Torah
Trivia for Parshah 28. Metzora
(Questions Only)
1.)
Can you describe where the כהן performs the examination to determine whether a leper is
healed: a.) in the courtyard outside the Mishkan; b.)
within the leper’s tent; c.) immediately outside the leper’s tent; d.)
within a specially designated tent utilised exclusively as a health
facility; and/or, e.) outside the camp?
2.)
Can you describe what the כהן sacrifices when performing the initial cleansing
ceremony of the leper?
3.)
Can you identify what hair a cleansed leper is commanded to shave before
becoming ritually pure: a.) scalp hair;
b.) beard; c.)
eyebrows; d.) underarm hair; e.)
pubic hair; f.) leg hair;
g.) arm hair; h.)
nose hair; i.) ear hair;
and/or, j.) eye lashes?
4.)
Can you describe what a cleansed leper offers for a sacrifice, after the
leprosy is healed and the cleansing ceremony is completed?
5.)
During the reparation offering, the כהן smears blood upon the right ear, thumb, and large toe of the
cleansed leper, similar to smearing of the blood of the ram of ordination upon
the כהנים
(described in Parshah Tzav: Vayikra 8:22
– 24); can you describe an additional
material that the כהן
smears upon the right ear, thumb, and large toe of the cleansed leper (which is
absent from the description of the ordination of the כהנים)?
6.)
Can you describe what a materially impoverished cleansed leper is
commanded to provide as a sacrifice, in substitution for the 3 lambs previously
described?
7.)
Can you describe what a person is commanded to perform, when that person
thinks there may be mildew in that person’s domicile, before a כהן is able
to inspect the domicile: a.) removal of
all the chametz; b.) lighting of a candle; c.)
sacrifice of a burnt offering;
d.) washing of the entire
domicile; and/or, e.) removal of all the items from the domicile?
8.)
Can you arrange these actions within the appropriate sequence, and
identify the 2 final outcomes, for domiciles within which a כהן finds a penetrating green or red
fungus?
a.) The כהן orders the steward to remove infected stones into an isolated
place outside the city;
b.) The כהן examines
the domicile to determine whether it contains green or red fungus that
penetrates into the walls;
c.) 7 days after replastering and the absence of
any fungus, the כהן declares the house clean;
d.) The steward replaces the stones and the
replasters the entire house with new clay;
e.) The כהן quarantines the domicile for 7 days;
f.) Upon
return of mildew, the כהן
re-examines the domicile, and orders the entire house to be destroyed;
g.) The כהן examines
the domicile to determine whether the green or red fungus spreads within the
domicile;
h.) The
steward scrapes the plaster inside the domicile and removes it into an isolated
place outside the city?
For Questions 9 – 12, can you
determine: is it OK to touch? Can a ritually clean person touch the
specific item (listed for each question), and remain ritually clean, after that
item maintains the respectively described contact with/from:
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
9.) Can you determine: is it OK to touch a chair upon which such a
person/animal previously sits:
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
10.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch the spit from such a person/animal:
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
11.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch a clay pot that is previously touched by such a person/animal?
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
12.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch a bed upon which such a person/animal previously rests?
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
Torah
Trivia for Parshah 28. Metzora (with
Answers)
1.)
Can you describe where the כהן performs the examination to determine whether a leper is
healed: a.) in the courtyard outside the Mishkan; b.)
within the leper’s tent; c.) immediately outside the leper’s tent; d.)
within a specially designated tent utilised exclusively as a health
facility; and/or, e.) outside the camp?
Answer: The
flippant answer is f.): the כהן performs
the examination on the leper’s body; the
technical answer is: e.) the כהן performs the examination outside the camp:
“The Lord spoke to (Moshe), saying: This shall be the ritual for a leper at the
time that he is to be purified. When it
has been reported to the priest, the priest shall go outside the camp.” (Vayikra 14:1 – 3).
2.)
Can you describe what the כהן sacrifices when performing the initial cleansing
ceremony of the leper?
