Tazria, this week’s Torah portion is part of a double portion Tazria/M’tzora. Most years we read both these portions on the same Shabbat, this year however, we do not because we have an extra month Adar II to fill with weekly Torah portions. We have Adar II because as Jews we use a lunar calendar and every 7 years we add an extra month, so that Passover is always in the spring and Rosh Hashana is in the fall. This year is one of those years.
In Tazria we read about skin afflictions and diagnosis of all these ailments. It is not serendipitous that we have so many Jewish Doctors. One reason we do, is because the Kohanim acted as true doctors. Even in the Torah the Kohanim made scientific examinations and kept patients under observation. The Kohanim evaluated symptoms and acted accordingly. We always tried to approach illness as objectively as we could and use the best science that was available at the time. Not all societies are like that, even in Torah times we Jews did not have magic-workers we had doctors. The Torah describes specific symptoms by which the Kohanim were able to diagnose the disease.
Even though we pray to God heal us, we also pray that our doctors are wise and knowledgeable. Jews have always been very realistic about illness and the effects of good medicine.
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