Moishe Moment | Tzara’at and The Path of Rehabilitation

Parashat Tazria “She Bears Seed”
By Kevin Ary Levin, Latin American Jewish Educator 

Parashat Tazria deals with some laws related to purity and impurity. Chief among them are the laws of tza’arat, a condition wrongly translated at times as leprosy, but whose characteristics render it a spiritual, and not a physical ailment. The person affected by this condition must be separated from the camp and inspected by a priest (cohen). In a way familiar to us readers from the post-COVID era, tzara’at must be handled responsibly, thoroughly isolated, and diligently checked before the person is allowed to return to social life.

Tzara’at has been associated by the Rabbis of the Talmud as a condition connected to slander and a way to learn about the destructive power of words. But as serious as the condition sounds, the Torah makes a point of explaining that there is a clear path to rehabilitation and reinsertion in everyday life. Throughout history, we have pathologized and isolated people due to different circumstances: some that we see today as legitimate and some that have gone down in history as shameful episodes of intolerance. Yet the Torah is saying something of profound value for our time: no matter how grave the condition is, it is possible to heal, and healing can be done with time and hard work. The metzorah (the person afflicted with tzara’at) is expected to use the time away from the community for introspection and repentance. And long before there was a public health system to speak of, the community – personified in the figure of the cohen as a public servant – has a distinct responsibility to care for the person until they can take care of themselves. Because impurity is never a permanent condition, and humans make mistakes, while other humans are expected to judge always with kindness and compassion.

Do we allow people the chance to rehabilitate and return to the community?
Do we always judge others and ourselves with kindness and compassion?