TORAH: Leviticus 12:1-13:59
HAFTARAH: 2 Kings 4:42-5:19
GOSPEL: Luke 2:22-35
Portion Outline:
The name of the twenty-seventh reading from the Torah is Tazria, which means “she conceived.” The name is derived from the words of Leviticus 12:2, where the LORD says to Moses, “When a woman [conceives] and bears a male child.” Leviticus 12 discusses the laws of purification after childbirth. Leviticus 13 introduces the laws for diagnosing and quarantining lepers. Except in biblical calendar leap years, Tazria is read together with the subsequent Torah portion, Metzora, on the same Sabbath.
Torah
Leviticus 12:1 | Purification of Women after Childbirth
Leviticus 13:1 | Leprosy, Varieties and Symptoms
Prophets
2Ki 4:42 | Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men
2Ki 5:1 | The Healing of Naaman
Portion Commentary:
The Miracle of Life
The laws of the Torah ensured that the amazing miracle of a child entering the world would not be treated as something mundane.
The name of the twenty-seventh reading from the Torah is Tazria (תַזְרִיעַ), which means “she conceived.” The name is derived from the words of Leviticus 12:2, where the LORD says to Moses, “When a woman [conceives] and bears a male child.” Leviticus 12 discusses the laws of purification after childbirth.
Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: “When a woman gives birth …” (Leviticus 12:2)
The birth of a child is a holy and wonderful thing. Every time a baby is born, the birthing brings to light a small incarnation. Every baby is an immortal soul housed in garments of flesh. A baby comes into the world in the image of God. Life springs forth from life.
In some cases, the miracle is more obvious than in others. A Christian acquaintance of my wife was having a baby when complications occurred. The baby was in the wrong position in the birth canal, and the doctors grew concerned. They listened carefully to the heart monitor as the birth progressed, but sadly, the fluttering heartbeat tapered off and stopped. An hour later, the baby girl was stillborn. The doctor set the lifeless body aside, and mother and father were crushed. In the midst of her tears, the mother saw the baby’s leg move. She pointed it out to the staff, but the doctors explained that these were simply reflexive muscle movements. A few moments later, the baby gasped, coughed, and gasped again. Suddenly the hospital staff went into an emergency frenzy as they began resuscitation of the little girl. The child is fine today.
Not every story has a happy ending like that. There are few things more sober and heartrending than a pregnancy that ends prematurely or a baby born into this world only to pass on to the next world. We can’t explain why things like that happen, but it is possible that some souls are so pure and burn so hot that they quickly return to the flame that first gave them life.
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
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