You would think the first thing the Torah talks about in Bamidbar would be unity — all the laws between man, everything that keeps society in line. Instead, it separates the nation into tribes, numbers every individual, and assigns distinct roles. Why?
There is a strange law at the heart of Parshat Tazria: a woman who gives birth — who has just done something miraculous and happy — is declared ritually impure and kept away from the Temple. What did she do wrong? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps that's exactly the point.