Parshiyyot Tazria-Metzora 5786 – 04/18/2026
Beginning with Bereishit 5781 (17 October 2020) we embarked on a new format. We will be considering Rambam’s (Maimonides’) great philosophical work Moreh Nevukim (Guide for the Perplexed) in the light of the knowledge of Vedic Science as expounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The individual essays will therefore not necessarily have anything to do with the weekly Torah portion, although certainly there will be plenty of references to the Torah, the rest of the Bible, and to the Rabbinic literature. For Bereishit we described the project. The next four parshiyyot, Noach through Chayei Sarah, laid out a foundational understanding of Vedic Science, to the degree I am capable of doing so. Beginning with Toledot we started examining Moreh Nevukim.
Tazria – Vayikra 12:1-13:59
Metzora – Vayikra 14:1-15:33
Rambam returns to the issue of the “music of the spheres,” and considers whether it is to be taken literally or not:
One of the ancient opinions that are widespread among the philosophers and the general run of people consists in the belief that the motion of the spheres produces very fearful and mighty sounds. Their proof for this belief consisted in their saying that when the small bodies that are with us move with a rapid motion, a great clatter and a disturbing boom are heard to proceed from them. In consequence this should be all the more the case with respect to the bodies of the sun, the moon, and the stars, having regard to their size and velocity.
The first point Rambam makes is that those who claim that the spheres make sounds argue by analogy with objects on earth. This is perhaps not surprising, since we are apparently dealing with actual, physical sound. The underlying assumption is that the spheres have a material nature, similar or perhaps identical to that of earthly, physical objects. This, however, seems to contradict the assumption that the celestial objects are fundamentally different from earthly objects, and operate by different rules. If, on the other hand, we want to argue that this derivation is merely by way of analogy, then of course the “noise” made by the celestial spheres might be something more abstract than physical noise.
Physical sound requires a physical medium to carry it. Physical sound is a pressure wave in the medium, be it air or water or a bar of metal. The other side of sound is the hearer, as in the common joke, “If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” As far as the objective aspect of sound is concerned, the tree certainly makes a sound, but as far as the subjective aspect goes, it is less clear. Of course, any noise that the spheres might make would never be heard on earth, unless there were some medium to carry it. Whether or not there was supposed to be any medium between the heavens and the earth, or if the spheres were supposed to be solid, it is not clear that physical sound could travel these vast distances.
In other words, we must look for a more abstract solution. Rambam goes on to describe the Pythagorean School as taking such an approach:
The entire sect of Pythagoras believes that these bodies emit pleasant sounds having – though mighty – the same proportion to each other as that obtaining in musical melodies. And it was their task to give the reasons why we do not hear these fearful and mighty sounds. This opinion also is generally known in our religious community. Do you not see that the Sages describe the might of the sound produced by the sun when it every day proceeds on its way in the sphere? The same affirmation with regard to the whole necessarily follows.
While the Pythagoreans may have believed that the spheres actually emitted physical sound, their main focus was on the music-like harmony between the characteristics of the spheres and their orbits. This is the “music of the spheres.” Now the way music works (and this is based on the way the human nervous system works, and this is based on the mathematical structure of the inner ear) is that the frequencies of pleasant combinations of notes have simple mathematical ratios. An octave is a 2:1 ratio, and all human beings experience an octave as “the same note” only one higher than the other. A fifth is a 3:2 ratio, a fourth is a 4:3 ratio, etc. In the case of the orbits of the planets, their size seems to follow a simple arithmetic rule called Bode’s Law. Now these rules are not the same, but the idea behind both is that from simple numerical relationships among the counting numbers, all of natural law can be derived. Lest you think this idea is too far out, Einstein himself held the belief that the laws of the unified field he spent his career trying to find, could all be derived from the counting numbers. As of yet, this quest is unfulfilled.
Rambam states that the position of the Sages is that the spheres do produce sound. However, consider the beginning of Psalm 19:
The Heavens declare the Glory of Gd and the firmament shows His handiwork
Day to day utters speech and night to night shows knowledge
There is no speech nor words, no voice is heard…
The Psalmist says we can gain knowledge by studying the heavens and considering the cycles of nature, but all of this is done without any sound. If we take the position that all creation is the internal, virtual vibration within Gd’s nature (or, in scientific language, within the Unified Field), and that this vibration is discernible within our consciousness as the sounds of human speech (Scripture), then perhaps the distinction between audible sound and the vibration of consciousness within itself is of no significance.
