It sounds pretty harsh! A person gets a white mark on their skin, and has to live in solitary confinement outside the town until it goes away. That is one of the main themes of the double Parsha we read this week, Tazria and Metzora. Perhaps because the early translators of the Torah did not study the Oral Torah, or maybe just ignored it, they translated tzara’at as leprosy, because it is a skin affliction which is contagious. But contrary to leper colonies, a person with tzara’at had to be completely alone, not able to live with others with the same affliction. In addition, tzara’at is an affliction that may affect a person’s skin, or a garment, or a house. Clearly not a contagious skin disease.
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Rambam in Mishneh Torah (Tum'at Tsara'at - Chapter 16) writes: “This change that affects[skin,] clothes and houses which the Torah described with the general term of tzara'at is not a natural occurrence. Instead it is a sign and a wonder prevalent among the Jewish people to warn them against Lashon hora, ‘undesirable speech.’" (For more elaboration, see paragraph 10 here.) As I started out, this seems harsh. A lesion on the skin leads to living in complete isolation.
Now there is an amazing mystical teaching about Tzara’at that speaks to this question. The Hebrew word that the Torah uses for the affliction ( mistranslated as “plague”) is “Negga” – letters nun gimel ayin. Those same letters when rearranged, ayin nun gimel, spell oneg - pleasure. How do we get from such a horrible affliction and punishment to pleasure?
One other point before we get to the answer. Tzara’at does not occur today. Our Sages explain that Tzara’at happened only at a time when people were more spiritually refined. So this is a big head-scratcher. Tzara’at brings a very harsh punishment, but only happens to people who are spiritually refined, and the affliction is actually related to pleasure. I have grappled with this paradox for a long time, and here is a short synopsis of what I understand from the teachings of our sages, especially from the teachings of Chassidus.
Hashem is a loving and compassionate G-d. He has given us a path in life that brings us meaning, satisfaction and joy, and has made us partners in creation. We are able to bring life and light to a dark world and enhance its spiritual beauty. If we stray from this path and instead of light we sow darkness, Hashem brings us reminders to correct us, to help us get back to our mission and bring us fulfillment in our own lives.
One of the most grievous sins is gossip – Lashon Hara. Lashon Hara brings division among people. The most important thing to bring light and goodness to the world is unity. The key to receive Hashem’s blessings is peace, and as the great sage Hillel says, loving your fellow is the key to the entire Torah. Lashon Hara causes strife and disturbs all of our work. In addition, if a person is struggling to overcome a spiritual challenge, when others highlight their shortcomings, it makes the struggle that much more difficult. Evil talk begins with evil thoughts.
When we look at others negatively and don’t judge favorably, this brings all kinds of strife. We never know what kind of challenges another person faces. We interpret events that we see through our own lens, and so often we completely misjudge a situation. A negative lens produces a negative interpretation, which leads to negative thoughts, negative talk, and ultimately strife and darkness. We have the choice, in all circumstances, to judge favorably. A positive lens leads to positive thoughts, positive speech, and to light, harmony and goodness.
In the days when the holy Temple stood on our Temple Mount thousands of years ago, it was possible to see miracles every day. Hashem’s light was revealed in the world and people were much more spiritually sensitive. But Lashon Hara is pervasive and extremely difficult to avoid. So if a person spoke Lashon Hara, a reminder in the form of a skin affliction would help. The person would be alone for a while where they could not cause strife with their words, and learn to be careful about what they said. The tzara’at would bring the person to Teshuva (repentance) and the Negga (affliction) caused by negative speech, would turn into Oneg (pleasure), brought about by a new attitude of positive thinking and speech.
Although today we don’t have tzara’at, and as our sages explain this is because today our issues are more than “skin deep” and it would not work as it did then, it behooves us to learn the lesson of tzara’at and recognize the terrible destructive power of Lashon Hara. A negative judgment about another, a small pejorative statement, can have devastating effects on the victim, the person saying the words, and the community as a whole. By making every effort to not allow any negative judgment of another to enter our minds and hearts, and by biting our tongue and closing our ears against any gossip, we are bringing ourselves, our loved ones and acquaintances and the entire world closer to true Oneg – the ultimate pleasure that comes about through peace and harmony.
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