Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

Two birds

" Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be purified, two living birds… and shall command to slaughter the one bird… as for the living bird he shall take it…" (14, 4-6)

Rashi explains that the reason the Torah commanded the leper to bring two birds for his purification: "Since the plagues come due to slander which is chatter, he therefore needs for his purification birds that chatter always …"

However, this arouses a question – Why did the Torah command us to slaughter only one bird while the second bird is sent to the field? The holy Zohar explains this: 'Just as a person is punished for faulty speech (slander) that he should not have spoken, so he will be punished for holy words that he could have spoken but did not – such as if he could have reprimanded others but did not and was silent."

Accordingly, it is well understood why the leper brings two birds, the first one being slaughtered and the second being sent away: The slaughtered bird comes to atone for idle gossip that he should not have spoken and is therefore slaughtered to teach us to avoid chattering idle gossip. The second bird is left alive and sent out to the field and comes to atone for our not speaking Torah ideas and not reprimanding when we should have – and therefore the bird is left alive to continue chattering, to teach us the obligation to speak words of holiness.

We can add that the leper brings additionally: "a piece of cedar wood and scarlet wool and hyssop". Rashi explains, "cedar wood" – because plagues come for haughtiness – what is his remedy to be healed? He shall humble himself from his haughtiness like a worm and a hyssop (=very small plant)."

The Grand Rabbi, the Sar Shalom of Belz asked – So why does the leper bring a piece of cedar wood (from a tall tree) that alludes to height and haughtiness? It would seemingly be enough for him to bring scarlet wool and hyssop that symbolize humility? The cedar tree that symbolizes height and haughtiness comes to teach us that sometimes in the Service of G-d one needs to use the trait of haughtiness as well as it says, "And his heart rose high in the ways of G-d", as it says in the Shulchan Aruch "And a person should not be embarrassed from those who mock him". Therefore the leper brings cedar wood as well as scarlet wool and hyssop to teach us that one must use these two traits (haughtiness and humbleness) in the Service of G-d, each one in its right time and place: To counteract the slander that comes from haughtiness a person must lower himself like a scarlet wool and hyssop -but on the other hand, for not speaking Torah ideas and reprimanding due to false humility he is to bring cedar wood to teach us "And his heart rose high in the ways of G-d".

In the sefer Tzvi Latzadik an allusion is brought for this idea from the Parsha of Yitro where it says, "And you shall make a boundary around the people… beware not to go up onto the mountain or even to touch the border of it". "The mountain" alludes to haughtiness and a "high heart" and the holy Torah therefore warns us that we must be very cautious not to go up to "the mountain" – haughtiness – and not even to touch its border because " Every person with a haughty heart is loathsome to G-d" and "whoever touches "the mountain" will die- for "Jealousy, lust and honor take a person out of this world." On the other hand, "when the horn of dismissal –יובל- sounds long they may go up on the mountain." The initials of the word יובל stand for "ויגבה לבו בדרכי ה'" - "And his heart rose high in the ways of G-d". When it comes to a matter of Heavenly Honor then "they may go up on the mountain." One must go up the "mountain" that alludes to haughtiness and use the haughtiness only for the sake of Heaven.

SHABBAT SHALOM!!!