Answer: The
initial cleansing ceremony includes 2 birds, cedar wood, crimson material, and
hyssop:
“If the priest sees that the leper has been healed
of his scaly affection, the priest shall order two live pure birds, cedar wood,
crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for him who is to be purified. The priest shall order one of the birds
slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel; and he shall take the live bird, along with
the cedar wood, the crimson stuff, and the hyssop, and dip them together with
the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh
water. He shall then sprinkle it seven
times on him who is to be purified of the eruption and purify him; and he shall set the live bird free in the
open country.” (Vayikra 14:3 – 7).
3.)
Can you identify what hair a cleansed leper is commanded to shave before
becoming ritually pure: a.) scalp hair;
b.) beard; c.)
eyebrows; d.) underarm hair; e.) pubic hair;
f.) leg hair; g.)
arm hair; h.) nose hair;
i.) ear hair; and/or, j.)
eye lashes?
Answer: A
cleansed leper is commanded to specifically remove the person’s a.) scalp hair, b.) beard (facial hair), and c.) eyebrows;
however, English translations also include the phrase, “all hair,” and
“other body hair,” and this may include d.)
under arm hair, e.) pubic hair,
f.) leg hair, and g.) arm hair (given similar propensities of
concentrated amounts of such hair); yet
there is increased uncertainty whether this specifically includes h.) nose hair, i.) ear hair, and/or j.) eye lashes (perhaps, because of the
considerable sparseness of such hair):
“On the seventh day he shall shave off all his
hair—of head, beard, and eyebrows. When
he has shaved off all his hair, he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in
water; then he shall be pure.” (Vayikra 14:9).
4.)
Can you describe what a cleansed leper offers for a sacrifice, after the
leprosy is healed and the cleansing ceremony is completed?
Answer: “On
the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb in
its first year without blemish, three tenths of a measure of choice flour with
oil mixed in for a grain offering, and one log of oil. These shall be presented before the Lord,
with the man to be purified, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, by the
priest who performs the purification.”
(Vayikra 14:10 – 11).
5.)
During the reparation offering, the כהן smears blood upon the right ear, thumb, and large toe of the
cleansed leper, similar to smearing of the blood of the ram of ordination upon
the כהנים
(described in Parshah Tzav: Vayikra 8:22
– 24); can you describe an additional
material that the כהן
smears upon the right ear, thumb, and large toe of the cleansed leper (which is
absent from the description of the ordination of the כהנים)?
Answer: The כהן smears
the oil (presumably olive oil) upon the right ear, thumb, and large toe of the
cleansed leper:
“Some of the oil left in his palm shall be put by
the priest on the ridge of the right ear of the one being purified, on the
thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—over the blood of
the reparation offering.” (Vayikra
14:17).
6.)
Can you describe what a materially impoverished cleansed leper is
commanded to provide as a sacrifice, in substitution for the 3 lambs previously
described?
Answer: A
materially impoverished cleansed leper is commanded to provide 1 lamb, and 2
turtledoves (or pigeons), in addition to the flour and the oil:
“If, however, he is poor and his means are
insufficient, he shall take one male lamb for a reparation offering, to be
elevated in expiation for him, one-tenth of a measure of choice flour with oil
mixed in for a grain offering, and a log of oil; and two turtledoves or two pigeons, depending
on his means, the one to be the purification offering and the other to be the
burnt offering.” (Vayikra 14:21 – 22).
7.)
Can you describe what a person is commanded to perform, when that person
thinks there may be mildew in that person’s domicile, before a כהן is able
to inspect the domicile: a.) removal of
all the chametz; b.) lighting of a candle; c.)
sacrifice of a burnt offering;
d.) washing of the entire
domicile; and/or, e.) removal of all the items from the domicile?
Answer: The person is commanded to perform: e.)
removal of all the items from the domicile:
“The priest shall order the house cleared before
the priest enters to examine the plague, so that nothing in the house may
become impure; after that the priest
shall enter to examine the house.”
(Vayikra 14:36).
8.)
Can you arrange these actions within the appropriate sequence, and
identify the 2 final outcomes, for domiciles within which a כהן finds a penetrating green or red
fungus?
b.) The כהן orders the steward to remove infected stones into an isolated
place outside the city;
b.) The כהן examines
the domicile to determine whether it contains green or red fungus that
penetrates into the walls;
c.) 7 days after replastering and the absence of
any fungus, the כהן declares the house clean;
d.) The steward replaces the stones and the
replasters the entire house with new clay;
e.) The כהן quarantines the domicile for 7 days;
f.) Upon
return of mildew, the כהן
re-examines the domicile, and orders the entire house to be destroyed;
g.) The כהן examines
the domicile to determine whether the green or red fungus spreads within the
domicile;
h.) The
steward scrapes the plaster inside the domicile and removes it into an isolated
place outside the city?
