Gradations

I'm telling you, VaYikra is seriously becoming my favorite book of the Torah.  Not because it is any greater than any other book, but because I have gone from looking at it as something to read and comprehend on, at best, an intellectual level to something that is deeply profound and impactful on a personal level.  So perhaps, better said, as a parent might say about their children, each book is now "equally my favorite."  

Take this seventh aliyah of Tazria, which is a grand total of five verses (including the maftir!) and continues the discussion of tza'raat of clothing.  Something that doesn't even exist anymore!

In VaYikra 13:56, the Torah describes what is to happen with an article of clothing when, after passing an initial inspection, a washing, and a second inspection, the hauntingly mysterious "deep red" or "deep green" in the garment has "dimmed."  If these circumstances arise, the kohen "shall tear [the dimmed portion] out from the garment or from the leather or from the warp or from the woof."  If the tza'raat has not spread but has not dimmed, the entire article must be burned.

My thinking up until now has been in the typical human, binary mode of thinking about things: something is either totally tamei ("impure," as most often translated) or tahara ("pure").  But is this actually the case?  To review, if the tza'raat has stayed the same size but dimmed, it is still, apparently, tamei, but only part of it must be cut out.  But if the tza'raat has stayed the same size but not dimmed (and, by the way, the commentaries add that the converse also applies, that if it has grown (but changed in color) it is also certainly tamei), the entire article must be burned.

If we consider the garment as objectively and symbolically representative of the soul, the lesson becomes clear: when it comes to the soul, there are various degrees of contamination.  A little misalignment with H' will cause part of the soul to need repair - and that may be as simple as ripping out the misaligned piece and keeping the rest.  But when that spiritual misalignment becomes too great, well, the entire thing must be burned.  I'll leave it to you to think about what this might look like in "real life."  

Although at least this parasha doesn't objectively discuss it, surely the converse must be true - that while there are some people who are completely tahara, there are also people who are somewhat tahara and need those misaligned piece permanently removed.

Nothing, even the soul, is ever solely in one camp or the other.  Everything but the very extreme has gradations - even in Torah.  And the goal is to continue excising those tamei pieces until only the tahara - the spiritual gold - the essence of the soul - remains.  In fact, that is at least one purpose of Torah.