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From this week's Parsha, Tazriyah, we learn many ways that we, as the Jewish people, are supposed to act. In the Parsha, the Jews are warned against speaking Lashon Hara. But what is so bad about lashon hara? If the person doesn't know what you are saying, what make's it such a horrible sin? Rav Dovid Lessin offers an answer. He suggests that the sin of lashon hara is bad because it demonstrates a misuse of the precious gift of speech that Hashem gave us. Speech is the sole skill Hashem gave us to distinguish us from all other animals and by us misusing it, we are showing that we are no greater than any other creature. Falling short in this way is a double betrayal, because not only are we special in comparison to all the other animals, but Hashem specifically chose us, the Jews, to be special in comparison to all the other nations. This is seen in Yeshayahu when it says that G-d chose us to be "a light unto the nations" (Yeshayahu 42:6). As Rav Kook explains, we are given this unique responsibility and only when we are acting appropriately will the rest of the world be uplifted as a result and thus we will truly be a "light unto the nations."

But this idea begs a second question: what specifically about the Jewish people makes us so special? In today's world, a Jew is not so distinguishable from non-Jews. What makes us able to uplift all the other nations? The answer is that since Hashem specifically chose us to be His nation, He charged us to be a more sensitive people than the other nations. We, as a people, have the capacity to be attuned to the finer points of human existence.

An example of this is that when tragedy strikes. People in general tend to question why the tragic event took place and why it happened to them. However, we as Jews are trained to see Hashem's orchestration of all- His Hashgacha. We cannot always explain the reasons behind these events, but we can understand that everything that happens is apart of G-d's plan. This demonstrates the sensitivity we have in examining the world's events.

Another example of the sensitivity we as a people need to have is shown in this week's Parsha. It explains that when the Kohen goes to look at the affliction to determine whether it is halachically considered a nega, the pasuk says, "The Kohen shall look at the affliction on the skin of his flesh...," and then repeats, "The Kohen shall look at it and declare him contaminated." Why does the Torah repeat this phrase? Rabbi Yissocher Frand, quoting the Meshech Chochmah, suggests that this is the source for a halachah mentioned in the Mishnah, that if a Kohen sees a blemish on a person during a time of celebration he should not declare that person contaminated, even if the nega has all the signs of contamination. The repetition in the pasuk teaches us that the Kohen must look at each nega twice: first to determine whether or not it has all the symptoms that warrant contamination, and then to determine if the timing is appropriate- demonstrating an EXTRA degree of sensitivity taken.

Lastly, to re-connect our degree of sensitivity to lashon hara, our prohibition against misusing our speech is because G-d asks the Jews to have an extra elevated way of speaking. He instructs us to speak positively about things rather than focusing on the negatives, to always greet others with kind words and to never get angry. By speaking lashon hara, not only are we causing damage to our relationships with others, but we are also missing out on the opportunity to elevate the people around us.

From all these examples we see that we need to be extra sensitive in order to fulfill our mission as G-d's Chosen people. Through this higher degree of sensitivity, those around us will see our actions—our attempts to emulate G-d himself—and thus, we will serve to truly inspire them and fully live up to being a "light unto other nations."

Lizzy comes to AMIT from Boca Raton, Florida and plans on attending Stern College next year. Last week, she initiated a Haggadah project in which she collected Divrei Torah from staff and students which the students are bringing with them for Pesach vacation. Kol Hakavod on a terrific job!