Outside the Camp

Rabbi Mark Borovitz
Beit T'shuvah

This week's Parsha is Tazria/Metzora. The Parsha teaches us that everyone can get clean. In fact, it is the obligation of the priests and community to help one another get clean from their spiritual malady.

This Torah teaching is, in many ways, the proof text that Beit T'Shuvah is necessary in this community and in every community. We have to have a place outside the camp for people to go and get the spiritual healing that they need. 

What spiritual healing do you need? Where do you go for your spiritual sustenance? Do you have a regular spiritual practice? 

We are taught that the person who is healing from a spiritual malady does not go home right away. There is a period of time after he is considered healed for him to prove to himself and others that he has truly dealt with and committed to the healing process. He/She has to stay outside of his dwelling for a week and then on the eighth day, he draws near to God and community. Only then is she/he allowed back into his/her own dwelling. While this may seem very punitive, I think that the tradition is teaching us a very important lesson. 

Most people want to say that they are sorry and just go on as if nothing has happened. Many people allow others to do this very action. The parsha is teaching us that this is the wrong way to approach healing from a spiritual malady and the wrong way to approach repairing the damage that our spiritual malady has caused. We have to really understand what our spiritual malady is, the harm it has brought to others, God and ourselves and get guidance as to how to repair the damage and continue to grow spiritually so that we do not find ourselves doing the same thing again. 

What is my/your spiritual malady? How are you repairing the damage rather than hiding from it? What is your plan and who is your guide to ensure that you continue to grow and not repeat the same behavior?

It is not a popular idea to send someone outside of the camp. One reason is that it "shames" someone. Another is that it will let others know that my family is not "perfect." I want to debunk these myths. No one is shamed by seeking help. No one is shamed by acknowledging and working on their spiritual condition. The shame is not doing this!! Also, it is no secret that your family and my family is not perfect. In fact it is refreshing to know how similar we all are in our imperfections. 

Am I more concerned as to how things look than I am as to how things are? Am I willing to live in Truth or am I comfortable in the slavery of lies?

I want to say that sending someone outside the camp, like to Beit T'Shuvah, is a statement of hope and love. Whenever we send someone for healing, we are saying that they can change. Our action is one of saying to the person suffering: "You don't have to suffer anymore, there is help and we know that you can take advantage of this help and live well for the rest of your life." 

Do you love someone enough to say this to him/her? Do you believe that you and others can change? Are you committed to living a life on, of and with purpose? 

The role of the Priest as healer is very prominent in this parsha. In fact, this is one of the main jobs of the priest. Since we don't have priests anymore, it is the job of the rabbi to help people heal from their spiritual maladies and grow spiritually. To do this, we rabbis must continue to improve and maintain our spiritual condition. 

Do you feel invited in to your rabbi's study to discuss and plan your own spiritual healing and growth? If not, please tell me how I can do a better job of inviting you in. Are you going to others for this healing and still not getting it? Please ask your rabbis, here or at another shul. It is our raison d'etre: helping you grow spiritually is the reason that we became rabbis. It is a loving and hopeful action to tell us the Truth. 

May this Shabbat bless us with the strength to believe in change for others and for ourselves. 

May this Shabbat bless us with the courage to stand up and ask for the spiritual help we need to heal. 

May this Shabbat bless us with the grace to accept the love and hope of another until we can have our own. 

Shabbat Shalom