This week, we read the double parshah of
Tazria-Metzora which deals primarily with the affliction known as Tzara’as,
commonly translated as Leprosy. Unlike Leprosy however, tzara’as is not
caused by bacteria but rather by your words. As punishment for speaking Lashon
Hara, Hashem would cause the perpetrator to break out in tzara’as. Today,
tzara’as does not exist. The laws are complicated and extensive and the
majority of both parshiyos is spent dealing with them.
At the beginning of Parshas Tazria,
Hashem begins to discuss the laws of tzara’as with Moshe and Aharon. “אָדָם כִּי יִהְיֶה
בְעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ שְׂאֵת אוֹ סַפַּחַת אוֹ בַהֶרֶת וְהָיָה בְעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ לְנֶגַע
צָרָעַת וְהוּבָא אֶל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן” “If a person will have on the skin of his flesh a s’eis, or
a sapachas, or a baheres, and it will become a tzara’as affliction on the skin
of his flesh; he shall be brought to Aharon the Kohen…” (Vayikra 13:2). The
basic process of tzara’as goes as such, if a man suspects that a lesion
on his skin could be tzara’as, he goes to the resident Kohen and
presents it to him. The Kohen then determines if it is tzara’as, making
the man tamei (spiritually impure), or not. The terms in the pasuk of “s’eis”,
“sapachas”, and “baheres” are three types of lesions.
The Kli Yakar takes
this introductory pasuk and uses it to explain the very essence of tzara’as.
He explains that a person afflicted with tzara’as is known as a Metzora,
which is formed from the phrase “מוציא רע”,
meaning to bring out evil. Tzara’as is used to punish someone for
something bad he has done of which no one would ever be aware that he had even
done anything. Therefore, Hashem gives him tzara’as so that everyone
should see that he has sinned. This is why the pasuk tells me twice that the tzara’as
will be found “on the skin of his flesh”. It is teaching me that these lesions
had the potential to be a simple medical problem, but in reality, we find out
that they are really the result of his sins.
There are many
explanations in Chazal as to which exact sin results in tzara’as, but
the Kli Yakar says that the three most likely explanations are Lashon Hara,
Haughtiness, and an overwhelming desire for money. (For the Kli Yakar’s
reasoning behind this, feel free to email me.) He the explains how these three
sins correspond to the three types of lesions mentioned in the pasuk. The
language of “s’eis” indicates that the lesion is slightly raised on this skin.
This type of tzara’as corresponds to haughtiness which causes you to
raise yourself over the rest of humanity. “Sapachas” means that the lesion is
depressed into the skin. This corresponds to the desire for money since when
you acquire money it does not make you a better person, unlike when you acquire
a good trait which does. The acquisition of money can only bring you down, just
like this form of tzara’as goes down into your skin. The last one is “Baheres”
which has the whitest shade of all three lesions. When you speak Lashon Hara about
a person, you cause him to go white, since hearing you say bad things about him
will cause him to feel faint. From here we clearly see the reason the pasuk mentions
all three types of lesions is to correspond to the three potential reasons for
a person getting tzara’as.
The Kli Yakar then
moves on to the next part of the pasuk. Why is it necessary for the Kohen to be
the one to check the tzara’as? Why can’t you go to any learned individual and
ask him to check it? Won’t he know just as well? The answer is because Kohanim
are known as having the three good middos which directly counteract these three
bad ones. There is a famous Chazal that Aharon HaKohen was someone who
constantly pursued peace, and worked his hardest to bring tranquility amongst
all Jews. This counteracts the sin of Lashon Hara which causes people to break
apart. The gemarah in Chullin (89a) teaches us that Aharon was amongst the most
humble men of all-time, the perfect counter for the sin of haughtiness. And
finally, Kohanim had no portion in Eretz Yisrael, and were reliant on korbanos
and donations of Terumah from the masses to survive. They had no connection or
desire for money, their whole survival was predicated on Hashem’s will and
kindness. Our hope is that when someone comes to the Kohen with tzara’as,
he should recognize his sin and realize that just like the holy Kohen sitting
in front of him, he too can be great and go back on his evil ways.
From this it would
seem that it is a great loss to us that we no longer have tzara’as.
While it would be embarrassing to be recognized publicly as a sinner, at least
we would have a clear wakeup call to repent. One reason we don’t have it is a
result of our sins, but perhaps another reason is because we can rise above it.
We have the power to recognize in ourselves when we are doing wrong and correct
our ways even without tzara’as! Let us take the lesson of tzara’as
and make a greater effort to eradicate ourselves of our sins. In that merit,
may we be zoche to see the Beis Hamikdash rebuilt speedily in our days.
Shabbat Shalom!
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