesh was clean.

The doctors explained that, as an ironclad rule, before a needle penetrates living flesh, the entire area must first be washed with spirits that remove the slightest trace of dust. For were the minutest particle to enter the body together with the medicine, G-d forbid, not only would the particle compromise the benefit of the medicine, but it could cause many severe illnesses, G-d forbid.

A Farbrengen of Chassidim equates to the injection of a drug into the body by the prick of a needle. In most instances, the speakers promote behavioral improvement; that participants set and keep scheduled times for the study of Torah, and that their studies result in action and observance.

Though these demands stem from a sense of inner love and affection, they nevertheless often come in the form of a pricking needle – much the way the positive objective of medication is delivered by means of a prick.

Therefore, in addition to insuring that the instrument of delivery be perfectly clean, one must likewise cleanse the area of penetration. The neglect of these pre-conditions, not only renders the “Remedy” utterly useless, but endangers the very life of the patient, G-d forbid. For, so long as the dirt remains outside, it can be eliminated, or swept away; but should it enter within, Heaven forbid, it inflicts great damage.

A Chassidic Farbrengen – gathering of Chassidim – is a healing balm; a literal life saver, bringing unimaginable benefit. Every Chassidic word, as we have seen time and again, penetrates to the innermost parts of the mind and heart, every note of a Chassidic melody awakens the heart, bringing it closer to goodness and truth. But its healing medicines come with a prick – a tone of rebuke.

Great care must therefore be taken that the instrument for penetrating another’s being, be perfectly clean, and the “Stab” be cleansed and sterilized of any taint of antagonism or self-interest.

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The laws of Tzara’at—the biblical skin disease that affected gossipers and slanderers in ancient times, rendering them ritually impure – contain an intriguing anomaly. On the one hand the well-versed sage, not necessarily a Kohan (priest), is empowered to analyze the skin condition to determine whether or not it is Tzara’at. On the other hand, only a Kohen can actually render a person impure. That is to say, regardless of the expert’s opinion, one is not ritually impure until a Kohen utters the words, “You are impure.”

Even more perplexing is the fact that the pronouncement of impurity can be made even by a Kohen who is ignorant of the law and thus not able to diagnose the Tzara’at condition. Even a minor or mentally challenged Kohen, both of whom are generally not qualified to participate in legal matters, are suitable for the job.

Given the above, it is rather apparent that the power to confer this type of ruling has nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with the intrinsic nature of the Kohen – from his essence rather than from his mental prowess or expertise.

But why would the Kohen, who of all people exemplifies the paragon of ritual purity – who serves as the facilitator of purification, atonement and spiritual cleansing – be the one to possess the inherent qualifications and capacity for this position? How is it that of all people it is specifically the Kohen – the one governed by the strictest set of regulations vis-à-vis impurity and spiritual defilement – that should end up with the paradoxical task of having to declare to the afflicted one: “You are impure?”

If there is one thing in the world that is antithetical to the character of the Kohen, it is the notion of impurity. Yet we are told that, not only is he qualified to establish this severe type of impurity, but he is the only one with this capacity; a capacity stemming from his core being.

It also remains to be understood why the Kohen’s exclusionary function to render impurity is limited to the impurity of Tzara’at. What is it about the malady of Tzara’at and the essential character of the Kohen?

While all forms of ritual impurity had an isolating affect on the person afflicted—since it required their temporary separation from family, friends and community—the impurity of Tzara’at was especially isolating. Not only was the Metzorah required to depart from all three of the camps that comprised the nation of Israel, he was furthermore forced to separate even from those who shared his very condition. He was an outcast among outcasts.

The pain of this segregation is captured in our Parsha, Tazriah, whose theme centers around the laws of Tzara’at: “He shall dwell in isolation; his dwelling shall be outside the camp…” Herein, then, lies the key to the paradoxical relationship between the lowly and lonely Mitzorah and the intrinsic nature of the Kohen.

While purity is vital to the Kohen, there is another trait that is of equal, if not greater, importance to his essential character and identity.

The Kohen is described in Judaic literature as “Ish HaChesed,” a man of kindness. This facet of his core anatomy is expressed in the Torah by virtue of his divinely ordained role as the Blesser of Israel, through the priestly benedictions. In fact, the blessing recited by Kohanim prior to discharging their priestly duties of blessings the Children of Israel, declares: “Blessed are You G-d . . . who has commanded us to bless your nation with love.”

So essential is the attribute of love and brotherhood to the Kohen and his Divine assignment of espousing heartfelt blessings upon the nation, that according to Jewish law, failure to imbue the blessings with the proper feelings of love and affection, can have an adverse affect on his very health, Heaven forbid. Sincere compassion and sensitivity, is hence part and parcel of the Kohen’s essential fiber, which brings us back to our discussion.

It is precisely because of the Kohen’s heightened sense of kindness and consideration towards others that he was charged with the assignment of arbiter over the Tzara’at malady. Who is a more fitting foreman to deliver the devastating verdict of “Impure! Impure!” than these agents of sensitivity and compassion? Who can be better suited to hand-down the bitter sentence of solitary confinement?

The Kohen, like the family member, whose consent is needed to perform an emergency medical procedure, plays a different role than the doctor. In G-d’s infinite mercy, He did not want the Sage/doctor to make the call of Metzorah but rather the sympathetic Kohen.

The lesson of our Parsha is not limited to an actual Mitzorah, a malady which does not even exist in today’s day and age, or only a biological Kohen, otherwise why would it be necessary for the rest of us to read these irrelevant laws? There is obviously a Kohen within each one of us.

The timeless lesson of our Parsha then is, that when we are called upon to pass judgment on others, as we will inevitably be at some point in life, it is of vital importance that we use the eyes of the Kohen, “Ish HaChesed,” within us – it is critical that we judge the person with the heart of a brother; an extension of ourselves and not, G-d forbid, as a stranger. We must not forget that the way we judge others, is the way G-d judges us. In fact, according to the teachings of the B’al Shem Tov, when we judge others we are actually judging ourselves.

By taking to heart the lesson of this week’s Parsha and judging others with the merciful eyes and heart of the Kohen within us, will certainly merit G-d’s merciful and companionate judgment and blessings in abundance from his broad and open hand, with the ultimate blessing of the coming of righteous Moshiach BBA.