Tazria

Avodah
1

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his book “Love Your Neighbor,” quotes a hilarious true story about Lashon Hora.
Someone asked a cerain woman if she wished to borrow a copy of “Guard Your Tongue” to study the laws of lashon hora.
Her response was: “I don’t need it. I never speak lashon hora. But my husband really needs it. He always speaks lashon hora."

We all know about lashon hora and how speaking ill of others is rather a poor reflection of ourselves. However, taken to another level, it was the S’fat Emes who
said that it also can refer to having failed to speak lashon tov. This brings to mind the poignant story of a man weeping uncontrollably at the grave of his young wife.
When the rabbi tried to console him by saying how good he was to her, he replied: “Oh, rabbi, how I loved her so much and once I almost told her.” We have
friends who take the time and effort to say nice things, and it would even be nicer if more of us did that. You never know the ripple effect a good word can have.
ri

After receiving another notice from school about bad behavior, a frustrated father sat to explain to his child the source
of each one of the gray hairs in his once black beard. “This one is from the last time the principal called about your misbehavior.
This one is from the time you were mean to your sister. This one is from the time you broke our neighbor’s window,” etc., etc.
The father looked at his child for a response to his appeal for better behavior, to which the child calmly replied: “Oh, now it makes sense why Zaide has such a white beard!”

Speech is the mirror of the soul Publilius Syrus, Latin Writer 85BCE

2

The leprosy mentioned here was special kind of leprosy
which only the Jewish people suffered from only in Israel.
It never occurred outside of Israel, even in a Jewish home.
The etiology of leprosy in the Torah was not a physical
but rather a spiritual disease.
The Rabbis comment: b’sorah tovah hee l’Yisroel —
"It is good news for the Jews if a house is stricken with leprosy."
Ramban remarks that it is odd for a house made of bricks and
mortar to act as if it were alive. It would be most unusual for a
house to become sick just like a human being. Such an illness
borders on the miraculous. Why does the Torah say that a house
may be afflicted with leprosy? It means that a Jewish home is different
from other homes; it has life and spirit attached to it. When the people
who live in these homes are sinful, the very bricks of the home reflect
that sinfulness. The Rabbis tell us that leprosy is a sign of evil and sin;
therefore, it is natural that house would manifest leprosy as a sign of
its inhabitants evil. Now we can understand why the rabbis say it is good
news when a house is stricken with leprosy. If one can notice the disease
before it spreads, he has a chance to cure it. When the disease goes
unnoticed, the real trouble ensues.
Since in today’s world we don’t have the warning of leprosy attached to our
houses, let us hope we can pick up other signs and warnings in order to be
able to remedy whatever difficulties caused by our own sinfulness.

The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible
Dwight L Moody

3

: The etiology of leprosy in the Torah was not a physical
: but rather a spiritual disease.

I like calling it spirito-somatic, coining a term to parallel
"psychosomatic". Just as it stress can turn the presence of Helicobacter
pulori in the stomach into having an ulcer.

: The Rabbis comment: b'sorah tovah hee l'Yisroel --
: "It is good news for the Jews if a house is stricken with leprosy."
: Ramban remarks that it is odd for a house made of bricks and
: mortar to act as if it were alive...

But they also say it's purely theoretical (Sanhedrin 71a). Although that's
tied to R' Elazar b"R Shimon's side of a machloqes in the mishnah (Nega'im
12:3). R' Yishmael and R' Aqiva (the other two opinions in the mishnah)
would apparently disagree. In any case, as with the rest of the cases
in the gemara of laws that exist only for learning (ben soreir umoreh
and ir hanidachas) it continues with tannaim saying they saw something
local tradition said was evidence of one.

Nowadays, house mold is known to be all too common. The actual physical
side of tzara'as habayis needn't be miraculous.

However, unlike tzara'as of the body, one can't invoke a soul - mind -
brain causality. It would be pretty direct evidence of Divine Providence
if tzra'as of the sort that would cause tum'ah struck only appropriate
homes.

Which is how I saw the quote. It requires people living on a level where
blatant hashgachah peratis is approrpriate.

As opposed to an era where even tzara'as of the body requires far more
spirituality than people achieve.

: Since in today's world we don't have the warning of leprosy attached to our
: houses, let us hope we can pick up other signs and warnings in order to be
: able to remedy whatever difficulties caused by our own sinfulness.

There is a discussion of the role of learning Torah, and whether studying
Torah that is non-applicabile is of value. Because of ideas like this one,
it is hard to believe there can be Torah that is non-applicable. Even if
the case isn't, "derosh vekabel sekhar" could refer to taking home lessons
for the general principle.

Chodesh Tov!
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha