Parsha Talk Tzaria – Shabbat Hachodesh 2022 5782

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Malomet, Kalmanofsky and Chesler. This week is the 4th of the special Shabbatot before Pesach, each with a special maftir [additional reading] and haftarah [prophetic reading]. Next week is also special; it is the Shabbat before Pesach and is called Shabbat Ha-gadol, for reasons which fall far short of unanimous agreement. While Shabbat Ha-gadol does have a special haftarah, there is no special maftir. Perhaps more on that next week!
The weekly reading is Thazria [Leviticus 12-13], flying solo so to speak this year [in many years it is paired with M’tzorah, which this year we read next week]. The seventh aliyah, which is normally the end of the weekly reading, is from Numbers 28:9-15, in honor of Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Hebrew month Nisan.. The maftir is from Exodus [12:1-20], and details the preparation for Pesach Mitzrayim, the Passover as celebrated in Egypt. While Thazria, which is primarily about the disease commonly, but mistakenly according to most scholars, called leprosy, and the elaborate priestly ritual for dealing with it, we discussed chapter 12 [at 8 verses, one of, if not the shortest, in the Torah], which has to do with the status of a woman who has given birth to a boy or a girl [each has a different status]. It also includes the law of circumcision, which was first mentioned in Genesis in the context of Abraham and the covenant. Most of our conversation this week focused on circumcision and the Passover ritual in Exodus. We hope you enjoy! Shabbat Shalom!! Chodesh Tov!!!