Reflections from Rabbi Ellis

Tazria is the fourth Parsha in the third book of the Torah, Vayikra - Leviticus. Tazria is not an easy Parsha to read. From a linguistic level, there are many words in our Parsha that appear nowhere else in the Torah and never seem to have been in daily usage. Our tradition has preserved their meaning and intention, but it makes for a stuttering read. Thematically it is difficult because our Parsha describes a disease called Tzarat, which according to our traditions ceased to afflict us nearly two thousand years ago. The most difficult part about reading our Parsha though is the content, by and large it is a litany of sores, rashes and other skin maladies that would make even the most experienced dermatologist queasy. Tzarat, the disease mentioned throughout our Parsha, is often translated as leprosy. The disease described in our Parsha is clearly different as it affects clothing and buildings in addition to people. Further loss of limb is not one of the symptoms for Tzarat, while it is a common symptom of leprosy.

What then is Tzarat? While our Parsha describes the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Tzarat, it says nothing about its cause. The Talmud tells us quite clearly that Tzarat was the punishment for Lashon Harah - damaging speech. Tzarat is a physical affliction that is caused by spiritual impurity as such the purpose of it is to cause us to repent from hurting people with words. Thus, counterintuitively we learn much about the psychological effects of sin in a Parsha that seemingly is only concerned with ailments of the skin and hair.

Lashon Harah, using speech to cause damage, is the most corrosive of sins. It destroys people, families and societies. Each and everyone of us knows the sting of the cruel words of others, and though we often fail to realize it, have been the perpetrators as well. One of the unique qualities of Lashon Harah is that it is one of the only sins that when one hears that they are perpetrating it they often deny it and even double down. I don’t know how many times I heard “About him, it’s a Mitzvah to say such things.” One of the insidious aspects of Lashon Harah is that we are oftentimes so steeped in it that we can’t recognize how far we have fallen.

In our Parsha when describing the various skin afflictions, the text tells us that when one whole’s body is afflicted, then the person does not have Tzarat. Yet the moment that a patch of healthy skin appears the person has Tzarat and is impure. What is the logic and what does this tell us about Lashon Harah?

It is possible to become so steeped in sin that it changes who we are and the way we interact with the world. When we reach this point then no intervention will help us. This is the person who is completely covered in skin affliction, at this point there is no point in diagnosing them with Tzarat, they won’t change. Only when they start to realize the error of their way, when the patch of healthy skin appears, is there the possibility for the person to change their way. Only at this point does the Torah diagnose them with Tzarat, when they have the ability to change. The greatest danger we face from Lashon Harah is not the lies we tell about others rather it is the lies we tell about ourselves.

Shabbat Shalom!