Parshat Tazria; Leviticus 12:1 -13:59 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger
This portion in the book of Leviticus begins with some concerns around birth and spiritual purity. No greater gift is ours than the ability to reproduce. Our tradition treats the idea of having children as so important it is even the first commandment of the Torah in the book of Genesis, Be fruitful and multiply, p’ru u’vu it teaches us (Gen:1:28). And yet, in this week’s portion, Tazria, we read about the spiritual state of impurity (tumah) that childbirth renders to the mother. This state of spiritual impurity (tumah) is of a different length whether a male child or female child. But regardless of the gender of the child the mother is not able to enter sacred grounds nor may she touch consecrated or holy things. At first it seems difficult to balance these ideas—the miracle of birth and the gift of a next generation and the commandment to be fruitful and multiply and yet it is that gift and miracle that brings with it a temporary spiritual impurity. How do we balance these two ideas?
For those who have been in the birthing room during delivery it is never an easy or pristine time. Birth is hard. It is bloody and sweaty for the mother who must push the infant through the birth canal and hopefully into the loving arms of his or her family! The process of giving birth is messy and always dangerous. There is excitement, anticipation and anxiety and more often than not, grunts, groans and screams. Children come into this world full of the muck of the birthing process and must be cleaned and wrapped to create those cherubic faces that every grandmother adores!
The process of giving birth doesn’t always go so smoothly either. Even today with our hospitals and operating rooms, the delivery process can be long, arduous and fraught with problems. It is truly an awe-inspiring moment when the child emerges okay. Even with our technology, when we can “see” our child through the miracles of sonograms and we can test to make sure genetically our child to be will have no problems there are no guarantees; things can and do go wrong.
But Parshat Tazria describes the time the new mother remains in this state of impurity and thus segregated from some activities. Rather than see this time out as a negative, this time of spiritual impurity allows the new mother time to re-enter her world slowly. It allows time to bond with her child and heal from the trauma of the birthing process.
Perhaps our portion acknowledges the very fine line between life and death through these ancient rituals. The birthing process is the moment of life and so much can go wrong for both mothers and their babies. So much can go wrong during the pregnancy, delivery and in the hours and days following. Certainly child mortality was even greater in the ancient world. The spiritual impurity of the birthing process is not punishment ---but rather sacred acknowledgement of the thin strands that stand between life and death. The tumah of the mother happens because she has been in touch with the edges of life and death, her body has thrown off blood and fluids of life and all of these are things that render people spiritually impure in the tradition.
The new mother must also bring offerings to the temple to help her enter a state of purity once again. These offerings are not different than those brought by someone who accidentally eats on Yom Kippur or accidentally violates Shabbat. But these offerings help the mother to restore order to her universe. And her universe for the last nine months has been as home to her child. Now this child is in the world, we hope healthy and sound. But she has to move toward readjusting herself as she once was—but she will never be the same again. This offering helps to acknowledge the changes she has been through and atone for any regrets she may have—regrets about not being the “home” to her baby, regrets about becoming a mom, regrets about how her body now looks, regrets about how this child has taken her away from her other children and or responsibilities, regrets in relationship to her spouse. This offering she brings helps just in case these are a part of her outlook.
Today there are no offerings made in the temple, but we can be reminded through our study of this week’s portion to be more mindful of the state of our own beings as we come into contact with the mix of life and the boundaries of death. As the ancients acknowledged that very edge so too we would do well to appreciate once again the narrow lines between life and death and holy and profane.
Posted by Aaron at April 1, 2008 02:58 PM
