Our triennial cycle focuses on the plague of tza'arat which is loosely translated as leprosy, and which is in general a white and scaly skin disease.
~ What are the traditional reasons given for a person to be afflicted by that disease?
~ Why would people be so definite regarding why this is happening? How do you feel about it?
צָּרַעַת Tza'arat = scaly disease; loose translation "leprosy"
מְצֹרַע Metzora = the person afflicted with Tza'arat
Reish Lakish said: Why is it written, "This is the ritual [lit. Torah] for a leper [metzora]?" This will be the teaching [lit. Torah] of the one who speaks evil about others [motzi shem ra].
Resh Lakish lived in the 3rd century of the common era, so he had never even seen the Temple standing. It's necessary to go from purity to morality. The words have a natural affinity for each other, we could say. Resh Lakish is really trying to bring an ethical value to the fore: how do we speak of others usually affect ourselves.
מִכָּאן אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַלֵּוִי בַּר רַבִּי שָׁלוֹם עַל אַחַד עָשָׂר דְבָרִים הַצָּרַעַת בָּאָה, עַל קִלְלַת הַשֵּׁם, וְעַל גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת, וְעַל שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים, וְעַל הָאוֹמֵר עַל חֲבֵרוֹ דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ בּוֹ, וְעַל גַּסּוּת הָרוּחַ, וְעַל הַנִּכְנָס בִּתְחוּם שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ, וְעַל לְשׁוֹן שֶׁקֶר, וְעַל הַגְּנֵבוֹת, וְעַל שְׁבוּעַת שֶׁקֶר, וְעַל הַמְחַלֵּל שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, וְעַל עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים. רַבִּי יִצְחָק אוֹמֵר עַל עַיִן רָעָה. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אוֹמְרִים עַל מִי שֶׁמְּנַאֵץ בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה...
עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יִצְחָק דְּאָמַר עַל עַיִן הָרָע, כְּשֶׁאָדָם צַר עַיִן וְאֵינוֹ מַשְׁאִיל אֶת כֵּלָיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְשַׁלֵּחַ צָרַעַת בְּבֵיתוֹ וּמוֹצִיא כֵּלָיו לַחוּץ וְהַבְּרִיוֹת אוֹמְרִים פְּלוֹנִי שֶׁלֹא הָיָה מַשְׁאִיל כֵּלָיו וְאוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹא הָיוּ לוֹ כֵּלִים, הֲרֵי שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ כֵּלִים, וְעָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר (איוב כ, כח): יִגֶל יְבוּל בֵּיתוֹ. ... וְעַל הָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר לַחֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ בּוֹ, זֶה משֶׁה, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הָאֱלֹקִים שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ אֵצֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל, אָמַר לוֹ רִבּוֹנִי וַהֲרֵי אֵינָן מַאֲמִינִין אוֹתִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ד, א): וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי וגו', אָמַר לוֹ הָאֱלֹקִים הָא משֶׁה כְּבָר אַתְּ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵינָן מַאֲמִינִין אוֹתָךְ, מַאֲמִינִין בְּנֵי מַאֲמִינִין הֵם, אָמַרְתָּ לִי: וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי וגו' (שמות ד, ו): הָבֵא נָא יָדְךָ בְּחֵיקֵךָ וגו', מִיָּד (שמות ד, ו): וַיּוֹצִאָהּ וְהִנֵּה יָדוֹ מְצֹרַעַת כַּשָּׁלֶג.
From here Rabbi Judah Halevi bar Rabbi Shalom learned that 11 things cause tzara'at: (1) cursing the Divine name, (2) sexual perversions, (3) spilling blood, (4) speaking falsely about a fellow person, (5) pride, (6) invading another's place, (7) lying, (8) stealing, (9) swearing falsely, (10) profaning the Heavenly name, and (11) worshiping idols. Rabbi Isaac says, "the evil eye" [causes tzara'at]. And our rabbis add, "despising the study of Torah"
[the rabbis go giving textual proofs of each of those. Let's focus on two of those:]
Regarding the opinion of Rabbi Itzchak who says [tza'arat] is caused by the evil eye, when a person has a stingy nature and does not lend her utensils the Holy One of Blessing sends tza'arat to that person's house, and they have to take all the utensils outside, and then people say 'So-and-so, who did not lend her utensils and said she did not have them, look it here, she has them!' and about that person the text says: "his house will be revealed by a flood" (Job 20:28)... And an example of someone who "speaks falsely against his neighbor" is Moshe. When God told him to go to save Israel, he said: 'My Master, look, they do not believe in me" as it is said: "And they will not believe me" (Ex. 4:1). God said: Hey, Moshe, you already know that they don't believe you? They are believers who were brought up [lit. sired by] by believers! And you are telling Me they won't believe in you? Now "please put your hand into your bosom." And immediately "when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales!" (Ex. 4:6)
Orchot Tzadikim, originally named Sefer Ha-Middot by the anonymous author, is a book of Jewish ethical teachings. It was written in Germany in the middle ages (c.1400 - c.1500 CE)and it advocates improving one’s character and exercising balance in one’s life. You can find it completely translated in Sefaria.com and you can purchase the book from Amazon, under the title "Ways of the Tzaddikim". The translator is Shraga Silverstein.
