Metzora (מְּצֹרָע – one afflicted with tzaraat), Leviticus 14:1–15:33.
The parashah deals with the purification rituals of a person afflicted with tzara’at(1), also reaffirming the promise of entering the Land of Israel.
Leviticus 14:34
:כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל-אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה
When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession,
Chabbath HaGadol
Chabbath HaGadol commemorates a great miracle before the Exodus from Egypt. For several days, the Hebrews tied a lamb, one of the idols of the Egyptian pantheon, without being disturbed. This act marks the beginning of their liberation.
Haggadah with Bird Heads
Chabbath HaGadol heralds the festival of Passover, during which we recount the Exodus from Egypt. To fully experience the story of our liberation, what better than an illustrated book? The Haggadah with Bird Heads, executed in Hebrew by the Sofer Menahem in the early 14th century, is currently housed in the Israel Museum(2); its exact origin remains unknown. However, it could originate from the region of Wurtzburg in Bavaria, southern Germany.
(1) Tzara’at: Affliction resulting from transgression that can affect the flesh, clothing, and walls of a person, rendering them impure. The person affected by tzaraat is called a metzora.
(2) The Haggadah with Bird Heads was formerly owned by Ludwig Marum, a German lawyer and politician murdered by the Nazis at Kislau camp. After the war, the manuscript was sold to the Israel Museum by Herman Kahn, a refugee in Israel. In 1984, Elisabeth Marum-Lunau, Ludwig Marum’s daughter, claimed that the manuscript had been acquired without the permission of the rightful owner, but she consented to its remaining in the museum for the public good.