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Home -> 5755 -> Tazria

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5755

“And the person with tzaraas… his garments shall be torn, the hair of his head shall be unshorn … he is to call out ‘contaminated, contaminated’… He shall dwell in isolation; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” (13:45,46)

We must endeavor to understand the rationale behind the metzora’s unusual punishment. Why is the Torah so demanding in its insistence that he be excommunicated from the community– punished in a harsher manner than any other individual who has become tameh, spiritually  unclean ? Indeed, he may not be in the presence of any other person who is also tameh. The requirement to wear torn clothes and cry out tameh, tameh, also seems to be out of character with other tema’im. The Baalei Mussar explain this issue with a study in human behavior. The metzora is a “motzi ra,” he…

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Home -> 5755 -> Tazria

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5755

“And the kohen shall look and behold, the affliction has covered his entire flesh, then he shall declare the affliction to be pure; having turned completely white, it is pure.” (13:13)

The Commentators have offered many explanations in order to rationalize this perplexing halacha.  Indeed, if the white plague area covers as much as ninety-nine percent of the body, the individual is deemed tameh, contaminated. The moment the affliction reaches its climax of one hundred percent coverage of the body, the person becomes tahor, clean. One would venture to say that this law is simply inconsistent with reality. Does one become tahor as soon as he is completely tameh ? Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., cites the Talmud’s exposition on this pasuk and offers a profound explanation. In Sanhedrin 97a Chazal comment…

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Home -> 5755 -> Tazria

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5755

“If a person will have on the skin of his flesh …” (13:2) – If there shall be a tzaraas affliction in a garment.” (13:47)

The negaim plagues mentioned in the Torah that strike man, his garments, or his home are not physical, communicable diseases. We note that spiritual affliction affects only Jews and not gentiles.  Before the giving of the Torah, negaim, plagues, did not cause tumah.  They are singular punishments for the sin of lashon hara, slander etc. The public castigation which the metzora must undergo seems to be inconsistent with the Torah’s desire to maintain a sense of discretion regarding a Jew’s iniquities.  We find that the Torah creates discreet opportunities for the sinner to return from war, so that the real…

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Home -> 5755 -> Tazria

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5755

“He shall be brought to Aharon the Kohen, or to one of his sons, the Kohanim. The kohen shall look at the affliction … and declare him contaminated.” (13:2,3)

The kohen is the only one who is able to render decisions regarding the purity or impurity of negaim, physical afflictions.  Indeed, Chazal teach us that in the event that the kohen is not versed in the laws of negaim — or can not distinguish between the various types of plagues — a Torah scholar should be summoned.  After the scholar considers the situation, he is obligated to relate his decision to the kohen, who, in turn, pronounces the individual tameh or tahor.  The kohen must be the one to articulate the judgment. Describing this uneducated kohen, Chazal use the…

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