Tza'arat : Jewish Cooties?

[muman613]

The Torah Portion this week discusses the spiritual affliction which manifests itself through skin lesions. The popular translation of Tza'arat is Leprosy but the Torah doesn't mean Leprosy as the medical profession recognizes it... Tzaarat are a special affliction which is caused when a Jew speaks Lashon Hara {Evil Speech} against a fellow Jew. This affliction can strike a persons skin, his clothing, or even his dwelling place... A person afflicted with Tzaarat would have to leave the camp of Israel and live apart from society.

Today we do not have any Tzaarat because it was only sent in order to cause us to change our ways, when the lesions disappeared the person could return to normal life.

[muman613]

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/376075/jewish/Treating-the-Cause.htm

Treating the Cause
By Lazer Gurkow

Our Torah reading elaborates upon the laws of tzaraat (biblical leprosy). Why is this particular skin condition so central to Torah law? The Midrash teaches that sometimes man’s physical afflictions are consequences of his actions, and that leprosy is a consequence of slander.

Home, Garment and Skin

Leprosy can appear on one's skin, garments, or even on the walls of his home. The Midrash teaches that leprosy on the wall is the first sign of sin. If we ignore this sign and continue to sin, the leprosy spreads to our clothing. If we continue to ignore the sign, the leprosy will soon appear as a dermatological condition.

A Matter of Choice

Close scrutiny of the Parshah yields an interesting point. While discussing leprosy on walls the Torah says, "He will come to the Kohen." While discussing dermatological leprosy the Torah says, "He will be brought to the Kohen." The implication is that when spiritual malaise is neglected and allowed to fester we can accustom ourselves to it and become oblivious. These patients don't come to the Kohen of their own volition. They must be brought by caring friends.

When leprosy appears, a Jew seeks out the Kohen, not the dermatologist. Indeed, dermatologists are trained to access G-d's healing powers and cure the skin condition. But while they may heal the symptoms, they are incapable of treating the cause. The Kohen will advise and guide in the ways of Torah. This treats the cause, which automatically heals the effect.

Point of Reflection

Today we don't practice the laws of leprosy due to the lack of a Temple and a practicing priesthood. But while the symptoms of leprosy are no longer common, its cause is all too prevalent. To encourage a friend to refrain from slanderous talk, or to accept such advice from our own friends, is a delicate task. Yet, the goal is worthy, the cause is crucial and we must not neglect it.

[muman613]

This short article discusses the aspect of the laws of Tzaarot where a person who is totally covered in lesions {he becomes pure white} is considered pure... Unless a spot of normal skin appears when he is again declared impure...

This is a paradox...

Tazria
So Far Away

"The Kohen shall look, and behold! the affliction has covered his entire flesh, then he will declare the affliction to be pure" (13:13).

Tzara'at, frequently mistranslated as leprosy, was a disease caused by spiritual defects, such as speaking lashon hara (slander). (Nowadays we are on such a low level spiritually that our bodies do not reflect the state of our spiritual health in this way.)

The verse here is puzzling for if "the affliction has covered the entire flesh" of the person that must mean that he is far from pure, and yet the Torah tells us that the Kohen shall "declare the affliction pure". How can he be pure if the affliction covers his whole body?

The answer is that he is so far from being cured, having ignored all the warnings to do teshuva repentence, that the disease ceases to perform any further purpose. Thus the Torah specifically says not that the Kohen shall declare him pure, rather that "the affliction is pure" he, on the other hand, is as far from purity as is possible.

Based on the Ha'amek Davar and Rabbi S. R. Hirsch

[muman613]

http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/tazria/024.htm

CAUSE & EFFECT

by Jonathan Fineberg     
Torah from Dixie Staff Writer   

A theme developed in both of this week's Torah portions is the subject of tzaraat. Often mistranslated as leprosy, tzaraat should rather be described more generally as an external manifestation on the body, clothes, or house of an individual in response to an internal blemish. Although the causes of tzaraat are many, it comes primarily from lashon hara, destructive communication.

Notice that the Torah presents a three-part process: the offense, the consequence, and the corrective action. In other words, the offense of lashon hara results in varying forms of tzaraat, and subsequently requires the afflicted individual to undergo a rehabilitative stage of isolation: "All the days the affliction is upon him he shall remain contaminated. . .his dwelling shall be outside the camp" (Leviticus 13:46).

Consider the relationship between the offense, the consequence, and the corrective action. This can be understood through the metaphor of the relationship of a seed to its resulting fruit. Latent in the seed is the potential for producing fruit; the ultimate shape, taste, and smell of the fruit already exist within the seed, requiring only time in order to be fully manifested in their complete form. The effect, represented by the fully developed fruit, can be understood as the materialization of the cause, represented by the seed.