Perhaps most telling about Rambam’s approach to investigating these matters is the following:
Aristotle, however, does not accept this and makes it clear that the heavenly bodies produce no sound… You should not find it blameworthy that the opinion of Aristotle disagrees with that of the Sages, may their memory be blessed, as to this point. … You know, on the other hand, that in these astronomical matters they [i.e. the Sages of the Talmud] preferred the opinion of the sages of the nations of the world to their own. For they explicitly say: The sages of the nations of the world have vanquished. And this is correct. For everyone who argues in speculative matters does this according to the conclusions to which he was led by his speculation. Hence the conclusion whose demonstration is correct is believed. [My bold]
In other words, truth is truth and it doesn’t really matter who says it. Rambam was a scientist (a physician) and for practical reasons needed to know the truth of the way the world worked. If it seems to differ from Scripture, you have to go with the best knowledge available. Now the whole point of Moreh Nevukhim is to show that the truth as expressed by philosophy and science is not different from the truth expressed by Scripture.
Of course, we see this same tension today, between those who believe that Scripture (the Bible in our Western case) must be taken literally, even where it appears to be claiming things that are contradicted by modern science. In the modern case, of course, we understand the limitations of objective science, and we also understand (or should understand) our own limitations in understanding Scripture. The solution, in brief, is the expansion of consciousness. If we want to understand Scripture, the only way to do it properly is to cognize it from within our own consciousness. While the meaning of the words certainly has some significance, Scripture on its deepest level is the fluctuations of consciousness, and it is only on its own level that it can truly be understood. This is not an intellectual process, but rather a process of direct cognition. And once we understand this, we can follow the process of manifestation of consciousness into material existence, either internally, in our awareness, or externally, through the senses. On this level knowledge is truly unified.
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Commentary by Steve Sufian
Parashat Tazria-Metzora
“Tazria” means “she conceives.” Literally, it means “when a woman gives birth” but, symbolically, it can refer to bringing any action or project to fulfillment. “Metzorah” Chabad says is often mistranslated as “leper” but it is actually a super-natural plague. These parshiyyot present some of Gd’s commands about the states of being unclean and clean and also about the means for purification – pure water is involved both in the purification of a mother who has just given birth and in the purification of the metzora who has some blemishes on his/her skin, garments or home. Symbolically, a blemish can be a blemish of our mind that prevents us from being completely aware of the Unitary Nature of Gd, the All-n-All Nature of Gd. This blemish can be removed by deeper experiences of Consciousness, for which water is a common symbol. Words of Torah, of Siddurs, and experiences through Transcendental Meditation are good ways to deepen our experience of Consciousness.
Tazria also presents the date for celebrating the beginning of a new year. When we are clean, we can enter the Sanctuary and get the added ability to enjoy Gd’s Presence that the Harmonious Nature of the Sanctuary provides. Similarly, a new year provides such an opportunity since it is an opportunity to let go any troubles, any blemishes, that might have been veiling our experience of Gd’s Presence
Oddly, a woman is considered unclean for some time after she gives birth: I say, “oddly,” because considering the holiness of giving birth, we might expect that a new mother would be particularly clean and therefore most able to perceive Gd’s Presence and most welcome to enter the Sanctuary.
Necheima Grossman on chabad.org suggests an explanation: Gd has commanded that a person who touches a dead body is ritually impure; when a woman is carrying her fetus in the womb, she is extra pure – she has two lives. When the child is born, she has only one life inside herself, and so there is, in a sense, a loss of life. So, she needs a bit of time and some ritual to feel fully alive again inside herself and not dependent upon her child outside herself to feel fully alive.
In other areas of our lives – for example, working on some extended project for work, home, service to community – there would certainly be the desire to celebrate when the project is complete but there might also be a feeling of loss, a feeling of emptiness because we no longer have the joy of hope to finish, a hope that can connect us to Gd’s Presence, through the silent prayer “Gd, please help!”. We have, instead, the joy of fulfillment, but perhaps some loss of the feeling that we need Gd and therefore less attention to the various spiritual practices that we do to connect to Gd.
Hopefully, we don’t have much of a loss, and we don’t have much time before we return to the perspective that what matters most in our life is not the fulfillment of any particular project, even childbirth, but deepening our connection with Gd, restoring our awareness to Fullness, to the experience of Oneness, Wholeness.
From my experiences with members of our congregation, readers of our newsletter, I am confident that we are making progress in maintaining perspective, Gd first everything else a gift of Gd to cherish. We are making progress in experiencing every moment as a new year. Our spiritual practices, practical skills keep getting more effortless and fulfilling. Our experiences and purity keep rising and with it, our restoration of Full Awareness, Full Awareness that All is One, and One is Joy and Love, our Essential Nature.
This moment is a great moment to be completely fulfilled.
Baruch HaShem