By Rabbi Nissim Lagziel
A joke to begin with…
A Jew who was compelled to convert r”l during the days of the Spanish Inquisition was warned by the authorities that if they caught him eating fish on Friday night, proving that he still observed Jewish rituals, he would face dire consequences.
Despite this stern warning, a Jew remains a Jew, and that Friday night, our “reborn” Jew sat down for his customary Shabbos meal, which obviously included a hefty portion of fish!
At that very moment, the Inquisition spies burst into the house and caught him red-handed…eating fish!
“You’ve remained a Jew! You’re eating fish on Friday night!” the priest cried out.
“What are you talking about?” the Jew replied. “I’m not eating fish at all.”
“Oh, no?” the priest asked derisively. “Then, what’s that on your plate? Shnitzel?”
“It’s roast beef,” the Jew said definitively.
The priest became furious and started yelling at the Jew. “Are you trying to make a fool out of me? That’s fish, not roast beef!”
“I did exactly what you did to me,” the Jew answered with a mixture of innocence and cynicism. “This afternoon, I took some water, sprinkled a few drops on the fish, and told it three times, ‘You’re not a fish, you’re beef,’ and it was reborn as a piece of roast beef!”
***
This week, we read Parshas Tazria. At the beginning of the parsha, we learn the laws of impurity regarding a woman after birth and the sacrifices she has to bring to become pure again.
Let’s focus on the beginning of the parsha, dealing with the process of birth. The Torah teaches us that a woman who gives birth to a male child is impure for a period of seven days, while giving birth to a female causes impurity for two weeks. As we look at the pasuk describing the birth of a male, we reveal something hidden beneath the surface.
The Torah opens the discussion of the laws of childbirth with the words: “If a woman will conceive and she gave birth to a male, she shall be unclean for seven days” (Vayikra 12:2).
Wouldn’t it be enough just to write “If a woman gave birth to a male?” Why is it necessary to discuss the process leading to the birth?
Another point: Aren’t females also conceived? Why doesn’t the Torah write: “A woman who conceives, if she gave birth to a male”?
There is also a linguistic difficulty: the pasuk begins in the future tense (“will conceive”) and concludes in past tense (“and gave birth”)!
Apparently, we’re not talking here (only) about a regular woman and a regular birth…
***
Without a doubt, one of the most uplifting experiences in life is the process of birth. Anyone who has ever heard the first squeal of a newborn baby at the moment of birth, representing the opening of his small lungs to the air of the world, has been filled with a feeling of true joy and pleasure. Nine months of pregnancy, during which the mother endures both pain and discomfort conclude with the birth of a new Jewish child, for whom everyone had been waiting!
The birth of Moshiach and the Geulah he will bring follow a similar pattern:
The “woman” of whom the pasuk speaks is us, Am Yisrael, and the “conception” is our fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, primarily during the period of galus.
What do Torah and mitzvos have to do with “conceiving” a child?
The Hebrew word for conceiving (תזריע) comes from the word זרע, seeding. Chassidus shows how many aspects of the seeding process reflect the way mitzvos affect the world. Here are a few:
1. The place of the seeding: Just as a kernel can sprout only when in the ground, so too the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos can only be achieved through physical action here in this world. All the heartfelt emotions and kavanos are secondary to the actual deed – “the deed is the main thing.” and if it’s lacking, nothing will grow…
2. The manner of the seeding: For the kernel to grow it first must disintegrate, only then can it re-emerge fully grown. Through our bittul (self-nullification) to G-d’s Divine will and purpose, we grow and are born at the Redemption.
3. The purpose of the seeding: In seeding, the farmer “loses” a measure of seed in order to gain much more. The fulfillment of the mitzvos may at times be associated with a considerable “loss” of time, energy, and money. However, the results speak for themselves… The Divine revelation together with the spiritual reward and the eternal Redemption stemming from these actions makes every moment worth it all.
“If a woman will conceive” — If during galus, the Jewish people sow and plant mitzvos, then with absolute certainty “She gave birth to a male,” – not something that will happen, with “ifs” “ands”, or “buts,” rather it’s as certain as if it happened already!
The “boy” that is born as a result of our mitzvos is Moshiach.
The comparison of the soul of Moshiach specifically to a male describes the strength of the future Redemption – eternal, without any possibility of being followed by another exile.
A woman “gives birth and conceives again” — she experiences one redemption after another. But before each new birth she once again goes through the pain of pregnancy and labor. In contrast, the male does not conceive, which means that after the revelation of Moshiach, we will no longer experience any exile or pain. The soul of Moshiach comes from a higher plane, and from the strength of that lofty spiritual source, it is able to bring true, complete, and eternal redemption for us all! (1)
To Conclude with a Story
There was a young American couple that wanted to get married. The man was Jewish, but his bride-to-be, was not. The man wanted to marry Jewish, and they began the process of halachic conversion to Judaism. The woman approached it with the utmost sincerity. She learned and studied Judaism in great depth, and she even started fulfilling certain mitzvos as a preparation for the future. When the long-awaited moment for the conversion arrived, she agreed to do everything, except for…immersing herself in a mikvah!
Numerous people tried their best to convince her of the great importance of this final step, including the fact that without immersing herself in a mikvah, she could not become a part of the Jewish People. However, all their efforts were for naught; she simply wouldn’t hear of it. It was an inexplicable refusal.
Left with no alternative, the groom’s family, which had no connection whatsoever to Lubavitch, arranged a yechidus for the woman with the Rebbe. The Rebbe explained to her that each of us begins our lives in a sac filled with amniotic fluid. The fetus develops and grows in this fluid until just the right moment. Then, it bursts the sac of amniotic fluid, “emerges from the water”, and begins a new life.
“You are like a fetus, about to be reborn as a Jewess. The moment you immerse yourself and emerge from the water, you begin a new life, and a new soul is revealed within you.”
She left the Rebbe’s room in tears, and today she is a mother of Jewish children.
Take-AWay
Being “reborn” means to start a new life. We are in a time where we can, should and must begin living again, in a new-and-improved way — a life of the True and Complete Redemption.
Good Shabbos! ■
Based on the commentary of the holy Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh on the parsha and Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 1, as footnoted.