Dvar Torah for Metzora

Parshas Metzora discusses various types of impurities. One such impurity, which the parsha opens with, is tzaras, the Biblical affliction that came about as a result of speaking ill. When a person contracts tzaras, he or she must separate him- or herself from the camp or city for a period of seven days, calling out “Impure!” to any passerby. The reason for his being secluded from society for a week (or even two weeks) is, according to many commentators, because this slanderer attempted to separate friends and a man from his wife, which is essentially midah-k’neged-midah.

This type of impurity – the impurity of tzaras – comes about as a result of a verbal offense. There is another type of tzaras that appears on the walls of houses, which may be a result of a physical action, such as not providing hospitality to people. In this case, a person must leave his or her home for a week and may even have to tear the house down. This is another example of midah-k’neged-midah, for the person did not invite people into his or her home and lost the house because of it.

Now, some may opine that the laws of tzaras do not apply to us nowadays due to the fact that the ailment is no longer present nowadays. Despite the fact that there is no tzaras today, the lesson that the Biblical illness teaches is timeless. Tzaras teaches us the power of our words and our actions. Speech, something only humans possess, and the ability to act is a double-edged sword. Speaking can inspire people and change the world for the better, but, at the same time, speaking can destroy and divide. Similarly, a person can act and take initiative to do good for others, but they can also act to destroy and harm people. When we abuse our ability to speak and to act by not using them for the good of others, we are stricken with tzaras and must be separated from others to think and dwell upon on the appropriate way to act towards and speak to others. Only once this lesson is learned, can the metzora, or the individual stricken with tzaras, return to society.

Shabbat Shalom,
Yoni Coen