RAV KOOK ON Parshat Tazria
Translated and abridged by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
Parshat Tazria
Why does the Torah only discuss the laws of tahara (ritual purity) in people after teaching the analogous laws concerning animals, differentiating between those which may be eaten and those which are unclean? Should not humanity, the crown of creation, come first? Rabbi Simlai, a third-century scholar, explained: "Just as man's formation took place after all animals ... so too, the laws pertaining to him are set forth after the laws regarding animals." (Vayikra Rabbah 14:1)
In short, the order here in Vayikra parallels the account of creation in Bereishit. But what is the significance of this order? The Midrash elaborates the implied moral lesson: "If a person merits, he is told, 'You came before all of creation'. And if not, he is told, 'the mosquito came before you'."
What sort of a contest is this, between Man and Mosquito?
Translated and abridged by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
Parshat Tazria
Why does the Torah only discuss the laws of tahara (ritual purity) in people after teaching the analogous laws concerning animals, differentiating between those which may be eaten and those which are unclean? Should not humanity, the crown of creation, come first? Rabbi Simlai, a third-century scholar, explained: "Just as man's formation took place after all animals ... so too, the laws pertaining to him are set forth after the laws regarding animals." (Vayikra Rabbah 14:1)
In short, the order here in Vayikra parallels the account of creation in Bereishit. But what is the significance of this order? The Midrash elaborates the implied moral lesson: "If a person merits, he is told, 'You came before all of creation'. And if not, he is told, 'the mosquito came before you'."
What sort of a contest is this, between Man and Mosquito?
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