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Parashat Metzora: Is Sin the Cause of Suffering?

Is sin the cause of suffering?

Dr. David Frankel, Senior Lecturer in Bible at The Schechter Institutes, discusses how in the ancient era people looked for a correlation between disease, suffering and sin. However, in Parashat Metzora, skin disease is not treated as a sin, but rather as an example of impurity which has to be treated, fought against and repaired. What does this teach us about how we approach illness and suffering?

Watch the video below:

David Frankel is Associate Professor of Bible at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. He has been on the faculty since 1992. He earned his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the direction of Prof. Moshe Weinfeld. His publications include “The Murmuring Stories of the Priestly School,” and “The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel.”  From 1991 to 1996, Frankel was rabbi of Congregation Shevet Achim in Gilo, Jerusalem.

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