היזהר בני מאוד מלשון הרע, כי בזה אתה מבייש עצמך. כי כל הפוסל – פסול. ואינו מדבר בשבחו של עולם, ודרכו לפסול בני אדם במומו (קידושין ע א), כי המום שיש בו הוא מונח כל היום בלבו, וכיון שהוא בלבו הוא מוציאו בפיו. כי כל אדם נבחן וניכר במעשיו. כיצד? אם תראה אדם שהוא רגיל לשבח נשים, ולדבר מהן תמיד – דע לך שהוא אוהב נשים. ואם הוא משבח מאכלים טובים ויין, ובזה רגיל – דע לך שהוא זולל וסובא. וכן בכל דבר. וראיה מהפסוק (תהלים קיט צז): "מה אהבתי תורתך, כל היום היא שיחתי" – בשביל שאני אוהב את התורה, לעולם אני מדבר בה. כי כל דבר שאדם אוהב בלבו – הוא מדבר בו תמיד.
Be very careful concerning gossip for with this you shame yourself. For he who finds others unworthy is himself unworthy, and he does not speak in praise of anyone, and his way is to find people unworthy with the fault that he himself possesses (Kiddushin 70a). For this fault of his is constantly on his mind and when he gossips he expresses it with his mouth. For every person can be tested and recognized by his deeds. How? When you see a man who is accustomed to praise women and to speak of them always, know that he loves women. And if he praises good food and wine and does so constantly, know that he is a glutton and a drunkard And so is it with everything. And proof of this you may find in the verse, "Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all day" (Ps. 119:97). Because I love the Torah, I always speak of it — since whatever a person loves in his heart, he lends to speak about always.
A gossip always seeks out the faults of people; he is like the flies who always rest on the dirty spot. If a man has boils, the flies will let the rest of the body go and sit on the boil. And thus it is with a gossiper. He overlooks all the good in a person and speaks only of the evil. There is a story about a certain man who went with a wise man in the field, and they saw a corpse. The man said, "How putrid this corpse is." And the wise man said, "How white are its teeth." Thus the wise man rebuked his companion and said in effect, "Why must you speak about its blemish; speak of its excellence, for one should always speak in commendation of the world."
If you see a person who speaks a word or does a deed which can be interpreted either favorably or unfavorably, then if he is a man who reveres God you are obliged to give him the benefit of the doubt, even if the unfavorable interpretation appears more likely. And if he is an ordinary person who guards himself from sin, but occasionally stumbles, it is still your duty to put doubt aside and decide his favor. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "He who judges his neighbor in the scale of merit is himself judged favorably" (Shabbath 127b). And this is a positive commandment in the Torah, as it is said, "But in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor" (Lev. 19:15). And if the matter inclines to the unfavorable interpretation, let it be with you as though there were a doubt and do not judge the man unfavorably. But if the man's deeds for the most part are evil, and you know that he is not one who reveres God in his heart, then you should put the unfavorable interpretation on his deeds and words.
~ This is all the more important because we see news all the time, news that ask and expect our reaction, news that are constantly looking for the evil on common people. But people are more often good than bad.
Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berdichiv was walking with his students, when they came across a man who was fixing his carriage while wearing his tallit and tefillin. The Chasidim stopped in their tracks and called: “Rebbe! That Jew is fixing his cart in the middle of prayer!” Rav Levi Yitzchak lifted his hands to the heavens and said: “Master of the Universe, look at your dear child: even while fixing his cart, he prays!”
פֶּסַח
פֶּה
שׂחַ
The festival of Pesach is really the festival in which we strive to use our mouths for building up, and not tearing down, the festival of being aware evermore of how our mouth (peh) talks (sach).
There is a teaching that connects each month of the calendar to a different human quality to be developed and grown. This month, Nisan, is connected to the quality of speech. To be able to talk is to be able to bring ideas into reality, to realize the potential of feelings into words, of images in our head into actual things that can be understood by others. Nisan is the first month, as we just read. It is the month when the Jewish people went from a group of families and tribes, who had the potential to become a nation an actual nation, identified by a common history and a common language. This transformation is the essence of Pesach: how we will transform our speech patterns into positive growth, for us and others. May we all strive, between cleaning, cooking and reviewing the haggadah, to find renewal, growth and transformation during this month.