Parashat Tazria-Metzora פָּרָשַׁת תַזְרִיעַ־מְצֹרָע

The double parsha of Tazria-Metzorah is read this time of year every year. In it, we grapple with the overriding theme of these passages; that of lesions of the skin, clothing and houses. 

One way to approach these Parshiyot is to look beyond the skin afflictions and to think about the reasons that such misfortune was visited on people.  The rabbis tell us that it may be due to the commission of one of these seven sins:

• slander
• murder
• swearing falsely
• incest
• vanity
• theft
• begrudging others what they have. 

It’s interesting that each of these offenses is a sin of people against other people, not between us and God.  The sad truth is that it is probably easier for us to be upright in our dealings with God than it is to treat people in the proper way.  Most of Prophets recount reprimands that the prophets must deliver to the people for social wrongs, some against the poor and underprivileged. 

The sentence about the Metzorah states, “if it became in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought to Aaron the Priest”.  Since most people are oblivious to the hurt they have caused others, it is up to society to take him or her to the Priest.  They are unlikely to go on their own. 

Part of the rehabilitation of the afflicted is to be put outside of the settlement for seven days.  This period is established to allow the person to consider their misdeeds and to do teshuvah, part of the process that will cure the problem.  Since they could not interact without sin among people, they are kept from society for this length of time.

The sin most often associated with the Metzorah is one of the seven I listed: slander, Lashon HaRah.  The proof text for this connection is the Torah narrative that tells us of Miriam’s comment to Aaron about Moshe’s living arrangements regarding his family.  She put Moshe on the same level as herself in the realm of prophecy.  So, she reasoned, if I can live with my family and interact with God, so should Moshe.  She, of course, was wrong about Moshe’s spiritual status, and because of Moses’s great humility, God was forced to deal with Miriam’s sin.  He struck her with Negah Tzora’at, thereby pairing the sin with the punishment for all ages.

Many people think that if something someone says about another is true, it is not Lashon HaRah.  This is patently wrong.  Lashon Harah consists of speaking negatively about someone, whether it is true or false.  In fact, the truth may be worse, because a lie would fall of its own weight anyway.  Another erroneous defense that is raised is that one is speaking about family.  This is the basis of most Lashon HaRah, for we speak about family more than we speak about outside people. 

It is fortuitous that Aaron would be the person to check on the afflicted during their exile from the camp.  Aaron represents the ANTI-Lashon HaRah. Pirkay Avot says, “Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace.”  What would Aaron do in the interest of peace?  One thing he was known for was attempting to patch up feuds between people, usually members of the same family.  He would go to the first person and say, “I just spoke to your brother.  He deeply regrets saying those harsh words to you. He wants to apologize, but he is embarrassed and does not have the courage to approach you.”   This was all a lie! He would then repeat the same thing to the other party.  The next time the two would meet, each would assume the other was remorseful but embarrassed, and each would initiate a reconciliation.  Peace would be restored.   

As we said, truth is not a valid defense against the charge of slander. But what of Aaron’s lies?  An entity even greater than Aaron employed prevarication to keep the peace. Who?  God himself!!

When Sarah hears that she will give birth in a year, she laughs, thinking, how can my old husband give me a child?  God hears her and reports her remarks back to Abraham, saying that Sarah said, “Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?” A lie! God bends the truth to keep the family intact.

Therefore, the Metzorah was brought before Aaron, so that he or she could learn that the mitzvah of restoring peace among people is so great that it supersedes the restriction against lying.  The afflicted has a chance to learn what a great sin Lashon HaRah is.

May we all strive to keep ourselves from committing this sin, and seek to provide harmony with everyone in our lives.