Tazria Metzora 2026

I am one of the few rabbis who have completed the study of all of the Bavli and Yerushalmi Talmuds. So I have been entertaining myself with Schiller’s Gedichte in German and have completed three of Moliere’s plays in French working on a fourth. Having so much time on my hands I thought that it might interest to all of you on this list with my thoughts on the weekly parsha. This week we will read in Shul the combined portions of Tazria-Metzora.

Just as well to have them combined because they have no practical application to modern life! What they do represent is the Latin proverb-Mens sana in Corpore sano-A healthy mind in a healthy body. Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism tried to fashion Jews as instruments in God’s plan for making for a better world. We pray for health not only because it is better for us but because we need to be strong to be instruments to making the world a better place. So many of our famous rabbis were doctors, the most outstanding of them Moses Maimonides 1135-1204/5. Maimonides emphasized a healthy lifestyle.

He was a physician to the Vizier of Egypt and even gave him medical advice as to how to keep his harem happy!!!