By Barrett Holman Leak
SAN DIEGO — Good literature, plays and musicals are some of my favorite enjoyments in life. The recent combination of African American Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and Jewish-Norwegian American actor Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway made me pick up a copy of Othello again.
It is a stunning story of devastating tragedy, centered on the general Othello, a respected and valiant leader in the Venetian army. He has secretly married Desdemona, a beautiful and virtuous Venetian noblewoman. The play’s antagonist is Iago, Othello’s ensign, who is consumed by envy and a thirst for revenge because Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago. Deeply furious, Iago, through cunning manipulation and calculated lies – his lashon hara (evil speech) – systematically poisons Othello’s mind, planting seeds of doubt about Desdemona’s fidelity. It is through this Shakespearian tragedy that we can find modern meaning in this Torah portion.
Tazria outlines the periods of ritual impurity for a woman after giving birth. This is a continuation of the laws we saw in Shemini. However, this is actually a parsha about spiritual affliction, a sign of some underlying transgression, manifesting physically on the skin, clothing, or even houses. Metzorah continues this discussion, detailing the process by which a kohen (priest) would diagnose and declare someone impure or pure.
What is really at the heart of this portion is how a person separates themselves from kehillah or community through lashon hara (evil speech) – the use of malicious words against another person. The impure use of words not only harms other people, it diseases the person who utters them and the community around them.
The Sages dissected and then pulled together this text in ways that support this supposition. The Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, Maimonides) noted that the impurity required isolation for public health. The entire community would be infected and greatly harmed. Ramban (Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, Nachmanides), viewed it as a divine punishment or a sign meant to awaken the individual to their spiritual shortcomings. Purification, in his view, was achieved by symbolic acts of teshuvah (repentance) and spiritual cleansing. It is Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, who most strongly emphasized its spiritual etiology, and clearly linked it to lashon hara (evil speech).
Rashi’s connection of tzara’at to lashon hara (evil speech) remains highly relevant, as viewed through Shakespeare. Iago uses carefully crafted insinuations, false evidence, and plays upon Othello’s insecurities. He whispers venomous words, painting Desdemona as unchaste and Cassio (whom Iago deeply resents), Othello’s lieutenant, as her lover. Othello, initially unwavering in his love and trust, gradually succumbs to Iago’s insidious campaign. The once noble and rational general descends into a jealous rage, ultimately murdering his innocent wife before discovering the horrifying truth. The play concludes with Othello’s suicide and the exposure of Iago’s villainy.
Iago’s evil speech acts as a contagion, infecting Othello’s mind and leading to the destruction of innocent lives. Malicious words released to harm other people and cause them pain is insidious. B’lashon hara, Iago’s lies, operate subtly, gradually taking hold and spreading their destructive influence. Words that are evil speech have the power to corrupt: Iago’s slander corrupts Othello’s perception, turning love into suspicion and honor into rage. Malicious defamation, libel, and slander cause those falsely accused to be isolated: Desdemona, falsely accused, becomes isolated and bewildered. Evil speech has consequences that do not disappear: the consequences of both tzara’at and Iago’s lies are devastating and irreversible.
Clearly, Iago’s spread of misinformation and online slander in a play written in early 17th-century England serves as a potent reminder of the destructive power of unchecked words. And today, 425 years later? You’ve heard the phrase “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.” Check yourself before you wreck others and yourself. This passage is about impurity that separates us from each other and the community.
These ancient laws of the text, which seem to be only about childbirth and women’s bodies, resonate in our modern 21st-century American society. Currently, we face women’s bodies being overtaken by patriarchal laws that deny women control over their bodies. Currently, we face legislation and practices that make the poor even more socioeconomically disadvantaged by billionaires. We have African Americans being erased from American history and American Jewish students being harassed, intimidated, and covered with threats on campus, along with both citizens and immigrants being deported because of false information and lies. We have people dying of preventable childbirth complications, AIDS, polio, and measles.
All of this is through the harmful use of written words, such as executive orders, a warped interpretation of free speech that spews hatred and disinformation about vaccines. Evil speech breaks down spirits, impoverishes people, causes loss on various levels, and cracks relationships. Healing speech is severely lacking and in dire need – truthful words of integrity and positive intent that bring abundance, peace, and healing to the human community. If we do not, it will eventually come back on us, dis-easing us and isolating us.
Parshiot Tazria-Metzorah, though seemingly focused on ancient rituals, speak today to the importance of community (kehillah) and the power of our words. The Torah’s association of tzara’at with spiritual failings serves as a cautionary tale against evil words. We must remain persistent in calling for healing words: legislation that unifies, that promotes inclusion of everyone, not promoting one group over another, or falsely blaming or attacking another group for allegedly having what we want but don’t have. We must stand up for not only ourselves but for others.
Rabbi Hillel has told us that while we must stand up for ourselves, we cannot stand up for ourselves alone. We must be compassionate and even remember to have compassion. There will come a point where we are past this moment in time and we must live together with neighbors, colleagues, and others who are different than us, even if only in their viewpoints.
As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, let us boldly and responsibly speak messages of compassion, inclusivity, and the need to create a society where all people, in times of joy and in times of struggle, are treated with respect. We must speak forth words that treat others with dignity and care and not afflict others with poisonous words that break down our human community.
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Barrett Holman Leak is a San Diego-based freelance writer.