Torah for Plague of Leprosy (nega Tzara'at)
The Kohen look, see, consider, taher (pronounce), shut up (quarantine)
13:1 And Adonai spoke to Mosheh and Aharon, saying,
13:2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh [like] the nega tzara'at; then he shall be brought to Aharon the Kohen, or to one of his sons the Kohenim:
13:3 And the Kohen shall look on the nega in the skin of the flesh: and [when] the hair in the nega is turned white, and the nega in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh, it [is] a nega of tzara'at: and the Kohen shall look on him, and taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei.
13:4 If the bright spot [be] white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight [be] not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the Kohen shall quarantine [him that has] the nega shivat yamim:
13:5 And the Kohen shall look on him the yom hashevi'i: and, Hinnei, [if] the nega in his sight be at a stay, [and] the nega spread not in the skin; then the Kohen shall shut him up shivat yamim more:
13:6(LY:ii) And the Kohen shall look on him again the yom hashevi'i: and, Hinnei, [if] the nega [be] somewhat dark , [and] the nega spread not in the skin, the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him Tahor (clean): it [is but] a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be Tahor (clean).
13:7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he has been seen of the Kohen for his Tohorah (cleansing), he shall be seen of the Kohen again:
13:8 And [if] the Kohen see that, Hinnei, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei: it [is] a tzara'at.
13:9 When the nega of tzara'at is in a man, then he shall be brought to the Kohen;
13:10 And the Kohen shall see [him]: and,
Hinnei, [if] the rising [be] white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and [there be] quick raw flesh in the rising;
13:11 It [is] an old tzara'at in the skin of his flesh, and the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei, and shall not shut him up: for he [is] tamei.
13:12 And if a tzara'at break out abroad in the skin, and the tzara'at cover all the skin of [him that has] the nega from his head erev to his foot, wheresoever the Kohen looks;
13:13 Then the Kohen shall consider: and, Hinnei, [if] the tzara'at have covered all his flesh, he shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) [him] Tahor (clean) [that has] the nega: it is all turned white: he [is] Tahor (clean).
13:14 But when raw flesh appears in him, he shall be tamei.
13:15 And the Kohen shall see the raw flesh, and taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him to be tamei: [for] the raw flesh [is] tamei: it [is] a tzara'at.
13:16 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed to white, he shall come to the Kohen;
13:17 And the Kohen shall see him: and, Hinnei, [if] the nega be turned into white; then the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) [him] Tahor (clean) [that has] the nega: he [is] Tahor (clean).
13:18(LY:iii)
The flesh also, in which, [erev] in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,
13:19 And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the Kohen;
13:20 And if, when the Kohen sees it, Hinnei, it [be] in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei: it [is] a nega of tzara'at broken out of the boil.
13:21 But if the Kohen look on it, and, Hinnei, [there be] no white hairs therein, and [if] it [be] not lower than the skin, but [be] somewhat dark ; then the Kohen shall shut him up shivat yamim:
13:22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei: it [is] a nega.
13:23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, [and] spread not, it [is] a burning boil; and the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him Tahor (clean).
13:24(RY:ii, LY:iv)
Or if there be [any] flesh, in the skin whereof [there is] a hot burning, and the quick [flesh] that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;
13:25 Then the Kohen shall look upon it: and, Hinnei, [if] the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it [be in] sight deeper than the skin; it [is] a tzara'at broken out of the burning: wherefore the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei: it [is] the nega of tzara'at.
13:26 But if the Kohen look on it, and, Hinnei, [there be] no white hair in the bright spot, and it [be] no lower than the [other] skin, but [be] somewhat dark ; then the Kohen shall shut him up shivat yamim:
13:27 And the Kohen shall look upon him the yom hashevi'i: [and] if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei: it [is] the nega of tzara'at.
13:28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, [and] spread not in the skin, but it [be] somewhat dark ; it [is] a rising of the burning, and the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him Tahor (clean): for it [is] an inflammation of the burning.
13:29(LY:v) If a man or woman have a nega upon the head or the beard;
13:30 Then the Kohen shall see the nega: and,
Hinnei, if it [be] in sight deeper than the skin; [and there be] in it a yellow thin hair; then
the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him tamei: it [is] a dry scall, [erev] a tzara'at upon the head or beard.
13:31 And if the Kohen look on the nega of the scall, and, Hinnei, it [be] not in sight deeper than the skin, and [that there is] no black hair in it; then the Kohen shall shut up [him that has] the nega of the scall shivat yamim:
13:32 And in the yom hashevi'i the Kohen shall look on the nega: and, Hinnei, [if] the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall [be] not in sight deeper than the skin;
13:33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the Kohen shall shut up [him that has] the scall shivat yamim more:
13:34 And in the yom hashevi'i the Kohen shall look on the scall: and, Hinnei, [if] the scall be not spread in the skin, nor [be] in sight deeper than the skin; then the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him Tahor (clean): and he shall wash his clothes, and be Tahor (clean).
13:35 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his Tohorah (cleansing);
13:36 Then the Kohen shall look on him: and, Hinnei, if the scall be spread in the skin, the Kohen shall not seek for yellow hair; he [is] tamei.
13:37 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and [that] there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he [is] Tahor (clean): and the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him Tahor (clean).
13:38(RY:iii, LY:vi)
If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, [erev] white bright spots;
13:39 Then the Kohen shall look: and, Hinnei, [if] the bright spots in the skin of their flesh [be] darkish white; it [is] a freckled spot [that] groweth in the skin; he [is] Tahor (clean).
13:40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he [is] bald; [yet is] he Tahor (clean).
13:41 And he that has his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he [is] forehead bald: [yet is] he Tahor (clean).
13:42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it [is] a tzara'at sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.
