Rabbi Charlie Schwartz, Director Lehrhaus: A Jewish Tavern & House of Learning
Our parasha this week quickly moves from the diagnosis of the skin affliction Tzara’at to the treatment opening with the words׃ This shall be the ritual for the one afflicted with Tzara’at at the time of being purified. When it has been reported to the priest, the priest shall go outside the camp. If the priest sees that the leper has been healed of the scaly affliction the priest shall order two live pure birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for the one to be purified. (Vayikra 14:2-3). What follows is a complicated and involved ritual that eventually enables the afflicted person to rejoin the community.
Building on Talmudic tradition and subtly in the text itself, the midrashic compilation Vayikra Rabbah famously places the cause of this Tzara’at not in the physical realm or the spiritual realm, but rather in the interpersonal failings stating:
“This shall be the law of the leper.” That is what is written: “They are six that the Lord hates, and seven that are an abomination to His soul” (Proverbs 6:16). Rabbi Meir and the Rabbis, Rabbi Meir says…’and seven’ that is written is referring to the seventh, who is worse than all of them together. Which is this? It is “one who incites discord among siblings” (Proverbs 6:19).” (Vayikra Rabbah 16:1)
That is to say, there are seven interpersonal failings that bring on Tzara’at. The midrash lists all seven which include lying and shedding of innocent blood, but begins with the most severe, the one most despised by God—inciting discord among siblings.
The lesson embedded in the midrash is surprising given the context of Parashat Metzora. Rather than dwelling on concepts of impurity, the midrash pushes us to examine our interactions with others through the juxtaposition of the rituals around Tzara’at and those who bring strife to communities. This midrash asks in what ways do our actions bring the community together, and in what ways, like those afflicted with Tzara’at, do they push people away.
But the real lesson of this midrash lies in the opening verses of the parashah. Tzara’at is not a permanent condition. One can be healed from it, and when that healing is complete, there is a process to welcome that person back. So too, when fractures form in communities, they can be healed. May be all merit to be among those who bring peace among siblings, and who like the priest, work to heal the fractures when they inevitably occur.
Shabbat shalom.