Answer: The appropriate sequence is:
b.) The כהן examines
the domicile to determine whether it contains green or red fungus that
penetrates into the walls;
e.) The כהן quarantines the domicile for 7 days;
g.) The כהן examines
the domicile to determine whether the green or red fungus spreads within the
domicile;
a.) The כהן orders the steward to remove infected stones into an isolated
place outside the city;
h.) The
steward scrapes the plaster inside the domicile and removes it into an isolated
place outside the city;
d.) The steward replaces the stones and the
replasters the entire house with new clay;
And
the 2 final outcomes for the domicile are:
f.) Upon
return of mildew, the כהן
re-examines the domicile, and orders the entire house to be destroyed;
c.) 7 days after replastering and the absence of
any fungus, the כהן declares the house clean;
“If, when he examines the plague, the plague in the
walls of the house is found to consist of greenish or reddish streaks that
appear to go deep into the wall, the priest shall come out of the house to the
entrance of the house, and close up the house for seven days. On the seventh day the priest shall
return. If he sees that the plague has
spread on the walls of the house, the priest shall order the stones with the
plague in them to be pulled out and cast outside the city into an impure
place. The house shall be scraped inside
all around, and the coating that is scraped off shall be dumped outside the
city in an impure place. They shall take
other stones and replace those stones with them, and take other coating and
plaster the house.” (Vayikra 14:37 –
42);
“If the plague again breaks out in the house, after
the stones have been pulled out and after the house has been scraped and
replastered, the priest shall come to examine:
if the plague has spread in the house, it is a malignant eruption in the
house; it is impure. The house shall be torn down—its stones and
timber and all the coating on the house—and taken to an impure place outside
the city.” (Vayikra 14:43 – 45);
“If, however, the priest comes and sees that the
plague has not spread in the house after the house was replastered, the priest
shall pronounce the house pure, for the plague has healed” (Vayikra 14:48).
For Questions 9 – 12, can you
determine: is it OK to touch? Can a ritually clean person touch the
specific item (listed for each question), and remain ritually clean, after that
item maintains the respectively described contact with/from:
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
9.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch a chair upon which such a person/animal previously sits:
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
Answer:
a.) Presumably, OK: whilst directly touching the carcass of a dead
lizard renders a person ritually unclean and whilst the carcass of a dead
lizard seems to render the chair ritually unclean, there is an absence of an
explicit description that simply touching the chair (where the carcass of a
dead lizard previously rests) renders a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 11:24
– 42);
b.) Un-OK: directly touching a man with a pus discharge,
and/or directly touching anything under which such a man previously sits,
renders a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:1 – 12);
c.) Presumably, OK: direct contact with the man’s semen renders
an object ritually unclean; there is an
absence of any explicit description that simply touching the actual man (or
another object that the man touches) renders another person ritually unclean
(Vayikra 15:16 – 18);
d.) Un-OK:
directly touching anything under which such a woman previously sits
renders a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:19 – 24).
10.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch the spit from such a person/animal:
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
Answer:
a.) Presumably, un-OK: whilst there is an absence regarding the
saliva (or any additional fluids) that may be emitted from the carcass of a
dead lizard, it may be arguably considered that such fluids are part of the
body of the dead lizard, and thus directly touching such fluids similarly
renders a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 11:24 – 42);
b.) Un-OK:
direct contact with the spit of a man with a pus discharge explicitly
renders another person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:8);
c.) Presumably
OK: whilst the semen from a man renders
an item and woman ritually unclean, there is an absence of an explicit
description of any additional fluids (such as saliva) from such a man,
rendering a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:16 – 18);
d.) Presumably, un-OK: whilst there is an absence of any explicit
description of a menstruating woman’s saliva rendering another person ritually
unclean, there is the description that direct touching such a woman renders
another person ritually unclean, and it may be considered that having direct
contact with the spit of a woman may be arguably considered as touching the
woman (Vayikra 15:19).
