מצורע // בדד ישב מחוץ למחנה מושבו

And Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra says: Anyone who speaks malicious speech will be afflicted by leprous marks coming upon him, as it is stated: “Whoever defames his neighbor in secret, I will destroy him [atzmit]; whoever is haughty of eye and proud of heart, I will not suffer him” (Psalms 101:5). And it is written there: “And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity [letzmitut]; for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and settlers with Me” (Leviticus 25:23). And we translate this term letzmitut as laḥalutin, in perpetuity or confirmed. Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra continues: And we learned in a mishna (Megilla 8b): The difference between a quarantined leper, i.e., one examined by a priest who found his symptoms inconclusive, and who must therefore remain in isolation for a period of up to two weeks to see if conclusive symptoms develop, and a confirmed [muḥlat] leper, one whose symptoms were conclusive and the priest declared him a definite leper, is only with regard to letting the hair on one’s head grow wild and rending one’s garments. A confirmed leper is obligated to let the hair on his head grow wild and rend his garments; a quarantined leper is not. The similarity in the terms teaches that one who speaks malicious speech will be afflicted with leprous marks.

Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish [disagreed]. Rabbi Yochanan said, it is forbidden to walk within four cubits to the east of a metzora, and Rabbi Shimon said even one hundred cubits. They did not [in fact] disagree -- the one who said four cubits [referred to] a time when the wind is not blowing, and the one who said one hundred, [referred to] a time that the wind is blowing. Rabbi Meir would not eat in the offshoots of the alley of a metzora. Rabbi Amei and Rabbi Asei would not ascend to the alley of a metzora. Reish Lakish when he saw one of them was in the city, he stoned them with stones and said to them "Go to your place and do not stink up [the outside/creation]. As Rabbi Chiya taught (Leviticus 13:46) - "Alone he shall dwell" - on his own he shall dwell. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon saw one of them and hid from them, as it is written: "This is the law of the metzora" - the one who brings out a bad name [MoTzi shem Ra]

The practice of wildness and rending of a metsora and all who render a person impure: That a metsora act like the statute written in the section of the Torah, as it is stated (Leviticus 13:45), "his clothes shall be rent, his head shall be wild." And likewise, all other impure ones must let themselves be known. And the language of Sifra, Tazria, Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 12:9 is "One who is impure from a dead body, one who has intercourse with a menstruant and all who render a person impure - from where [do I know they are included? Hence] we learn to say, '"impure, impure," he shall call out' (Leviticus 13:45)." And the calling is that he should do a matter in his body that people will recognize about him that he is impure and veer away from him. It is from the root of the commandment that he take his distancing from people as an example for his soul. As a person is distanced from all good as a result of sin, in order that he will repent from his evil way. And this is [the meaning] of their, may their memory be blessed saying (Arakhin 16b), "With evil speech, he separated a man from his wife and a man from his fellow. And therefore his tent is outside of the camp." And therefore it is fitting that he should call to every man that they veer away from him. And the general principle in all things is "With the measure that a man measures, [so] will he be measured" (Sotah 8b). And many do not know the understanding of this thing. As they think to explain this thing with God, may He be blessed, modeled on the recompense of men - that each one will recompense his fellow according to the good that he did by him, or according to the bad [that he did]. But the matter is not like this with God, blessed be He, - God forbid. As there is always only kindness and mercy with God, blessed be He; and His goodness is ready at every instant and every hour for all who are fitting to receive it. And 'the Guardian of Israel does not slumber and does not sleep.' [Rather] the intention of that which they, may their memory be blessed said about Him, blessed be He, "With the measure that a man measures, [so] will he be measured," is to say that according to the action of a man - whether for the good or the opposite - will he be set to receive recompense. As always in the same manner that a person sets his thoughts and does his actions - in that exact mold - will blessing or its opposite be drawn to him. And so does the verse state, "For He does not oppress from His heart, nor bring grief to man" (Lamentations 3:33). And it is also written, "For You are not a God who desires wickedness, etc." (Psalms 5:5) - meaning to say that God, may He be blessed, does not obligate liability to any creature from His desire for the liability, as the good God always desires good. Rather, it is a man who makes himself liable in his moving from righteousness; and [so] removes from himself the preparations that allow him to receive the good. And the parable for this is the one who walks on a straight path that is free of stones and from anything that makes one stumble, but there is a hedge of thorns from this [side] and from that [side]. And one went and rubbed the hedge and was hurt - truthfully, one cannot say about this man that God desired his hurt. [Rather,] he was the cause, since he was not careful to walk straight. And so too, with one who sins, it is the attribute of justice that makes him liable for his sin regardless. And one cannot say that the good God desired his liability. [Rather,] in his preventing himself from the good, from the angle of his sin, did evil become [drawn] found to him. And similar to this thing did they, may their memory be blessed, say - "No evil thing descends from Above" (Bereshit Rabbah 51:3). And the general principle of our words is that every bad event that happens to a man is an action that happens to a man by God, may He be blessed, hiding His face from the man - meaning to say, that God, may He be blessed, removes His guarding from upon him, from the angle of his sin, until he receives the fitting punishment according to his sin. And then He commands His angels to guard him, as at first. And [it is] as it is written (Deuteronomy 31:17), "And I will hide My face from them and they will be for food, and many evils and troubles will find them; and they will say on that day, 'It is because our God is not among us, they found us, etc.'" And one sage wrote, "We know that God is one and the change [only] comes from the recievers. And God will not change His deeds, as they are all with wisdom" (Sefer Kuzari 4:3).

Rabbi Abbahu said: An allusion to the marking of graves may be derived from here: “And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry: Impure, impure” (Leviticus 13:45). This verse teaches that impurity cries out to the passerby and tells him: Remove yourself. The leper must inform others of his status so that they know not to come into contact with him and thereby maintain their ritual purity. So too, in our case, graves must be marked so that others will know to avoid them and prevent contracting ritual impurity. And similarly, Rabbi Uzziel, grandson of Rabbi Uzziel the Great, said: Impurity cries out to the passerby and tells him: Remove yourself. The Gemara asks: But with regard to this verse, does it come to teach this idea? That verse is needed for that which is taught in the following baraita: “And he shall cry: Impure, impure”; this teaches that the leper must inform the public of his distress, and the public will pray for mercy on his behalf. The Gemara answers: If it is so that the verse comes to teach only one idea, let it write: And he shall cry: Impure. What is to be derived the repetition of impure, impure? Learn from this reiteration two ideas: First, that the leper must inform the public of his pain so that others will pray on his behalf, and second, that he must warn the public to stay away so that they avoid coming into contact with him and contracting ritual impurity.