This concept, that all occurrences in this world can be understood in a framework of cause and effect, is found in various pieces of Jewish philosophical literature, including Michtav Me'Eliyahu (by Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler) and Daas Torah (by Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz). One can look at this from a physical or metaphysical perspective. From the physical perspective, the effect is a reaction from the cause, similar to a chain reaction. However, from a metaphysical perspective, in which one evaluates cause and effect in accordance with their underlying purpose, the cause and the effect become one and the same, with the effect being the eventual materialization of the cause.

Reflecting back on the interrelationships between the offense, the consequence, and the corrective action regarding lashon hara, we see that these seemingly three parts are in fact one: The consequence (tzaraat) is the materialization of the offense (speaking lashon hara); the corrective action (isolation) is the negation of the offense (speaking lashon hara) and the cure for the consequence (tzaraat).

However, more importantly, these three parts in fact revolve around one axis pride. The primary cause of tzaraat is lashon hara, as mentioned above, and what lies at the root of lashon hara is pride. The Chofetz Chaim, the saintly Torah scholar and leader at the beginning of this century, finds support for this linkage of pride and lashon hara in Leviticus 13:45, which states that one suffering from the stigma of tzaraat must leave the camp with torn clothing, uncut hair, and his face covered. Since this person coldly derided others because of his pride, he is forced to suffer similar disgrace. Ultimately this process is designed to reshape his formerly pride-filled heart into one of humility.

What emerges is that at the moment that one is infected by a spiritual malady such as pride, he is at that instant afflicted by tzaraat. Through the sin of lashon hara the fruit of conceit the inner tzaraat is revealed. The treatment is isolation, and when complemented by other emotional stimuli such as torn clothing, uncut hair, and the prohibition to speak to others, the person afflicted with tzaraat is thereby encouraged to address the issue at hand his pride and to move himself to repentance.

The Torah, speaking via the laws of tzaraat which are meant to arouse awareness of the severity of lashon hara, aims to subtlety yet poignantly convey the message that pride and lashon hara are completely antithetical to the very essence of the Torah. If it would it be that one would carefully guard his tongue from lashon hara, then he would instead speak words of Torah, tell of G-d's wonders, and sing His praises. If it would be that one would negate his selfishness and act with humility, he would come to serve the Creator steadfastly and wholeheartedly.

[muman613]

http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/tazria/022.htm

WARNING SIGNS

by Mendel Starkman     
Torah from Dixie Staff Writer

It was a hot summer day, and Avi was enjoying the breeze blowing through the windows of his sports car. As he drove along, he kept a careful eye on the temperature gauge. Nevertheless, when the needle began pointing into the red zone, he disregarded its warning, thinking that this was no day to be inconvenienced by an overheated car. He decided that the gauge must be incorrect and he drove onward. A short time later, the needle reached the top of the scale and smoke began rising from around the hood. Again, Avi was in no mood for such distractions, so he kept driving, ignoring the problem entirely. Finally, the hood burst into flames, at which point Avi decided that he'd better pull over and find out what's wrong.

A major theme in this week's Torah portion is the disease of tzaraat. The Torah teaches that when a person sees certain discolorations on his skin, he is to show it to a Kohen (priest), who will determine whether or not it is actually tzaraat and, consequently, whether or not the inflicted person is to be considered spiritually impure.

The Sefer HaChinuch, a classic exposition of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah, explains the fundamental lesson behind this mitzvah. This procedure for diagnosing tzaraat is premised upon the understanding that Hashem supervises every aspect of our lives. We see this in the way that an infected person must recognize that this discoloration could be tzaraat, and bring it to a Kohen for a decision. One could potentially overlook the infliction as a natural occurrence. Instead, the patient must realize that just as everything else is directed by Hashem, so might this skin ailment be Hashem's message to him. So he must go to a Kohen, a figure whose service in the Temple helped people gain atonement for their sins. Hopefully, while the inflicted person stands next to this figure of atonement, maybe he'll introspect, pinpoint his wrongdoings, and come to do teshuvah (repentance) for them. In this way, tzaraat acts as a divine wake up call, urging a person to do teshuvah. But it is up to the afflicted person to accept it in that way, and follow the Torah's procedure of going to a Kohen for assessment and introspection. If he looks away and views it as a natural skin irritation, then he's missed the point entirely.

The Chofetz Chaim, the saintly Torah scholar and leader of the Jewish people at the beginning of this century, discusses a very similar idea. He explains that one of the reasons why Hashem brings hardships on a person is to awaken them to do teshuvah. Tzaraat is a case in point. If a person sinned by speaking lashon hara (evil speech or slander, the main cause of tzaraat), Hashem would remind him to stop by introducing him to progressing stages of tzaraat. First, the tzaraat would affect the sinner's house. The sinner would have to take the hint and go to the Kohen for a diagnosis. If he chose to look away from this hint, the warning would get harsher and strike his clothing. Once again, he was expected to take heed of the warning and go to a Kohen. But if he still overlooked the message and obstinately stuck to his evil ways, then the tzaraat would finally strike his body, and he'd be forced to sit alone, outside the camp, until he corrected his wrongdoings and the tzaraat went away.

