This pasuk seems superfluous. Obviously, if the disease still plagues the individual, he is deemed unclean! The Netziv explains that one might assume that after performing the ritual of cleansing oneself and observing the rites of the metzora (leper), he would now be permitted to return to a state of purity, even though the disease is still in him. Indeed, one is not viewed as a true baal teshuva (penitent) until after he has altered his offending previous habits. Superficial acts of penance, going through the external motions of performing teshuva, are insufficient. True teshuva begins with acknowledgment of one’s mistakes, remorse and regret for these actions, followed by a definite change from one’s previous lifestyle. Thus, the Torah hereby declares that as long as the disease remains, the repentance is not complete and the metzora remains unclean.
