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Skin as White as Winter Snow

By: SFW Students & Alumna
Debra Strashun (SFW '09)

Parshat Tazria opens with the lovely description of the purification processes that follow the birth of a child. But, after those eight pesukim, we are given description after description of the different types of tzaraat or negaim that a person is afflicted with as a punishment for speaking lashon harah, or committing other sins. As a child, I remember feeling completely detached from these parshiyot… after all, we aren’t “afflicted” with tzaraat anymore. Thankfully, after learning through this inyan in depth, I finally feel ready to shed some light on the darkened life of the metzora.

            After the Torah describes the first type of negah, known as the “baheret” we are informed of a second type of wound known as the “s’eit” or more affectionately known as “the white blob which surrounds healthy skin.” Say a person is afflicted with this type of tzaarat, let’s call him Billy. If the Kohen (who plays role of doctor in this story) sees that there is a white blob on the skin, Billy is declared tamei. However, if the Kohen sees that the s’eit spread all over Billy’s body, turning his skin completely white then the Kohen declares Billy to be tahor:

     “Viraah hakohen vihenei kistah hatzaraat et kol bisaro vitihar et hanegah   

                                     kulu haphach lavan tahor hu” (Vayikra 13:13)

“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.

 If when he only had a small s’eit on his body the Kohen declared him tamei, how much more so should he be declared tamei when his entire body is covered in white?!! Luckily, the Chofetz Chaim (I thought it would be nice to use this sefer since it is to the Chofetz Chaim’s credit that we know the importance of shmirat halashon today) asks the very same question in his sefer Chofetz Chaim Al Hatorah. The Chofetz Chaim answers our question by teaching us about a very poor character trait in human nature. At the time when the metzora’s skin was afflicted only partially with tzaarat, he might think “oolai mikreh hu”-“it’s probably just coincidence that I have a few rashes on my body…” And this gaavah (pride) of his will prevent him from doing teshuva. That is why Hashem says he must be punished by being sent out of the camp: “hu badad yaishaiv; michutz lamachane moshavo” à “he shall dwell in isolation; his dwelling shall be outside of the camp.” (ibid 13: 45) Only when he sits down in solitude to contemplate will he realize his faults and finally recognize, “this was a punishment from Hashem!” “Yeshivato livado viain ish emo teviaihu lidai hirhur teshuvah al cheto hagadol vilivavo yichnah vishav virafah lo.”  As a result of his teshuva during the isolation period, the metzora will be healed and returned to the camp.

Now we are ready to answer our question. We just explained that when the metzora was only partially covered with tzaarat his punishment was to leave the camp in order for him to realize that his wounds were not a coincidence. However, when the metzora is covered from head-to-toe in tzaarat there’s not much room for coincidence. It becomes obvious to him right away that his wounds are a punishment from Hashem-“kvar nishbar libo bikirbo.” And therefore, he doesn’t need to be sent out of the camp because, through his understanding that the tzaarat is from Hashem, the metzora has done teshuva and is in no need of further punishment. It is then, when his skin is totally white, that the Kohen declares him tamei-“kulu haphach lavanà tahor hu.”  It was as if this punishment was a wake-up call for him; his own constant personal reminder that everything comes from Hashem.

Sometimes in life we may think that things that happen to us are merely a coincidence, simply because of our bad fortune or good fortune, but we must never fail to realize that EVERYTHING comes from Hashem. Often, it may even take some serious introspection (“badad yaishaiv”) or hitboddidut (this is Rabbi Nachman’s term for “meditation”) to realize our faults. So, whether it’s the refuah (the healing/the positive things that happen) or the makah, like tzaarat (the suffering/the negative things)—remember: it is all from Hashem. No, we do not have tzaarat today. If we do something wrong, we do not have that outward manifestation that tells us we have got to shape up. But we are still part of the same nation that was afflicted with tzaarat many years ago and we have the potential to realize Hashem’s power just as they did.

                                             Let us strive for greatness!

   Shabbat Shalom!

                                              J!!! ומבורך שלום שבת J