Our guest this week is Rabbi Rick Sherwin, leader of Congregation Beth Am in Longwood, Florida. Rabbi Sherwin is a graduate of UCLA and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He has been an adjunct professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Central Florida, and is a past president of the Greater Orlando Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Sherwin, who is very active in interfaith education, serves as a chaplain at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando. He sits on the Board of the Orange County Medical Society, and he is Central Florida’s liaison to AIPAC.
This Week’s Torah portion – Parashat Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33) – describes the purification process of people afflicted by Leprosy (Tzara’at), and continues to cover the symptoms and laws of ‘House Tzara’at’ (a situation which may result in demolition) as well as laws concerning ritual impurities resulting from bodily discharges and female menstruation. Our discussion focuses on an interpretation of Tzara’at as something beyond the physical ailment of Leprosy.
If you would like to learn some more about Parashat Metzora, take a look at our conversation with Rabbi Sheldon Lewis.