13:43 Then the Kohen shall look upon it: and, Hinnei, [if] the rising of the sore [be] white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the tzara'at appeareth in the skin of the flesh;
13:44 He is a tzara (leprous man, he [is] tamei: the Kohen shall taher (Pronounce,טהרו) him utterly tamei; his nega [is] in his head.
13:45 וְהַצָּרוּעַ אֲשֶר-בּוֹ הַנֶּגַע בְּגָדָיו יִהְיוּ פְרֻמִים וְרֹאשוֹ יִהְיֶה פָרוּעַוְעַל-שָׂפָם יַעְטֶה וְטָמֵא טָמֵא יִקְרָא׃
Vehatzarua asher-bo hanega begadav yihyu ferumim verosho yihyeh farua ve'al-safam ya'teh vetamei tamei yikra.
“As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
13:46 All the days wherein the nega [shall be] in him he shall be defiled; he [is] tamei: he shall dwell alone; without the camp [shall] his habitation [be].
13:47 The garment also that the nega of tzara'at is in, [whether it be] a woollen garment, or a linen garment;
13:48 Whether [it be] in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin;
13:49 And if the nega be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it [is] a nega of tzara'at, and shall be shewed to the Kohen:
13:50 And the Kohen shall look upon the nega, and shut up [it that has] the nega shivat yamim:
13:51 And he shall look on the nega on the yom hashevi'i: if the nega be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, [or] in any work that is made of skin; the nega [is] a fretting tzara'at; it [is] tamei.
13:52 He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the nega is: for it [is] a fretting tzara'at; it shall be burnt in the fire.
13:53 And if the Kohen shall look, and, Hinnei, the nega be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin;
13:54 Then the Kohen shall command that they wash [the thing] wherein the nega [is], and he shall shut it up shivat yamim more:
13:55(RY:iv, LY:vii)
And the Kohen shall look on the nega, after that it is washed: and, Hinnei, [if] the nega have not changed his colour, and the nega be not spread; it [is] tamei; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it [is] fret inward, [whether] it [be] bare within or without.
13:56 And if the Kohen look, and, Hinnei, the nega [be] somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:
13:57(LY:Maftir)
And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it [is] a spreading [nega]: thou shalt burn that wherein the nega [is] with fire.
13:58 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin [it be], which thou shalt wash, if the nega be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be Tahor (clean).
13:59 This [is] the Torah of the nega of tzara'at in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to taher (Pronounce,טהרו) it Tahor (clean), or to taher (Pronounce,טהרו) it tamei.
Haftarah Tazria: M’lakhim Bet (2 Kings) 4:42–5:19
B’rit Hadashah Parashah Tazria: Mattityahu 8:1–4; 11:2–6; Markos 1:40–45; Loukas 2:22–24; 5:12–16; 7:18 –23
metzora is locked away for a week (Leviticus 13:4) or sometimes two weeks (Leviticus 13:5). This shows us that different people require different amounts of time to extricate themselves from their spiritual degradation. The metzora had to tear his clothes like a mourner, remain all alone, and cry out: “Unclean! Stay away! Do not become tamei (impure) because of me!” (no one was permitted to come within eight feet of him). While so isolated, the metzora would have opportunity to perform teshuvah (repentance) and find healing
shut up quarantine
shivat yamim shivat yamim; yom hashevi'i yom hashevi'i
Tzara'at t[rc skin disorders. The KJV says leprosy, but this is a mistranslation. These skin disorders “[were] a plague often inflicted immediately by the hand of Elohim. A Metzora is a Jew who has been afflicted by a terrible skin disease called Tzorat, caused by false egotism and Loshan Hara (speaking in a damaging way about people). He must live 'outside of the camp' away from all normal people, and everything and everyone he touches becomes 'impure'. Tzaraas was a spiritual illness whose identifying mark was a white patch or patches appearing on the skin of a person, the walls of a home or on a garment. This patch, plus several secondary symptoms, determined the person as being temporarily "impure" and required him or her to separate from the public and undergo an intense program of introspection and spiritual healing.
Two birds were brought forth.
One was slaughtered with its blood poured into an earthenware vessel of spring water; This represents the blood and destruction caused by malicious talk and how it tarnishes the vibrancy and freshness of life.
the other bird, together with a piece of cedar wood, crimson thread (a wool dyed with pigment made from an insect or snail)
a hyssop (a very low plant) were dipped into the blood-water mixture
sprinkled upon the person being purified seven times.
The second bird was then sent free "upon the open field."What this symbolizes is that now we must learn how to sublimate our fragmented words and their broken consequences. It is not enough to stop talking; rather, we need to go back and transform our fragmented language into wholesome communication; our mediocre conversations into authentic dialogue.
The second bird teaches us that we are accountable not only for our evil speech; we are also called to task for all the words we could have said but we did not. "The word you had not sense to say, who knows how grand it might have rung?" The second bird is thus sent away to the field in order to chirp and spread the importance of gentle healing and positive speech.
(1): Because the plague of tzaraas (leprosy) comes in punishment for evil and malicious talk, defaming another human being which is an act of chatter, therefore birds are needed for his purification, because birds chatter continuously with a twittering sound." Malicious talks defames and degrades other people. In our desperate need to feel better about ourselves, we describe the lowliness of others. In our pressing need to muse ourselves, we cut down others.
(2)To be human is to emulate the Divine who created the universe through words. We too have the power to create worlds, embrace souls and heal hearts through words.
The Torah employs the birds in attempting to heal us from malicious talk. When we speak disparagingly about other people, the conversation may be clever, engaging and certainly "juicy." Yet the words being spoken are broken, coming from human beings who are themselves broken. Individuals engaged in negative conversation about others are akin to birds: they are mimicking human language; they may even be employing sophisticated verbiage, but in truth their words are not human compositions; they merely imitate human beings.