At any rate, our tradition has taught that the only discolouration of garments or cloths that are considered from a halachic point of view are garments which themselves are white and not coloured. Any coloured garment is not subject to this legislation at all, is not within the parameter of what is called נגע צרעת. The phenomenon of white garments or exterior walls of houses which are normally whitewashed breaking out in different colours is by itself a warning to the owner to examine his lifestyle and what he might have done wrong to rate such a warning.
Our sages in Kidushin 20 tell about how seriously a violation of a rule which is only peripheral to the Sh’mittah legislation is viewed. [the basic rules of sh’mittah relate to working the soil during that year. What I described here as “peripheral,” i.e. in Talmudic parlance as אבקה של שמטה, is the dealing in produce grown in violation of the sh’mittah laws. Ed.] The Talmud explains that violating the “peripheral” aspects of that legislation my result in the guilty party becoming impoverished. The process is gradual so that the guilty party had ample opportunity to ask himself why G’d had singled him out for this kind of punishment.
The same is true of the נגע צרעת legislation. Proof of the fact that this affliction is due to a well meaning Creator, One Who is concerned with the welfare of His Jewish subjects, is the fact that if the symptoms we know as נגע צרעת surface on the garments of gentile or houses of gentiles, these are not declared as ritually impure. Seeing that the gentiles as a rule do not have life in the hereafter to look forward to, G’d is not at such pains to warn them not to risk losing something they doe not to look forward to in any event. When a Jew is in danger of losing his claim to eternal life this is a far more serious matter, and G’d goes out of His way to afford the person potentially endangering his claim to eternal life an opportunity to repent and change his lifestyle before it is too late. In referring to this concept, Solomon in Proverbs 10,25 describes the צדיק, the Just, as the foundation of the universe. The whole idea of man having been created in G’d’s image, and G’d’s desire for man to become as much like Him as it is possible for a creature to become, lies at the source of this concern by G’d not to let man waste his opportunity to live up to his destiny.
Once man becomes aware of G’d’s concern for him he will have little difficulty in making his own will correspond to the revealed will of His Maker. He will begin to realise that by “listening” to the urgings of his body-dominated desires he risks losing his eternal life and the death of his body would also signal the death of his life force נפש, just as that of all the animals. >br> Even though we see many people defy G’d in their lifestyles, we can be sure in the words of G’d in Exodus 23,7 כי לא אצדיק רשע, “that I will not allow the wicked to appear as if he were a just person for ever.” [the author, in continuing this sermon, describes all the gentiles and most of the Jews of his time, as so oblivious to all this that they may be compared as existing in a permanent state of spiritual coma. Ed.] Nonetheless, if G’d chose the Jewish people as His special people it is because He entertains the fond hope that out of this nation there will emerge a nucleus of people who are aware of their destiny. When the Jewish people are predominantly in the state of spiritual coma the author just described, the symptoms described in our portion will not appear as it would be a waste of time to hope that the people thus afflicted would see in these symptoms a message from their G’d.
