A Mirror of our Own Afflictions | Tazria 5784

I am deeply concerned about what seems to be the return of some to October 6th. Violent demonstrations on one extreme convinced that the root of evil is the Prime Minister and the government, while those on the other extreme convinced that the root problem is the type of demonstrations that were against the judicial reform. Each feels the other side is being undemocratic. Each is convinced that the afflictions and challenges rests with the other side.
It is exactly this psychology which is shown in a powerful saying of the Sages, which is related to this week’s parasha and the topic of tzara’at, a spiritual leprosy: “A person is able to see all afflictions except for their own.” We are so good and clear objectively seeing the shortcomings of others, but we can’t see them in ourselves.
Prof. Daniel Goleman authored a book called “Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception” - the vital lies we tell ourselves in order to feel okay about ourselves and to project onto others so many deceptive ‘truths’ which are in fact not the right way of seeing things. It is so easy to project on to others all the woes of society because we cannot see them in ourselves.
We see the world not the way it is, but the way we are. If all we see are the afflictions of others, perhaps what we are seeing is a mirror of our own afflictions.
In such a time, we need to dig deep, to judge others favorably and see that perhaps the afflictions we attribute to others are a reflection on what inside us needs to be confronted and changed.