The parshiot of Tazria-Metszora cover a spiritual leprosy of the skin, clothes and walls. Midrash Tanchuma goes below the surface to examine the underlying blemish on the soul. One theme throughout the Midrash is the idea that whatever emerges from ourselves is actually an opportunity for perfection. 

 

Man perfecting Man 

 

Midrash Tanchuma records another of the famous conversations between the Roman Governor, Turnus Rufus, and the Great, Rabbi Akiva. (Keep in mind that it was Turnus Rufus, according to the Talmud, who ordered the sanctuary of the Temple to be plowed under). 

 

Rabbi Akiva was asked a seemingly innocent, almost poetic question:

 

אֵיזוֹ מַעֲשִׂים נָאִים, שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹ שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם. אָמַר לוֹ: שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם נָאִים.

 

“Whose works are more beautiful, those of God   or those of mankind. To which he (Rabbi Akiva) replied, ‘Those of mankind.”’ 

 

It seems that Rabbi Akiva knew the real motive of the Roman Governor. His esoteric question was a thinly disguised attack on the fundamental Jewish principle of circumcision. This is a practice derided by the Greek and Roman empires who venerated the human body.  Rabbi Akiva proved the superiority of man’s works with a simple yet concrete example: God  ’s handwork are sheaves of wheat. Man’s handiwork is a loaf of bread. The Roman Governor, however, maintained that if circumcision was the preferred state, we should have been born that way. To which Rabbi Akiva replied that circumcision reflects the fact that God   gives mankind an opportunity to perfect itself. 

 

More opportunities for perfection

 

It is certainly a principle of medicine that the skin acts as an early warning system. In my career I worked on the prevention of Oral Cancer which starts as a harmless spot on the tongue. What appears on the surface relates to what’s going on below the surface. Midrash Tanchuma proves that this is true in the spiritual realm as well. However, true to the boundless creativity of the Midrash, the definition of ‘what comes out of our skin’ takes on unexpected forms.  For example, Eve emerged from Adam’s rib. Which makes Eve a potential force for perfecting Adam.

 

Eve reveals Adam’s state of denial

 

At the crucial moment when God   confronted Adam about eating from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam had an opportunity for growth. Midrash Tanchuma asserts that all God   wanted from Adam was to repent. Instead he initiated the world’s first blame game:

 

 …וַיִּקְרָא ה' אֱלֹקְים אֶל הָאָדָם וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אַיֶּכָּה (שם ג, ט)

הִתְחִיל מֵסִיחַ עִמּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ כִּי עֵירוֹם אָתָּה (בראשית ג, יא). וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדָם, ‘יֹּ֖אמֶר הָֽאָדָ֑ם הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֣תָּה עִמָּדִ֔י הִ֛וא נָֽתְנָה־לִּ֥י מִן־הָעֵ֖ץ וָאֹכֵֽל׃ (בראשית ג, יב).

 

“The Lord God called unto Adam and said, ‘Where are you?’ (What is your spiritual state) …God   began to talk with him, as stated, ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ Then the man said ‘The woman You put at my side—she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”’ (Genesis.3:11-12) 

 

As soon as  Adam mentioned “Eve,” he missed his chance to perform the noble act of repentance. Rather than admit his mistake, he blamed God   for giving him Eve in the first place. He revealed a deadened sense of inner spiritual awareness. 

 

In fact, According to Midrash Rabba, the idea of repenting did not even occur to Adam until he asked his son, Cain, what sentence he received from God   for killing his brother Abel:

 

אָמַר לוֹ עָשִׂיתִי תְּשׁוּבָה וְנִתְפַּשַּׁרְתִּי. הִתְחִיל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן מְטַפֵּחַעַל פָּנָיו, אָמַר, כָּךְ הִיא כֹּחָהּ שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה וַאֲנִי לֹא הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ

 

“Abel replied ‘I repented and was granted a reprieve.’ Adam then exclaimed with frustration, ‘Such is the power of repentance – and I was not aware!’” (Bereishit Rabba 22:13) 

 

Pharaoh’s lesson from someone who emerged from his own home 

 

Once again, the Midrash expands the horizons of what can be considered as something  which emerges from within. After all, Moses was adopted by Pharaoh as his own flesh and blood.

 

…  וַיִגְדַּ֣ל הַיֶּ֗לֶד וַתְּבִאֵ֙הוּ֙ לְבַת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַֽיְהִי־לָ֖הּ לְבֵ֑ן 

 

“When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son…”(Genesis 2:10) 

 

The Book of Exodus does not deal with the emotionally-charged, family dynamic behind the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh. We don’t know what Pharaoh was thinking when his own foster son shows up and demands that the Hebrew slaves be freed. All the Torah shares with us is Pharaoh’s complete and utter rejection of the God   of the Hebrews:

 

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֔ה מִ֤י ה’ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶשְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹל֔וֹ לְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לֹ֤א יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ אֶת־ ה’ וְגַ֥ם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א אֲשַׁלֵּֽחַ׃ 

 

“But Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord that I should heed Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”’

 

 

Although we are familiar with the storyline, Midrash Tanchuma would like us to consider a path not taken. Pharaoh had an opportunity for perfection. He should have seen the significance in the fact that his antagonist, Moses, was none other than his own adopted son. Perhaps this is what the Torah means when it says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart long before God   hardened his heart. He closed his heart to the signal that God   was sending. 

 

The unlikely roots of the Messiah

 

The final example of an opportunity emerging from within is the mysterious confrontation at the end of days with Gog and Magog. Ezekial  describes it as a world invasion of Jerusalem. 

 

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא בְּי֨וֹם בּ֥וֹא גוֹג֙ עַל־אַדְמַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל נְאֻ֖ם  ה’ תַּעֲלֶ֥ה חֲמָתִ֖י בְּאַפִּֽי׃

 

“On that day, when Gog sets foot on the soil of Israel—declares the Lord God  —My raging anger shall flare up.” (Ezekial 38:18)

 

The Midrash says the Messiah, who will be victorious over Gog and Magog, will be someone who grew up among them:

 

וְאַף הַמָּשִׁיחַ שֶׁעָתִיד לִיפָּרַע מִגּוֹג וּמָגוֹג וְחֵילוֹתָיו, שָׁם עִמָּהֶם גָּדַל בַּמְּדִינָה,.

 

“And also the Messiah, who in the future will take retribution upon Gog and Magog and all of its troops, grew up with them in the city”.

 

Is there something from within us that we are not examining?

 

At first glance, the Parsha of Tazria seems irrelevant to us since we no longer have this spiritual leprosy known as Tsoraas. However, the Midrashic notion that our opportunity for perfection comes from that which emerges from within, certainly has relevance. After all, our children, our accomplishments, even our values and goals all fit this criterion.