HEBREW TEXTS  .  HEBREW LANGUAGE  .  JUDAISM

In this week's Torah portion: Tazria, the topic of ritual purity after childbirth is addressed, focusing on the birth of a boy or a girl. The Torah teaches us how a woman should act after giving birth, according to the laws of purity and impurity. After the birth of a boy, the woman was considered impure for 33 days, and in the case of a girl, for 66 days. Both situations are somewhat shocking and invite us to reflect on how society has conditioned gender roles and expectations over the centuries. Today, in the 21st century, we still struggle against gender discrimination and inequality.

For anyone who has ever heard or read this parasha, the theme is clear. Parashat Tazria speaks to us about gossip, slander, and backbiting. It warns us about those attitudes that lead us to divide ourselves, to "impurify" the environment where we are, and to tarnish the names and lives of those affected.

There is something that has to do with the essence of what surrounds us. Things, people, environments, have an essence that can sometimes change, in part, and that is transmitted to individuals.