Metzora opens by describing the purification process and accompanying sacrifices for one infected with tzara'at, a discoloration condition on the skin, clothing, or house. It then describes the process of treating a house infected with tzara'at and the ritual impurity generated by certain bodily discharges.
Notable Sources
All Sources
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The Moral Lesson of Tzara'at in Houses
MIDRASH
Why would one's house become afflicted with tzara'at? Vayikra Rabbah, a fifth-century midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, explores this question, emphasizing themes of honesty and divine justice.
The Meaning of the Purification Ritual
COMMENTARY
The purification ritual for tzara'at includes using cedar-wood and hyssop to sprinkle blood and water on the one being purified. Ramban, a 13th-century Spanish rabbi and commentator, discusses the connection of this ritual to the scapegoat offered on Yom Kippur, as well as other purification rituals.
The Elements of Purity
COMMENTARY
After a nocturnal emission, one is required to wash one's full body, according to the book of Leviticus. Rabbi Bachya ben Asher, a medieval Spanish rabbi and commentator, discusses the reasons for this requirement, which does not appear in other purification rituals.
The Weight of Words
MUSAR
Rabbinic literature links the affliction of tzara'at to speaking ill of others. Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, a 19th-20th-century rabbi and ethicist, discusses this link, as well as the theological implications of speaking ill of others.
Compassion in the Face of Tzara'at
MISHNAH
The book of Leviticus states that if one's house is afflicted with tzara'at, one must remove all one's possessions before the priest inspects the house. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, discusses the reason for this ruling.
Shifting Focus of Impurity Laws
COMMENTARY
In the book of Leviticus, both men and women are subject to ritual impurity for bodily discharges. Rabbi Dr. Judith Hauptman, a contemporary rabbi and scholar, discusses the historical shift from considering all bodily discharges as a cause of impurity to a more focused and continued emphasis on menstrual impurity.
"And he shall set the live bird free in the open country", Leviticus 14:7. Illustration by David Paul Frederick Hardy (1862-1942)
"And he shall set the live bird free in the open country", Leviticus 14:7. Illustration by David Paul Frederick Hardy (1862-1942)
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