This week – a double Parsha – Tazria-Metzora These are the most abstract Parshahs in the Torah.
The laws of leprosy are some of the hardest laws in the Mishnah and Gemara.
On the one hand leprosy has been abolished from society, and yet, it’s spiritual ramifications are still there.
The Sages teach that leprosy comes about through several sins, one of them being slander.
Because the slanderer causes a separation between people, he too is commanded to sit outside of society.
There different type of spots which are considered leprosy, depending also if a person had previous burns or wounds on his skin.
Also if the spot appears on the head area, the beard area, the neck-area, the bald spot etc.
Similarly, there are all types of suffering in life, may Hashem spare us.
Leprosy today is reflected in the types of suffering which keep a person isolated from the community.
The best way obviously to avoid this is by not speaking slander.
There are many details and laws regarding slander.
The Chofetz Chaim put out a book over a hundred years ago called Shmirat HaLashon and has been translated today – a must to read and go over.
And since slander abounds very much today – especially on the media – we need even extra precautions.
The Chofetz Chaim brings an analogy to opening a pillow with feathers on a windy day in the center of the town-square, with all the feathers spreading far and wide in all directions. So too is the damage of slander. And the rectification for this is like collecting all the feathers….
How can this help? Yet Teshuva does help, but it is very hard.
Thus, the best thing to do is to simply shut their mouths.
Metzora deals more with the sacrifices that the lepor must bring.
The Parsha also brings a positive aspect to leprosy dealing with the houses in the Holy Land.
That since the nations hid their gold and silver within the walls of their houses, thinking that eventually the Jews would leave the Holy Land, the leprous spots on the walls would force the Jews to break down the walls and discover the hidden treasures.
This is a major lesson in life – that in every problem there is a treasure waiting for us.
Strife is not a goal – but there is always a hidden message behind it.
Shabbat Shalom
