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9 โ[1] ** ืืจืืฅ ืืช ืืฉืจื ืืืื ืืืืจ and he will bathe his flesh in water and be "clean."** Why did the Torah have to write the word ืืฉืจื, his flesh? We have stated that the word ืืฉืจื in 15,13 in connection with the ืื meant that only the ืื and not the ืืฆืืจืข requires immersion in ืืื ืืืื, and that the word excludes washing of the clothing in ืืื ืืืื from the requirement. It is not possible to justify both these exegetical comments from the use of a single word ืืฉืจื. Now that this word appears here also and is not needed in its own right, the comment of *Korban Aharon* on 15,13 is acceptable. We can also ask why the word ืืืื had to be written in this verse again. The explanation we offered for that word being written in verse 8 does not apply here. In that verse we could have erred by thinking that but for that word the ืืืืจ would have had to immerse himself in ืืื ืืืื, seeing he had already had to undergo sprinkling with ืืื ืืืื. There was no reason to make such a ืงื ืืืืืจ the second time. If you were to argue that the whole procedure of purifying the ืืฆืืจืข is a single procedure and that therefore any possible misunderstanding and the subsequent ืงื ืืืืืจ would apply equally to both washings, we have already eliminated the need for bathing in ืืื ืืืื, even in an instance when sprinkling with ืืื ืืืื had been necessary. There could not have been room for error then to make the word ืืืื necessary a second time.
โ[2] We would have to answer that the scholar arguing that without the word ืืืื a second time, the only thing which the first word ืืืื eliminated was the need for ืืื ืืืื for his first bathing, something that anyway did not confer complete purity on him. On the other hand, we could have argued that the final bathing, which results in the absolute purity of the ืืืืจ, would require ืืื ืืืื unless specifically excluded by the word ืืืื again in our verse. We must not forget that the ืื is purified completely by a single bathing (15,14). The two situations are therefore not comparable. Even though the second purification process of the ืืฆืืจืข is not accompanied by sprinkling of ืืื ืืืื, I could have argued that it should not involve a procedure inferior to that of the ืื. If the Torah wrote the word ืืืื also in our verse, this teaches that no ืืื ืืืื is required in the final bathing of the ืืฆืืจืข.
โ[3] The Torah was particular to write the word ืืฉืจื which is the very word which caused us to argue in the case of the ืื that he needed to bathe himself in running water from a well. Had the word ืืฉืจื not been mentioned in our verse also, I would have concluded that the only thing which the word ืืืื excluded was the need to wash the clothing, etc., of the ืืฆืืจืข in ืืื ืืืื, but that he would have to bathe at least his body in running water from a well based on the ืงื ืืืืืจ from the situation the Torah describes when telling us about the purification rites of the ืื.
โ[4] You may be tempted to ask why the Torah did not merely write ืืจืืฅ ืืฉืจื ืืืื in verse 9 and the word ืืืื would have been totally unnecessary in verse 8. The reason this does not work is that I would then have argued that the need for ืืื ืืืื was eliminated only for the second bathing which did not have to be preceded by sprinkling the ืืฆืืจืข with ืืื ืืืื. This argument, however, is not true for the first bathing by the ืืืืจ which was preceded by his being sprinkled with ืืื ืืืื. I would then still have learned the ืงื ืืืืืจ from the ืื so that I would have needed the word ืืืื to counter that ืงื ืืืืืจ. [The author continues examining other alternatives for another page or so. I have decided to omit those in the interest of brevity. Ed.]
โ[5] A moral-ethical approach to this whole paragraph sees it as describing Israel's exile. According to the *Zohar* the Gentiles are viewed as a ืฆืจืขืช infesting Israel, and dominating them by means of this plague. The plague of ืฆืจืขืช is viewed a "surrounding or encircling" the Israelites bodies. You will also find statements by our sages that even in Egypt Israel's redemption was only possible because they did not indulge in ืืฉืื ืืจืข, bad-mouthing each other. This compliment is based on Exodus 3,22 where the Israelites are told that they should ask their neighbours to lend them silver and golden trinkets something they did not do until 12 months later in Exodus 11,2. They were able to contain themselves during all this time without taunting their Egyptian neighbours during this entire period. No single sin results in as much alienation between man and his Maker as the sin of ืืฉืื ืืจืข, careless and even defamatory use of one's tongue. This is why the Torah wrote: ืืืช ืชืืื ืชืืจืช ืืืฆืืจืข, referring to the Jewish people which had become victimised by this affliction. The words ืืืื ืืืจืชื imply that Israel is to purify itself by refraining from the sin of ืืฉืื ืืจืข and all that it involves. The word ืืืื in the sentence ืืืืื ืื ืืืื refers to G'd. Having previously been alienated from its G'd, the repentance of the Jewish people will once again bring it close to Him (compare *Zohar* based on the verse in Isaiah 57,19: ืฉืืื ืฉืืื ืืจืืืง ืืืงืจืื, "Peace, peace to the far and subsequently near.") Following this reconciliation, G'd is described in Zachariah 14,3 as "going out to fight the nations of the world." This is alluded to here by the words ืืืฆื ืืืื ืื ืืืืฅ ืืืื ื, that G'd had left the camp of the ืฉืืื ื, i.e. the land of Israel, to a place of impurity to which the Israelites were exiled due to their sins. ืืจืื ืืืื ืืื ื ื ืจืคื ืื ืืข and as soon as G'd sees that the sin which was the cause of the plague (the exile under the dominion of the Gentiles) has been healed,
โ[6] ืืฆืื ืืืื, G'd will issue directives for two birds to be taken, etc. These two birds represent the two Messiahs, the Mashiach ben Yoseph and the Mashiach ben David. The reason the Messiah is called a bird is that this is a description for souls in the higher regions. *The Zohar* on ืคืจืฉืช ืืืง Numbers 24,17 quotes another example of the Messiah being called a "bird." We quote: "From this cave there emerges a very great bird which will rule over the world and the kingdom will be handed over to him." All these expressions are euphemisms for celestial forces as any student of the Kabbalah is aware of. We have found that the first Messiah will be from the tribe of Ephrayim who will nevertheless die while revealing himself; he will be followed by the Messiah descended from David. When the Torah speaks of G'd taking "two birds which are pure," these words are similes for the two kinds of Messiah.
