Parashat Tazria- Thanking God

U’vimlot y’mei tahara l’vein o l’vat tavi keves ben shnato l’olah u’ven yonah o-tor l’chatat el petach ohel-moed el hakohain.

(Vayikra 12:6)

And when the days of her purification are complete, for a son or daughter, she shall bring a yearling lamb as an olah, and a young pigeon or dove as a chatat.

Parashat Tazria begins with the purification ritual following childbirth. Following childbirth, the new mother is to bring two sacrifices to the Temple. The second of these sacrifices is a chatat, a sin offering, brought to atone for being unable to attend the sanctuary. The first of these is an olah, the regular sacrifice offered twice daily as a thank you to God. Eventually, with the destruction of the Temple, the practices regarding impurity began to fall by the wayside. However without this same outlet, the need for a means to thank God for experiences grew. From this need develops the practice of reciting two t’fillot, birkat Shehechiyanu and birkat Gomel.

Most of us are familiar with birkat Shehechiyanu. “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has granted us, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.” We recite birkat Shehechiyanu at new and happy moments in our lives, holidays, the wearing of new clothes, or experiencing something joyous that has not happened in at least a season (a new fruit or seeing the leaves turn in autumn). Birkat Gomel, “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Sovereign of the universe, who bestows goodness upon those liable (for death), has bestowed every goodness upon me.” Traditionally is recited when surviving a danger or illness or when making a great trip, such as a cross-ocean voyage, or upon release from prison. Today, where cruises and air travel have become commonplace, birkat Gomel is rarely recited for this reason.

I have been blessed to recite birkat Gomel on five occasions. Three times following the birth of my children. Childbirth, even in our world, takes an extreme toll on the body. We are fortunate to live in a country where all can rely upon the healthcare system for proper care during pregnancy and childbirth. But even in Canada, maternal mortality is still a concern. On these occasions the community knew why I was bentching Gomel, and was celebrating with me. The other two occasions stemmed from less positive circumstances. Once I was involved in a car accident, and once I was mugged. On each of these Shabbatot my action caused a flurry of concern and questioning. In both cases I had not truly wanted to recite Gomel. I didn’t want to talk about why I was reciting Gomel. I felt it was over, and I wanted simply to put the experiences behind me. I came and said birkat Gomel, not because I thought I needed to, but because I felt halakhah dictated. What I learned is sometimes halakhah knows better than we do. Yes, people asked questions. They wanted to assure themselves that I was really okay. And through their expressed concern I was supported. Not only that, the act of reciting birkat Gomel served as a separation to put the experience behind me.

What the halakhah surrounding birkat Gomel realizes, that we sometimes forget, is that these experiences, even after any physical healing is complete, leave emotional residue behind. This can be great or small, but it is always present. Both the ritual and the communal support it engenders serves to aid the healing of and cleansing from those emotional sores and wounds all too often buried in our focus on the physical and our desire for privacy. Jewish life, which encompasses every aspect of living, is a life lived in community. Whether we recognize or welcome this, the halakhah realizes that this is a positive way to live.