No Negative Influences

The Torah gave instructions to send outside of the camp three different individuals who were in a state of impurity.

The one who came in contact with the dead, had to remain outside of one of the camps. The “Zav,” who was stricken with a flow that defiled, remained outside of two camps. And the leper, had to remain outside of all three camps.

The Alshich explained that the reason for this quarantine is that such impurity causes the Shechina, the Divine Presence, to be removed from the camp of Israel.

This is why great care was taken in the Beit Hamikdash to maintain its level of sanctity. The Levites were entrusted with this task of being the “bodyguards” of the Temple.

There is an important lesson to be learned from these laws even though they are no longer applicable today.

The Jewish home is meant to be a “Mikdash Me’atz,” a small sanctuary. It is our task to guard our home and not let in the impurities of the outside world. We try to keep a harmonious atmosphere of love and respect, and fear of G-d. This allows the Divine Presence to enter our homes.

Similarly, we need to send away those negative individuals that might tend to bring us down. Jealous people can be very harmful to us, as well as those who might be obsessed with everything we are doing.

Allowing such people into our lives gets us off course, and we lose our focus on what is truly important.

If we want holiness in our homes and daily interactions, we must follow the instructions from the Torah that are actually timely. We must send away all of the negative forces that are around us, so that the Divine Presence can rest in our Mikdash Me’at.