The entire point of tzaraat was to awaken people to the fact that they were sinning, and prompt them to do teshuvah. But if it was viewed as a chance happening, and not as a sign from Hashem, this objective was missed. Because tzaraat is not implemented by Hashem today, we often consider it in an abstract, theoretical manner. We fail to realize that although tzaraat does not physically exist today, its lesson still stands strong.

Rabbeinu Yonah, in his fundamental exposition on the laws of repentance, Shaarei Teshuvah, writes that when a person is stricken with hardships, he should not merely view them as bad luck or misfortune, but he should assume that these hardships were spurred by his sins. This assumption should drive him to contemplate doing teshuvah. The hardships may have befallen him for some other reason, but it is very likely that he is being reminded to repent. He must then examine his deeds to find which areas warrant correction. In the same way that a person needed to approach tzaraat, we must approach the difficulties in our lives. It is very easy to write off mishaps as natural occurrences. But at the same time, each of them could be a wake up call from Hashem, prompting us to pinpoint our wrongdoings and rectify them.

Just as Avi needed to pay attention to the messages from his overheating car, so must we take heed of the messages being sent to us through tzaraat and the physical hardships that we experience. Avi's gauges were telling him that something was wrong, but he chose to overlook them until his car finally burned out. We also have warning signs, but do we view them as such, or do we look away from them as ordinary mishaps and annoyances? By tuning in to this lesson from tzaraat, may we become more sensitive to the signs around us, prompting us to pinpoint our areas of weakness, and enabling us to grow to a closer and more correct observance of Hashem's Torah and mitzvot.

[muman613]

I have heard this aspect of the affliction on the dwellings before...


http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/tazria/025.htm

BURIED TREASURE

"When you arrive in the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I will place a tzaraat affliction upon a house in the land of your possession. . ." (Leviticus 14:34).

Looking at this verse at face value, it appears to be more of a threat than a promise. The Children of Israel are told that when they come to the land of Israel, the place to which they have been yearning to come since the time of Abraham, they will be punished with the disease of tzaraat on their houses. We know that tzaraat comes as a punishment for one's sins, generally for lashon hara (evil speech). How could Hashem be so sure that the Jewish people would sin and deserve punishment? Also, why is Hashem scaring the Jewish people by telling them this foreboding news about the land of Israel?

Rashi, the classical commentator on the Torah, sheds some light on these questions. He explains that the Emorite nation dwelling in the land of Canaan heard about the Jews' imminent arrival to their land. Being practical and realizing that the Jews would probably be victorious in conquering the land, the Emorites hid all their valuables in the walls of their houses so that the Jews would not find the riches. Hashem informs the Jews in this verse that He will bring tzaraat on their houses, causing them to be condemned and destroyed. The Jews will then find the riches that were hidden from them. As such, this verse is not a threat to the Children of Israel; it is rather very good news, that upon entering Canaan they will become very wealthy!

But we still have a question to answer: If tzaraat is a punishment for a sin, why does a sinner deserve to get rich? The commentary Tiferes Tzion offers the following answer: Those who were righteous found their riches in convenient places, such as in their fields. They would find their wealth when plowing their fields, sparing them the agony of destroying their houses. Those who were less righteous did indeed get tzaraat on their house as punishment for their sins. By experiencing the shock and humiliation of having tzaraat on their house, they would realize that they needed to do teshuvah (repentance). Once doing sincere teshuvah, they were deserving of finding the riches in their homes.

But there is still something a bit puzzling about this explanation. The laws regarding tzaraat of houses are much more detailed than those of tzaraat effecting people, as for houses the Torah delineates a process extending three weeks until the house is demolished. At the end of each week, there is the possibility that the house will be declared pure and not need to be destroyed. Let us put ourselves in the shoes of one whose home has tzaraat. As soon as the Kohen (priest) declares the spot on the wall to be tzaraat, the person does teshuvah for his sins to try to get rid of the tzaraat. He will probably pull his Yom Kippur Machzor off the shelf and say vidui (confession) ten times a day!

Then at the end of one week, the Kohen returns. A very confident homeowner is shocked to learn that the tzaraat is still there! During the next two weeks, he gives charity and continues to do teshuvah with amazing fervor. Yet, after these two weeks, the Kohen decides that the house must be demolished. Imagine the disappointment this person feels. He feels that his intensive teshuvah campaign has been rejected by Hashem! And as the Kohen destroys the house, this dejected person discovers the fortune of a lifetime in the walls of his own home. All that teshuvah paid off after all!

Many times we find ourselves in the situation where we are tying to improve and come closer to Hashem, but it seems like He keeps rejecting us. This verse and the message behind it come to tell us not to despair, but rather to continue our efforts, for they will be justly rewarded.