Parshat Metzora, (Leviticus 15:16-15:28), 4/4/14

My mother sometimes called me “a first class slob,” and my father would disown me when I didn't wash my hands when I went to the bathroom. Part of my interest in the Torah is to find how my parents came to be the way they are. As I read so much in Leviticus about cleanliness, I remember how upset my grandma was when she visited my newly married sister and complained bitterly to my mom (her daughter) that my sister wasn't a good housekeeper. Years later, my mom paid for a housekeeper for my sister's daughter. I married a very neat person. I think when I saw her iron one of my shirts I knew that she was just what I needed. Thankfully, she had/has many other abilities.

I feel sad for the young men and woman who are taught here in the parshah that they are unclean much of the time. Men have emissions in their sleep, and women menstruate monthly. What is the purpose of those mortifying sentences? Is this why Jews are said to have a lot of guilt? Is this why my parents barred me from learning about religion?

 “16. A man from whom there is a discharge of semen, shall immerse all his flesh in water, and he shall remain unclean until evening. 19. If a woman has a discharge, her flesh discharging blood, she shall remain in her state of menstrual separation for seven days, and whoever touches her shall become unclean until evening.”