(ח) שִׁבְעָה מִינֵי פֻרְעָנֻיּוֹת בָּאִין לָעוֹלָם עַל שִׁבְעָה גוּפֵי עֲבֵרָה. מִקְצָתָן מְעַשְּׂרִין וּמִקְצָתָן אֵינָן מְעַשְּׂרִין, רָעָב שֶׁל בַּצֹּרֶת בָּאָה, מִקְצָתָן רְעֵבִים וּמִקְצָתָן שְׂבֵעִים. גָּמְרוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְעַשֵּׂר, רָעָב שֶׁל מְהוּמָה וְשֶׁל בַּצֹּרֶת בָּאָה. וְשֶׁלֹּא לִטֹּל אֶת הַחַלָּה, רָעָב שֶׁל כְּלָיָה בָאָה. דֶּבֶר בָּא לָעוֹלָם עַל מִיתוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא נִמְסְרוּ לְבֵית דִּין, וְעַל פֵּרוֹת שְׁבִיעִית. חֶרֶב בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם עַל עִנּוּי הַדִּין, וְעַל עִוּוּת הַדִּין, וְעַל הַמּוֹרִים בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא כַהֲלָכָה:
(ט) חַיָּה רָעָה בָאָה לָעוֹלָם עַל שְׁבוּעַת שָׁוְא, וְעַל חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם. גָּלוּת בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם עַל עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְעַל גִלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת, וְעַל שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים, וְעַל הַשְׁמָטַת הָאָרֶץ. בְּאַרְבָּעָה פְרָקִים הַדֶּבֶר מִתְרַבֶּה, בָּרְבִיעִית, וּבַשְּׁבִיעִית, וּבְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית, וּבְמוֹצָאֵי הֶחָג שֶׁבְּכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה. בָּרְבִיעִית, מִפְּנֵי מַעְשַׂר עָנִי שֶׁבַּשְּׁלִישִׁית. בַּשְּׁבִיעִית, מִפְּנֵי מַעְשַׂר עָנִי שֶׁבַּשִּׁשִּׁית. וּבְמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית, מִפְּנֵי פֵרוֹת שְׁבִיעִית. וּבְמוֹצָאֵי הֶחָג שֶׁבְּכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה, מִפְּנֵי גֶזֶל מַתְּנוֹת עֲנִיִּים:
(8) Seven kinds of punishment come to the world for seven categories of transgression:When some of them give tithes, and others do not give tithes, a famine from drought comes some go hungry, and others are satisfied. When they have all decided not to give tithes, a famine from tumult and drought comes; [When they have, in addition, decided] not to set apart the dough-offering, an all-consuming famine comes. Pestilence comes to the world for sins punishable by death according to the Torah, but which have not been referred to the court, and for neglect of the law regarding the fruits of the sabbatical year. The sword comes to the world for the delay of judgment, and for the perversion of judgment, and because of those who teach the Torah not in accordance with the accepted law.
(9) Wild beasts come to the world for swearing in vain, and for the profanation of the Name. Exile comes to the world for idolatry, for sexual sins and for bloodshed, and for [transgressing the commandment of] the [year of the] release of the land. At four times pestilence increases: in the fourth year, in the seventh year and at the conclusion of the seventh year, and at the conclusion of the Feast [of Tabernacles] in every year. In the fourth year, on account of the tithe of the poor which is due in the third year. In the seventh year, on account of the tithe of the poor which is due in the sixth year; At the conclusion of the seventh year, on account of the produce of the seventh year; And at the conclusion of the Feast [of Tabernacles] in every year, for robbing the gifts to the poor.
(ב) מִתְרַבֶּה. שֶׁכַּאֲשֶׁר יִקְרֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה דֶּבֶר בְּאֵלּוּ הַפְּרָקִים יִתְרַבֶּה אָז בְּעָוֹן אֵלּוּ, לְפִי שֶׁיִּקְרֶה בָּהֶם תָּמִיד הֶעָוֹן אֵצֶל קְצָת הָאֲנָשִׁים, וְהִנֵּה הוּא מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה, כִּי הֶחְסִיר חַיּוּת הֶעָנִי וְגַם חָשַׁשׁ שֶׁכְּשֶׁיִּתֵּן שֶׁיֶּחְסַר לוֹ לַחְמוֹ כְּשֶׁיַּאֲרִיכוּ לוֹ חַיָּיו, לְכָךְ יַחְסְרוּ חַיָּיו וְתִשָּׁאֵר תְּבוּאָתוֹ לַאֲחֵרִים. וּמֵעַתָּה לֹא קָשְׁיָא עַל הַמִּשְׁנָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת. מִדְרַשׁ שְׁמוּאֵל:
(2) become more widespread, etc.: As when it happens that there is pestilence in those periods of time, it becomes more widespread then, due to the sin of these [people]; as [this] sin always happens in these [time periods] with some people. And behold, it is poetic justice; as [such a man] took away from the life of the poor person and also was concerned that if he would give, it would take away from his [own] bread if his life is lengthened. Hence, his life will be taken from, and his produce will remain for others. And from now, there is no objection at all from the previous mishnah - Midrash Shmuel.