11.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch a clay pot that is previously touched by such a person/animal?
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
Answer:
a.) Presumably, OK: whilst the carcass of the dead lizard renders
the clay pot unclean, and it is commanded to break the clay pot, there is an
absence of an explicit description stating that simply touching the clay pot
renders a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 11:24 – 42);
b.) Presumably, OK: the prohibition of contact seems to regard
directly touching such a man and/or anything upon which such a man previously
sits or rests; whilst a clay pot, that
such a man touches, is commanded to be broken, there is an absence of any
explicit description that simply touching such a clay pot renders a person
ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:12);
c.) Presumably, OK: there is an absence of any explicit
description that states simply touching such a clay pot renders a person ritually
unclean (Vayikra 15:16 – 18);
d.) Presumably, OK: the prohibition of contact seems to regard
directly touching a menstruating woman and/or anything upon which a
menstruating woman previously sits/rests;
there is an absence of any explicit description that simply touch such a
clay pot renders a person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:19 – 24).
12.)
Can you determine: is it OK to
touch a bed upon which such a person/animal previously rests?
a.)
a dead lizard;
b.)
a man with a pus discharge;
c.)
a man with an emission of semen;
and,
d.)
a woman with a menstrual discharge?
Answer:
a.) Presumably, OK: this is predicated upon the same rationale
explained for the chair; although, it
may be added that the bed, itself, may be considered ritually unclean, and
thereby being unfit from which to directly eat any food (Vayikra 11:24 – 42);
b.) Un-OK:
direct contact with the bed upon which a man with a pus discharge
previously rests renders another person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:5);
c.) Presumably, OK: simply touching a bed, upon which a man with
an emission of semen previously rests, without any direct contact with the
man’s semen, abstains from rendering another person ritually unclean (Vayikra
15:16 – 18);
d.) Un-OK:
direct contact with the bed upon which a menstruating women rests
renders another person ritually unclean (Vayikra 15:21).
--
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
On what does cohen perform sacrifice,
when performing initial cleansing ceremony of the leper; what ritualistic significance does such a
location/apparatus maintain?
Is there any appropriate connexion
between the bird that the כהן sets free in the open country and the dove that
Noach effectively sets free from the ark?
How do the respective circumstances compare and contrast with each
other?
What is significance of synonymity between smearing of right ear, thumb, and big toe (ordaining of cohen and the cleansing of a leper); what is significance regarding additional smearing of olive oil (what may be inferred regarding the immediate physical and the esoteric healing qualities that exist within olive oil)?
Is
there a certain optimism, or commanded altruism, within the expectation of a
leper being able to afford the required sacrifices after being cleansed of
leprosy (particularly considering that a leper presumably abstains from working
whilst experiencing the leprosy)? What
is the nature of “health insurance” for an individual who experiences a
prolonged bout of leprosy; are there
“communal funds” established to provide for “impoverished” lepers; and is there historically an effective
socioeconomic distinction that is practised/maintained between those who can
afford the “regular” offering and those who can only afford the “poor person’s”
offering (and perhaps those who are unable to even afford that)? How are such distinctions reconciled amidst
the prohibition of Levites “owning” property?
Does such a prolonged affliction of leprosy serve as sufficient reason
for divorce between a husband and wife?
The
practise of sending the leper outside the camp, casting the rubble of an
infected domicile into an impure location outside the city, and even the
freeing of the goat on Yom Kippur, and the release of the bird during the
leper’s cleansing ceremony, all seem to be predicated upon the presumption of
the existence of an “infinite expanse” where we may be able to discard our
rubbish and unpleasant considerations;
yet, amidst our contemporary understanding of environmentalism and the
nature of Earth and the Universe, we are aware that all of our rubbish
eventually returns to us and has an immediate affect upon us; what purpose and benefit exist within the
mere concept of an “infinite expanse” for which to discard our rubbish? And how might we become proficiently
acclimated within an awareness of (and practise within) the absence of such an
“infinite expanse” for which to discard our rubbish? What lessons may be drawn from the fact that
the rivers of freshwater carry the sediment and angst of humanity into the
massive oceans of unpalatable water; the
unpalatable waters exactly from where we draw the salt with which we season our
nutrients from a bland monotony?
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