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Batya Ivry-Friedman

Modern Day Priests

The reason that we have social distancing rules in place is that many people think that they’re pure, when they’re actually carriers and conveyors of the virus.

In this week’s Parshat Tzav, the Torah commands (Lev.7:19), “The meat that touches anything impure may not be eaten.”  The Kotzker Rebbe asks: Why do pure items become impure when touched by someone impure, while impure items do not become pure when touched by a pure person? Surely, the powers of purity should be stronger than the forces of impurity!  He answers that a person who is impure knows that he is certainly impure.  A pure person might think he is pure, when in fact he is not 100% pure.

That’s how coronavirus works.  If you have the virus, you know that you must stay away from people.  Coming into contact with them could contaminate them, God forbid.  The reason that we have social distancing rules in place, however, is that many people think that they’re pure, when they’re actually carriers and conveyors of the virus.   Please do your very best to keep this in mind constantly and avoid interacting with people physically to the greatest extent possible.

There is an exception to the Kotzker’s idea.  There are pure individuals who have the power to purify the impure, the priests performing their sacred service.  We are very blessed to have a number of priests in our community who are working around the clock to purify those who have caught coronavirus.  We take this opportunity to say yasher koach to all our medical professionals who have the Divine gift of being able to purify and heal those who have been afflicted by this terrible illness.  May our Father in Heaven have mercy upon us all and speedily put an end to these dark times.

About the Author
Rabbanit Batya Friedman was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Brooklyn College and her MBA from the University of Alberta. She previously served the community in Hamsptead Garden Suburb Synagogue in London, UK and in Edmonton, AB Canada.
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