This week a dear community member passed. I was with him and his family during his last moments. A short while later the hospice nurse showed up. The first question she asked me was, “Has he been pronounced dead?”
I nodded.
Later, I thought about that exchange a bit more. Either he was still alive or he had passed. Why was it so critical to ask whether he was pronounced dead? Yes, it was vital to confirm that he was no longer alive. But the language we use is telling. We insist not only on confirming the status, but on the pronouncement.
Why the centrality of pronouncing it?
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In this week’s double parsha of Tazria-Metzora we learn the laws of tzaraas, a Biblical skin ailment which renders the person tamei (ritually impure). These lesions on the skin are due, we are taught, not to physical disease but to a spiritual malady. If one speaks lashon harah one may be infected with tzaraas.
Now, not every lesion is tzaraas. In fact, the Torah specifies the exact characteristics of tzaraas. At times an expert sage was needed to identify tzaraas. Nonetheless, the Torah insists that a kohen (priest) declare the person as tamei. Even the greatest scholar in Israel cannot pronounce one impure if he is not a kohen. But even the most ignorant kohen’s declaration of impurity is valid.
We may wonder what is the effectiveness or necessity of the kohen. If an expert has determined the lesion to be tzaraas, why does that not suffice to render the person tamei?
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Our sages teach that a kohen is by nature a kind person. They are the ones charge with ministering on behalf of and blessing the Jewish people.
An expert may know the laws. An expert can come to an intellectual conclusion. But pronouncing someone as tamei – that must be done with great care and dedication. Thus, a kohen is needed.
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We too face circumstances where declarations must be made. We should take the Torah’s cue and take those pronouncements very seriously. They may only be words, but they can carry endless weight.