Said R' Simlai: Just as the creation of man followed that of
the animals, beasts and fowl in time, so are the laws
applying to them enumerated in the Torah following those of
the animals, beasts and fowl. This is why it is written in
the previous parsha, "This is the `Torah' of the
beast and the fowl" and afterwards, in our parsha,
"And she [the new mother] shall be impure for seven days"
Vayikra Rabba 14). We must understand the connection
between the creation of man and the laws applying to him as
well as the significance that his pertinent laws appear in
the Torah after those relating to beast and fowl.
The Gaon of Nitra, R' Shmuel Dovid Ungar Hy'd,
elaborates on the importance of this fact in his work
Neos Deshe: Why, indeed, was Man created after all
living creatures, from great to small? Rabbenu Bechaye
offers a simple explanation in the introduction to his
commentary on the Torah. "Man and his helpmate were created
on the sixth day, and were preceded by every form of life,
even the lowliest ones. He is the consummation, to show that
everything was really created for his sake, for his use. He
is the epitome and purpose of creation, and if he is the
finishing touch, it is because he was the original premise
and promise of the Divine plan."
Thus is it always: the means precede the goal, the toil is
exerted for the sake of the meal. Whoever toils on erev
Shabbos shall eat on Shabbos. Man, therefore, is the end
purpose, while all the other creations serve as the medium
designed to enable him to achieve his mission in this world.
"For it is a great elevation for all creatures when they
serve the perfect man; as he aspires towards perfection, he
uplifts them all together with him," says the Mesillas
Yeshorim.
Therefore, only when the setting was ripe, the backdrop
prepared, was Man inserted into the picture as the climax.
It was his task to elevate all of Creation in his process of
drawing nearer to perfection, that is, to sweep it up along
with him.
If so, explains the Gaon of Nitra, this is the same reason
why the laws of impurity and purity of man in this week's
portion follow the laws of impurity and purity of animals in
the previous parsha. It highlights the difference
between the two states, for we see a distinctive disparity
between the laws of the latter and those of the former. No
creature is considered impure in any way so long as it is
still alive. The only impurity [tum'o -- not
prohibition as food] that relates to animals is only
applicable to their carcasses. They are not subject to the
impurity of leprosy or bodily emissions. Man, on the other
hand, can become tainted in a number of ways, as enumerated
here in the Torah.
The essence of the disparity lies in the nature of the
difference between man's creation and the creation of other
living things. Man is the prime reason; every other thing is
subsidiary. Impurity is the result of a lack, of a fall or
lapse in holiness, for where holiness is missing, there does
impurity gain access. This is why impurity cannot apply to
animals -- they cannot attain purity or holiness. The only
fulfillment and holiness that living creatures can achieve
in their lives is through providing the needs of man and
filling the will of their Creator Who designed them for a
specific purpose. And when their job is finished, when they
die, their remains become impure. When the small degree of
holiness they embodied leaves their bodies, impurity finds
access.
Man, the epitome of Creation, choice handiwork of Hashem, is
wholly consecrated. Each breath he takes is virtual praise
of his Creator. Therefore, by him, there are many things
that can cause impurity, for any contradiction to his
holiness, any flaw in the aura of purity that envelops him,
is an aperture for the seeping in of impurity. We cannot
understand the finer aspects of the particular things which
the Torah determines cause defilement, but the basic premise
they share is that they contaminate the pervasive atmosphere
of holiness in some way and allow tum'o a
foothold.
This is the reason why gentiles are not subject to the
impurity resulting from leprous lesions as the Torah
determines them (Maseches Negoim 3:1). Since non-Jews
are devoid of kedusha, the diminishing of their value
is too negligible to cause impurity.
The Ohr Hachaim provides a striking example regarding the
impurity caused by the dead. Chazal determined that the dead
of the gentiles and their graves do not cause impurity.
Initially, this is surprising: can it be that a dead Jew is
more contaminating than a dead gentile? He compares this to
a barrel of honey which, when emptied of its contents, draws
swarms of flies and insects, whereas a hollow barrel does
not attract any insects when it is opened. When the pure
soul of a Jew exits from his body, impurity fills its place
for it now has access, but when a gentile dies, the
transition is almost imperceptible and tum'o is
hardly attracted to fill the gap.
We can now better understand the significance of why the
laws of mortal impurity follow those of the impurity of
animals -- it comes to teach us the essential difference
between the two. A Jew is wholly pure and any diminishing of
his essential purity is a direct invitation for impurity,
whereas animals and even gentiles do not enjoy a higher
pervasive level of purity to begin with, aside from their
general purpose of creation, their role in the overall
design of the world. Therefore, only the total absence of
life, when they can no longer serve their purpose in this
world, can confer a measure of impurity.
The Maharal expresses this idea in his explanation of an
incident brought in the gemora when, in the time of
the churban, R' Yochonon saw a woman of high station
gathering barley grains from animal dung. He burst into
tears at the sight and exclaimed, "Fortunate are you,
Israel, that when you fulfill the will of the A-mighty, no
nation or race can touch you, but when you defy His will, He
delivers you into the hands of the very animals of a lowly
nation." Asks the Maharal, "Why is the expression
`fortunate' used in this context when we see to what depths
they are reduced? Is this something to applaud?"
Yes, he answers, because it highlights the essential
superiority of the Jewish people. When any entity in this
world, whether from the animal or vegetable kingdom, is
blemished, it does not drop one level but completely
disappears, is invalidated. A living creature does not
become something from the vegetable kingdom nor does a
withered plant become something dry but inanimate; rather,
they exit from the scene and become totally nullified into
oblivion. Their advantage during their lifetime was not
simply a higher level of existence, not inanimate with value-
added. Instead, it is a question of a state of being during
their period of existence, and a cessation of reality when
they exit the scene of life.
Similarly, Israel is not like any other nation with value
added, not merely a higher species but a totally different
entity. Were it not so, they would not plummet so low, to
such a degree, when they sinned. The fact that when they do,
they are delivered to the animals of their lowly captors,
testifies a hundredfold that they have a unique status.
Fortunate are you, O Israel!
