This week’s double Torah portion is about “cooties,” the ritual impurities caused by childbirth, skin diseases and molds in houses. There are times when Torah gets very strange and this is one of them, as we read this ancient view of disease and its impact on the individual and the community. With text like this, we always have three choices: accept them at face value, reject them or try to find a way to make some sense out of them. Rather than focus on the understanding of disease, look at how the Torah describes a ritual for separation and quarantine of the infected person and the ritual for inclusion. So often in our society, disease sends us into a limbo state, scared, isolated and lonely. Our tradition understands that ritual has deep psychological power and can ensure that even in the most difficult moments we will feel connected to community.

~Rabbi Dean