โ[7] The words ืืขืฅ ืืจื ืืฉื ื ืืืืขืช ืืืื, "and the cedar-wood and the scarlet and the hyssop," are allusions to the merits of the three patriarchs. Abraham is represented by the word ืขืฅ ืืจื; He was a man of gigantic spiritual stature. Jacob is represented by the words ืืฉื ื ืชืืืขืช, seeing he is called by that "nickname" in Isaiah 41,14 i.e. ืื ืชืืจื ืชืืืขื ืืขืงื, "do not be afraid O worm Jacob;" Isaac is represented by the word ืืืื, seeing Isaac symbolises the attribute of ืืืืจื, strength, heroism. The Messiah will have to combine all those attributes within himself.
โ[8] The word ืืฉืื in this context is an allusion to the death of the first Messiah as G'd said ืื ืืื ืืจืฉ ืขื ืืื ืืืื. He will die as atonement for the sins of the people. The Torah speaks of ืืื ืืจืฉ, "a vessel made of earthenware," because original man was made of "dust from the earth" (Genesis 2,7); the entire human race was perceived as a ืืื ืืจืฉ, subject to irrevocable fragmentation, because man had not yet been given the Torah. Torah is compared to running water from a well, i.e. ืืื ืืืื. When there is no Torah in Israel it is no better than a ืืื ืืจืฉ, subject to total annihilation. This is why one of the two "birds" had to be slaughtered, i.e. would die. The death of that bird at the hands of the Gentiles, i.e. the death of the Messiah from the tribe of Ephrayim would give G'd a legal excuse to don His garments of revenge and to reverse His customary practice of wearing His "suit of mercy" by donning His "suit of retribution." As a result, He would dispose of all the wicked nations. Having been told what would happen if Israel would not practice Torah you can extrapolate that if they would observe Torah none of the afflictions alluded to in our portion as a national disease would have to occur, and the righteous (the first Messiah) would not have to die. The *Ari Zal* wrote that whenever we pray our regular prayers we must include the request that the Mashiach ben Yoseph should not die. Every prayer adds to the merit of that Messiah so that the collective prayers of the Jewish people may be sufficient to cancel the decree that he would die at the hands of the Gentiles.
โ[9] The Torah goes on to speak about the ืฆืคืืจ ืืืื, the surviving bird, i.e. the Mashiach ben David whom G'd will take and to whom He will attach the merits of the Patriarchs plus the right to avenge the murder of the *Mashiach ben Yoseph;* this is why the Torah writes: "He will take it together with the cedar-wood, etc., and dip it in the blood of the bird which has been slaughtered." This means that the combined power of the attribute of Mercy will outweigh the power of the attribute of Justice so that all the impurities of the Jewish people will be atoned for. When the Torah speaks here about the seven sprinklings to be performed on the ืืืืจ, this is an allusion to the seven levels of impurity. Israel will be cleansed of one level of impurity by each of the seven sprinklings. Once this has been accomplished the "bird" will emerge from the cave mentioned in the *Zohar*, etc. The words ืขื ืคื ื ืืฉืื, refer to this present world, and the message is that the Messiah will then rule over the whole world. After that, ืืืืก ืืช ืืืืืจ, He will bathe Israel and its clothes, i.e. the sins which have formed its dirty garments and have stained its soul. The removal of the "dirty clothing" may be compared to the vision of the prophet Zecharyah 3 where the angel is described as removing the sin-stained clothing from the High Priest Yoshua in a similar simile describing the redemption from the exile in Babylon. ืืืื ืืช ืื ืฉืขืจื, "and he will shave the hairs off his entire body;" these words are hyperbole for the removal of unworthy mental outgrowths. The words ืืจืืฅ ืืืื are hyperbole for Israel immersing itself in Torah. This latter procedure will purify Israel's thought processes also. ืืืืจ ืืื ืื ืืืื ื, "After that he can enter the camp;" this is a reference to the camp of the ืฉืืื ื, i.e. Jersualem on earth which will descend to earth having been built in Heaven.
โ[10] The Torah goes on to say: ืืืฉื ืืืืฅ ืืืืื, he will still have to sit outside his own residence seeing that he cannot unite with the ืฉืืื ื until the seven days of purification have passed which are necessary in order that one receive an important guest with due honour. On the seventh day then the Israelites are ready to welcome the holy guest. You will find a similar concept alluded to in Ezekiel 43,26: "for seven days let them purify the altar, cleanse it, etc." You will note that Ezekiel speaks of two purifications. The first purification achieves the removal of negative influences, The second purification accomplishes the repentant sinner's approach to the sacred, to that which is holy.
Version: Or Hachayim, trans. Eliyahu Munk
Source: http://www.urimpublications.com/or-hachayim-commentary-on-the-torah-5-vols.html
License: CC-BY