Good character is more than skin deep (Leviticus 13)

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This study on the Torah portion תזריע Tazria (“she will conceive,” Leviticus 12–13) focuses on the symbolism or intention behind these afflictions called צָרַעַת Tzaraat (H6883), as opposed to the clinical descriptions of Tzaraat itself.

I am not an expert by any stretch of imagination when it comes to dermatology. Don’t worry if you don’t quite understand what the different types of Tzaraat are. This text was written to teach the cohenim, the priests, how to discern between different skin diseases — which were Tzaraat and which ones weren’t.

We have never seen these different types of Tzaraat.  

One could only go to the priests for a proper diagnosis of it. Even though we read these descriptions of what this ailment looked like and how it acted, only the priesthood were properly trained and were given the authority to diagnose Tzaraat. 

Our English translations translate Tzaraat as “leprosy,” but that’s not necessarily accurate. 

In traditional Judaism, Tzaraat is a spiritual disease more than it is a physical disease, mainly because the examples in the TaNaKh¹Hebrew Bible of those who were stricken with Tzaraat had committed grievous spiritual sins. 

Example: Sister of ‘God’s friend’ had boundaries to tend

The first and most famous person inflicted with Tzaraat was Miriam the sister of Moses who was struck with Tzaraat after she (and Aaron) criticized Moses behind his back. 

Example: King who wanted to be high priest

Another person who was struck with Tzaraat was Uzziah, King of Judah. He arrogantly assumed that because he had accomplished so much for God, and that he had lived a righteous life, that he could waltz into the Holy of Holies, even though the priests warned him not to enter the sacred space.

God had explicitly stated in the Torah, that only priests can enter the holy place and only the High Priest can enter the Most Holy Place but in his pride, Uzziah assumed that God should make an exception for him.

God assigns people to their position, we do not assign ourselves. God immediately struck Uzziah down because he had disregarded God’s instructions about who could perform priestly duties.

As a consequence of Uzziah’s pride, God stuck him with Tzaraat, not for a week, but for the rest of his life. Uzziah’s pride caused his downfall. 

Example: Prophet’s servant who was serving himself

The haftarah (parallel) reading for Tazria is 2Kings 4:42-5:19, recalling the third person who contracted Tzaraat, Elisha’s servant Gehazi. 

Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat.” His attendant said, “What, will I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

2Kings 4:42–44 NASB

Elisha was primarily concerned about serving other people, which is a totally different mindset than his servant. When people gossip, they are not serving other people but themselves. They are using the suffering of others to prop up their own ego. 

Neither Miriam or Uzziah were lowering themselves, they were trying to prop up their own egos. 

Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

2Kings 5:26–27 NASB

Gehazi saw in Naaman and his healing an opportunity to lift himself up while stealing money and clothes from the Assyrian general. He took advantage of Naaman’s gratitude and piety for illicit gain to elevate his family’s social status. Gehazi used deceit to gain the upper hand but Elisha took Naaman’s leprosy and placed it on Gehazi as a punishment for his greed. So Gehazi thought he was going to climb up the social ladder of Israelite society but instead, he and his family were knocked to the bottom, they were literally untouchables for many generations. 

Tame the tongue; keep Tzaraat on the run

Apostle Ya’akov (James) in James 3:1–18 is telling us that we should aspire to control our tongues. For Miriam, Uzziah, and Ghazi their selfishness and arrogance started in their hearts and came out of their mouths. Their Tzaraat separated them from other people either for a short time or for the rest of their lives. You can’t gossip by yourself and so when God struck a gossiper and slanderer with Tzaraat, it was a way to prevent them from continuing to spreading lashon hara and discontent in the community. 

We need to discipline our minds to think better of others than we do ourselves, so that slander and gossip will not come out of our mouths. 

Summary: Tammy