(א) הלכות ברכות השחר
דתניא היה ר"מ אומר מאה ברכות חייב אדם לברך בכל יום וסמכוה על דרש הפסוקים והשיב רב נטרונאי ריש מתיבתא דמתא מחסיא דהע"ה תקן מאה ברכות דכתיב (שמואל ב כג) הוקם על ע"ל בגימ' ק' הוי כי בכל יום היו מתים ק' נפשות מישראל ולא היו יודעין על מה היו מתים עד שחקר והבין ברוח הקודש ותקן להם לישראל ק' ברכות וע"כ תקנו חכמים ז"ל אלו הברכות על סדר העולם והנהגתו להשלים ק' ברכות בכל יום וצריך כל אדם ליזהר בהם והפוחת אל יפחות והמוסיף יוסיף על כל ברכה וברכה שנתקנה לו כמו שאמרו חכמים ברכות (מ.) ברוך ה' יום יום בכל יום ויום תן לו מעין ברכותיו...
(ב) ר' אבהו אומר, תדע לך כח התשובה בא וראה מדוד מלך ישראל שנשבע הב"ה לאבות להרבות את זרעם כככבי השמים ובא דוד למנות את מספרם אמ' לו הב"ה דוד אני נשבעת לאבות להרבות את זרעם כככבי השמים ואתה בא לבטל דברי בשבילך נתנה הצאן למאכל ובשלשה שעות נפל מישראל שבעים אלף איש שנ' ויפלו מישראל שבעים אלף איש ר' שמעון אומ' לא נפלה מישראל אלא אבישי בן צרויה בלבד שהיה שקול במעשיו הטובים ובתורתו כנגד שבעים אלף איש איש כתוב כאן ואין כתוב אנשים ושמע דוד וקרע את בגדיו ולבש שק ואפר ונפל על פניו ארצה לפני ארון ברית ה'.
(2) Rabbi Abbahu said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from David, king of Israel. For the Holy One, blessed be He, had sworn to the forefathers that He would multiply their seed like the stars of the heavens. And David came to count their number. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: David ! I have sworn to the forefathers that I would multiply their seed as the stars of the heavens. And thou comest to annul My word. For thy sake the flock is given over to destruction; and in three hours there fell seventy thousand men, as it is said, "And there fell of Israel seventy thousand men" (1 Chron. 21:14). Rabbi Simeon said: Only Abishai, son of Zeruiah, fell amongst the Israelites, for he was equal in his good deeds and his knowledge of the Torah to the seventy thousand men, as it is said, "And there fell of Israel seventy thousand men" (ibid.). "Men" is not written here, only "man." And David heard and rent his garments, and clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, and he fell upon his face to the ground before the ark of the covenant of God.
(א) ויעמד בין המתים וגו'. דָּ"אַ, לָמָּה בַקְּטֹרֶת? לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מְלִיזִים וּמְרַנְּנִים אַחַר הַקְּטֹרֶת לוֹמַר סַם הַמָּוֶת הוּא — עַל יָדוֹ מֵתוּ נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא, עַל יָדוֹ נִשְׂרְפוּ חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתַיִם אִישׁ — אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה, תִּרְאוּ שֶׁעוֹצֵר מַגֵּפָה הוּא וְהַחֵטְא הוּא הַמֵּמִית (מכילתא שמות י"ז):
(1) ויעמד בין המתים וגו׳ AND HE STOOD BETWEEN THE DEAD [AND THE LIVING] — Another explanation is: Wherefore was the plague stayed by means of the incense? Because the Israelites were traducing and speaking ill of the incense, saying, “It is a deadly poison: through it Nadab and Abihu died; through it the two hundred and fifty men were burnt!” therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said, You will see that it is also a means for restraining the plague, and it is only sin that brings death” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 17:5:3 on Exodus 17:5).