I was talking to a healer the other day who told me that the source of my migraines is heavy metals in my brain/body (something for which there is no technology to prove--not until after you’re dead, anyway!). 

I’ve heard this before; everyone has heavy metals in their bodies to varying degrees. It makes sense, because we live in a polluted world, and it especially makes sense for a person like me who grew up in New York City breathing very polluted air on a heavily-trafficked avenue over 50 years ago when it was worse than now. And it builds up over time.

Of course, all bodies are different, and we are able to process and remove toxins to varying degrees (and, yes, she told me how certain foods can help eliminate them and cleanse me of them over time, in case you’re ready to jump in and give me suggestions). 

The question is always, how much and how deep in the tissues are the toxins that we carry? 

This week’s Torah reading is mostly about purity vs. impurity with regard to skin afflictions. The priest in the Temple is designated doctor/diagnostician, and he decides whether a person is pure or impure, and if they need to be quarantined or not (we can relate to quarantine, can’t we?--but the priest and the Temple...not so much).  

The question again is, how deep is the wound? How deep is the problem? 

Is it simply and literally skin-deep, or is it a deeper problem that needs to be addressed with greater measures? The Torah repeats this consideration for the priests over and over again--to make sure the rest of the population stays safe, mostly, I assume.  

I find it interesting that this idea can be applied to a person’s body or an entire society, as in: is it systemic or is it a surface problem that can be easily taken care of?

We have lots of societal issues that go much deeper than the surface, problems that became apparent, bubbling up like a skin affliction, as this pandemic began to rage. We need to remain cognizant to the fact that the vaccine itself will not solve the societal problems; those who have access to it in the U.S. and around the world continue to be those of privilege, just as those who have suffered more from coronavirus are the underprivileged.

And we mustn't forget that while we celebrate the fact that many of us are getting access to the vaccine, many people and countries are being left out. And the virus rages on...

While most of this double parsha may be about skin afflictions, it interestingly starts out talking about women’s impurity as it relates to childbirth, and ends again with sexual emissions for the male, and a woman’s monthly period. 

The first parsha, Tazria, is actually named for sowing seed, as in getting pregnant.

It goes on to name the m’kor, or “flow,” of a woman’s blood after giving birth, and how long she is considered impure depending on if she gives birth to a female or male child. It explains the kind of offering she is to bring to the priest who will then make the sacrifice for her and render her pure again. 

Let’s name it for what it is, classic misogynistic talk: why is she considered impure twice as long  after giving birth to a female as to a male child. 

While we can understand the idea of cleaning out stuff/purification after birth, there is no explanation, as far as I’m concerned, for the male vs. female child thing other than misogyny—a systemic problem in society. It goes as deep and as old as the Torah. So--no surprises there. 

But I loved noticing that the word for a woman’s period, “m’kor,” which means “flow,” also means “source,” as in “M’kor hayyim,” or “Source of Life.” (It shows up in psalm 36: For with you is the source of life; in your light we see light.) Such a beautiful way of talking about a woman’s “period.”

So, what do we do with this? And how is it connected with the deeper-than-skin problems, the systemic problems, both in our bodies and society?

Every time I see the word for skin in Hebrew, I’m fascinated that it changes meaning simply with the change of one letter: “or” in Hebrew is both skin and light when spoken. 

I always think; there has to be some deeper meaning in this, speaking of “deep.” 

One of the things this healer I spoke to about the migraines told me (and I’ve been told before, duh) is that the way I approach them will have a big effect on how quickly I heal. If I resist and push them away, it will take longer and be more painful. The more I surrender, well, you know…way easier said than done. 

What she said is that, along with a certain diet, I need to allow darkness to be integrated into light---and healing will come.

We all have “stuff” to clean out. We all need to be purified of things we carry deep within, and the way we approach our “stuff” has an effect on how it gets cleaned out. 

What we carry within us, beneath the skin, and how we approach it, is reflected in the way we carry ourselves in the world and treat others; it is reflected on the surface, in and on our skin. 

One thing is for sure: what’s on the inside comes out eventually. It is the light (or darkness) we carry out into the world. 

We all come from the Source of Life and we all carry the source of life within us. 

In continuing our work of purification, sometimes we need to stay away from others, in quarantine, to keep others safe.

Then, as microcosms of the Source of Life, we increase the possibility of bringing the flow of light to the surface and out into the world.

For in you, as in all of us, is the Source of Life; in your light we see light.