As I discussed last week, Sefer Vayikra consists mostly of numerous communications between God and Moshe, with some taking place on Mt. Sinai and others taking place in the Mishkan. It’s not always easy to figure out where each specific communication took place, including the communications contained in פרשת תזריע.
Our last “location marker” was in פרשת שמיני, when the Mishkan became fully operational. Since we weren’t told otherwise—and we won’t be told otherwise until פרשת בהר—we would understandably assume that these communications took place in the Mishkan. However, when Sifre Zuta (7:11) lists the 15 communications that occurred on the first day the Mishkan was fully operational, it skips every communication after Vayikra 10:8-11 (שתויי יין) until פרשת אחרי מות (Vayikra 16:1), indicating that they did not occur on that day—despite the apparent need to teach the various forms of ritual impurity discussed in these communications as soon as the Mishkan began operating.
According to Rashi and Tosfos, these communications aren’t on R’ Levi’s list (Gittin 60a) of the eight sections taught that day either. Although some Rishonim (e.g. Ran, Ramah and Rabbeinu Crescas) quote an opinion that they constitute “פרשת טמאים” (the third section on R’ Levi’s list), this opinion is difficult to accept. Putting aside the fact that this “section” contains six separate communications, they aren’t introduced the same way. The first (Vayikra 11:1) has God speaking to Moshe and Aharon, with instructions to repeat what was said to Aharon’s sons (see Targum Yonasan), who are to teach it to the Children of Israel; the second (12:1) has God speaking just to Moshe, who is supposed to teach it to the Children of Israel; the third (13:1) and fifth (14:33) have God speaking to both Moshe and Aharon, without specific instructions to teach it to anyone; the fourth (14:1) has God speaking only to Moshe, without any instructions to teach it to anyone; and the sixth (15:1) has God speaking to both Moshe and Aharon, with instructions to teach it to the Children of Israel (without mentioning Aharon’s sons). How can these separate communications be considered part of the same “section?” Either way, we need to understand why they aren’t on Sifre Zuta’s list, or—according to Rashi and Tosfos—R’ Levi’s list. Weren’t the details of ritual impurity necessary as soon as the Mishkan was operational?
Rashi (Beitza 5b; see also the commentary attributed to Rashi on Ta’anis 21b) says that God’s divine presence rested on Mt. Sinai from the time the Torah was given until the Mishkan became fully operational, at which point it moved to the Mishkan. The implication is that any communication between God and Moshe occurred either on Mt. Sinai (before the Mishkan was fully operational) or in the Mishkan (after it became fully operational). However, after the sin of the golden calf, Moshe moved his tent outside the camp, and God spoke to Moshe there (Shemos 33:9). Even though others (e.g. Vilna Gaon), say God’s divine presence didn’t stay on top of Mt. Sinai the whole time—so God speaking to Moshe elsewhere between the giving of the Torah and the Mishkan being built is not problematic—according to those who say it did (e.g. Rashi and Tosfos), how would they explain the “pillar of God’s cloud” descending to the doorway of Moshe’s tent if His divine presence was still on top of Mt. Sinai? (The “pillar” descending to the doorway of the Mishkan is not hard to explain, since the “cloud” it descended from covered the entire camp.)
Moshe moved his tent “far” from the camp (Shemos 33:7), which Rashi tells us means 2,000 cubits away. As I explained a few weeks ago, there was another mountain (Ras Safsafeh) between the camp (which was on the Plain of El Raha ) and Mt. Sinai (Jabal Musa), with access to Mt. Sinai from the camp via the adjacent valley (Wadi ed Deir). I would suggest that Moshe moved his tent to that valley, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, and when God wanted to communicate with him (before the Mishkan project was back on and functioning), His “pillar” descended from atop Mt. Sinai to the area underneath it, at the entrance of Moshe’s tent.
The third communication on Sifre Zuta’s list (Vayikra 9:2-4, although it’s really Moshe repeating it to Aharon) consisted of the instructions for the offerings brought on the “eighth day,” which were a prerequisite for God’s divine presence descending upon the Mishkan. Obviously, this communication occurred before the Mishkan was fully operational, so it could not have taken place in the Mishkan itself. Similarly, the 10th communication on this list (Bamidbar 6:22-27), the Priestly Blessings, must have been communicated outside the Mishkan, since Aharon blessed the nation before God’s divine presence descended upon it (see Rashi on Vayikra 9:22). It would therefore seem, based on Shemos 33:9, that these two communications occurred in Moshe’s tent.
During the שבעת ימי המלואים, when Aharon and his sons were trained to perform the service in the Mishkan, they couldn’t leave the mishkan complex (Vayikra 8:33-35). Did learning about the offerings take up all of their time, or were they taught other things as well? I would suggest that during these seven days, Moshe taught Aharon and his sons most of the purity laws, especially the complex laws of צרעת, which make up the bulk of פרשת תזריע. [The ritual impurity caused by childbirth was likely taught later, for reasons beyond the scope of this piece. It was certainly taught after the details of the ritual impurity caused by bodily emissions (15:19-24), as the latter are referenced in the details of the former (12:2).] If Moshe taught Aharon and his sons how to identify צרעת (and when it goes away) during the שבעת ימי המלואים, God must have communicated them to Moshe at least a week before the Mishkan became fully operational, which is why it’s not included in Sifre Zuta’s (or R’ Levi’s) list.
It’s certainly possible that the laws of צרעת (as detailed in פרשת תזריע) were taught to Moshe while he was atop Mt. Sinai (similar to the first part of פרשת צו). Nevertheless, they were addressed to both Moshe and Aharon (rather than just to Moshe, telling him to command them to Aharon), so were likely taught to Moshe shortly before the שבעת ימי המלואים, in his tent, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, rather than much earlier, on Mt. Sinai itself.
Rabbi Dov Kramer wrote a weekly D’var Torah from 5764-5776, most of which are archived at RabbiDMK.Wordpress.com and AishDas.org/ta. The pieces he is writing this year, including the three-part series on the location of Mt. Sinai, are available by searching “Kramer” on the Link’s website and at dmkjewishgeography.wordpress.com.
