Tzara'at/2/en

Tzaraat

Exegetical Approaches

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Divine Punishment

Tzaraat is a malady sent by Hashem to warn or punish a person for sin.

Sources:ToseftaNegaim 6:6About the Tosefta, BavliYoma 11bArakhin 15bArakhin 16aAbout the Bavli, Vayikra Rabbah17:317:4About Vayikra Rabbah, Bemidbar Rabbah7:5About Bemidbar Rabbah, TanchumaTazria 10Metzora 4About the Tanchuma, RashiVayikra 13:45-46Vayikra 14:4About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Kuzari2:58-62About R. Yehuda HaLevi, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorVayikra 13:45-46Vayikra 14:4-7Vayikra 14:21Vayikra 14:53About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RambamHilkhot Tume'at Tzara'at 16:10Moreh Nevukhim 3:47About R. Moshe b. Maimon, RambanVayikra 13:47Vayikra 14:4Vayikra 14:18Vayikra 14:34Vayikra 14:53About R. Moshe b. Nachman, AbarbanelVayikra 12Vayikra 13:1Vayikra 14:33About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoVayikra 13:2-3,5Vayikra 14:12Vayikra 14:55About R. Ovadyah Seforno, R. S"R HirschVayikra 13About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch

Natural or supernatural?

For which sins? These sources disagree regarding which sins cause a person to be plagued with tzaraat, but most of them speak of  slander¹ and/or haughtiness.  Several of the  Midrashic sources² include entire lists of potential sins,³ mentioning theft, murder, selfishness, lying, desecration of God's name, overstepping boundaries, illicit sexual relations, and swearing falsely.

Biblical cases – This position is supported by the fact that most of the stories in Tanakh which mention a person being afflicted with tzaraat, explicitly speak of it as a punishment:

• Bemidbar 12– Miriam is Divinely struck with tzaraat for speaking against Moshe.
• Shemuel II 3 – After killing Avner against David's wishes, Yoav is cursed that he shall be afflicted with tzaraat.
• Melakhim II 5 – Gechazi is plagued by tzaraat upon the word of Elisha after he disobeys the prophet.
• Divrei HaYamim II 26 – King Uziyahu is punished with tzaraat for his haughtiness in bringing the ketoret.

From this list, it seems that  the common denominator between the various sins is a rebellion against authority.⁴

Comparison to tzaraat of the house and clothing

• According to Vayikra Rabbah, Tanchuma, Rambam and Abarbanel, the afflictions brought on a person's clothing and house are meant to serve as warnings of sin, to lead the person to repent before he himself is bodily afflicted.  Ramban adds that the obvious supernatural nature of the plagues
• Ramban
• Abarbanel

וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת – Ramban points out that the language of "וְנָתַתִּי" suggests that hashem is actively bringing the plague and that it cannot be attributed to natural causes.  r. Hirsch adds, 

Role of kohen

Natural Disease

Sources:perhaps Bavli KetubotKetubot 77bAbout the Bavli, RalbagVayikra 13:5About R. Levi b. Gershom, ShadalVayikra 12:2About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, R. David Zvi HoffmannVayikra 13About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

Natural or supernatural?

Tzaraat of the house and clothing

Why does it  cause impurity?

Connection to other forms of impurity

• Other cases of impurity, too, come as the result of natural processes.
• Kashrut has been understood by many as related to health.
• –

Biblical cases of tzaraat

Aspects of the purification process

• Isolation
• Chatat and asham
• Sending away of birds
• Ezov
• Seven day waiting periods

Role of kohen

¹ See, for example Resh Lakish in Bavli Arakhin who makes a play on words, "זאת תהיה תורת המצורע זאת תהיה תורתו של מוציא שם רע".  Vaykira Rabbah, Tanchuma and others learn this from Miriam who is struck by tzaraat after speaking against Moshe. Rambam similarly points to Devarim 24:8-9 where the Torah points to Miriam specifically when warning about the malady.

² See Bavli Arakhin 16a, Vayikra Rabbah 17:3, Bemidbar Rabbah 7:5 and Tanchuma Metzora 4.

³ These range from 7 to 11 and more items. The various sources attempt to link each suggestion with a case in Tanakh where someone sinned and was afflicted.  However, in many of the cases brought, it is either not explicit that the person actually sinned, or that the punishment they received was indeed tzaraat.

⁴ See Menachem Ben-Yashar, "נגע הצרעת – על שום מה", who elaborates on this point.  He suggests that when Hashem has Moshe's hand be afflicted in Shemot 4:1-7., this, too, might stem from a similar rebellion against authority, his hesitation to heed Hashem's command and embark on His mission.  Similarly, though the text never states the reason for the tzaraat of Naaman (Melakhim II 5) or the 4 metzoraim (), both sets of characters lead to a demonstration of the power of the prophet and his word. See Elisha's words, "יָבֹא נָא אֵלַי וְיֵדַע כִּי יֵשׁ נָבִיא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל".