Bar-Ilan University Parshat Hashavua Study Center Parshat Metzora 5779/April 13, 2019

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1 Bar-Ilan University Parshat Hashavua Study Center Parshat Metzora 5779/April 13, 2019 This series of faculty lectures on the weekly Parsha is made possible by the Department of Basic Jewish Studies, the Paul and Helene Shulman Basic Jewish Studies Center, the Office of the Campus Rabbi, Bar- Ilan University's International Center for Jewish Identity and the Computer Center Staff at Bar-Ilan University. Please feel free to like our facebook page: For inquiries, contact Avi Woolf at: Tzara`at Zechariah Dori * Some of the affections and defilements mentioned in the readings of Tazria and Metzora come from the outside and attack the body and various objects, e.g., tzara`at (commonly, leprosy; rendered by Saadia Gaon as vratz), baheret (discoloration) and sapahat (rash); while others issue from the human body, such as an emission of semen or a discharge of menstrual blood or other bleeding. The priests in the Tabernacle and the Temple were charged with identifying these affections and curing them, overseeing issues of purity and impurity, and maintaining a hygienic environment so that your camp shall be holy (Deut. 23:15). This article focuses * PhD from the Jewish History Department. Originally published in Hebrew in 2016; this translation has not been reviewed by the author. 1

2 primarily on tzara`at and associated illnesses: raised scabbing on the skin, or blisters, and possibly smallpox. Sapahat Psoriasis: a disease in which skin cells reproduce too quickly, forming scales and red patches on the skin, sometimes also with the appearance of pussy infections. The disease is caused by cells in the immune system that attack skin cells. It is treated today by administering a cocktail of medications and exposing affected areas to ultraviolet radiation and solar radiation at the Dead Sea. Baheret Vitiligo: a disease in which white blotches appear on the skin due to melanin pigment being destroyed, apparently by charged molecules known as free radicals which appear to destroy the mechanism for producing melanin pigment. Tanning can arrest the spread of the disease. The author of this article has successfully tried applying a paste made from the leaves of Withania somnifera (commonly known as Ashwaganda, or winter cherry), which salve is then applied to the affected area with a dressing. Tzara`at Leprosy: an ancient disease, widespread throughout the world. The patient is said to be leprous (Heb: tzaru`a or metzor`a), and the disease itself is called Hansen s Disease, after the person who discovered its cause. Improvement of the microscope and advancements in bacteriological research by the Frenchman Louis Pasteur and the German Robert Coch, in the mid-19 th century, led to discovery of the bacillus that causes leprosy. At first the Norwegian doctor Daniel Cornelius Danielssen ( ) thought it was a hereditary disease, since entire families afflicted with leprosy had come to him for treatment, but he himself had not become infected. With the aid of a microscope, however, his son-in-law Gerhard-Henrik Armauer Hansen ( ) discovered that the cells of people with leprosy contained bacteria that were not present in healthy persons. In 1884 an experiment was run with the consent of the subject, in which Mycobacterium leprae, the bacillus thought to cause leprosy, was injected into a murderer who had been sentenced to death and his sentence commuted for the purposes of the experiment. The subject indeed came down with leprosy. Further progress in research on leprosy was made by Prof. Shaul Adler ( ), from the School of Medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He infected laboratory animals with Mycobacterium leprae after having weakened their immune system, and indeed they came down with leprosy. In conclusion, leprosy is caused by bacteria that attack the body, and it erupts when the immune system is deficient. For many years it was thought to have no cure, but in the mid-20 th century it was discovered that a combination of medications administered over the course of several months can improve the patient s condition. The difficulty is that the disease is only discovered after the bacteria have been incubating in the body for 2

3 several years. The disease presents as skin lesions and damage to nerve ends and mucous membranes by the bacteria and their poisons, and aside from exterior contamination, it causes thickening, swelling, and pealing of the skin. The disease attacks not only humans but also other mammals such as monkeys, rabbits, mice, and even armadillos. It is transmitted by coughing and sneezing of the person carrying the leprosy bacillus. Leprosy in the Bible Words in the Bible that are derived from Tzara`at, the Hebrew word for leprosy, include not only metzora and tzarua, denoting the people afflicted with leprosy, but also various proper nouns relating to leprosy: the pejorative name of the mother of Jeroboam son of Nebat a widow whose name was Zeruah (I Kings 11:26); the place name Zorah, mentioned in the story of Samson The spirit of the Lord first moved him in the encampment of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol (Judges 13:25); denoting lineage from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites (I Chron. 2:53), and the Zorites (I Chron. 2:54); the name of an insect with a harmful sting the tzir`ah or wasp. The Arabic root denotes delivering a blow or killing, as in Zorah and Eshtaol the cites where Samson and Saul fought the Philistines. Signs of tzara`at and the reasons for its appearance The priest is the one who examines the type of affection to determine if it shows the signs of leprosy: The priest shall examine the affection on the skin of his body: if hair in the affected patch has turned white and the affection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous affection; when the priest sees it, he shall pronounce him unclean (Lev. 13:3). In the Bible, leprosy is associated with miracles and with retribution for improper behavior. There is leprosy that lasts a person s entire life, and leprosy that comes for a specific and rapidly elapsing period, such as the afflictions that the Lord brought upon various figures, as set forth below: Pharaoh s leprosy for attempted illicit sexual relations (Gen. 12:17). Moses leprosy for speaking ill of the Israelites: What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me? (Ex. 4:1). Miriam s leprosy for speaking ill of Moses regarding his Kushite wife and for saying, Has He not spoken through us as well? (Num. 12:2). 3

4 The leprosy of Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, for his crude behavior, stemming from his hubris. In contrast to the king of Israel, the prophet Elisha exhibited national pride when he sent to Naaman, saying, Let him come to me, and he will learn that there is a prophet in Israel (II Kings 5:8). Nor did he desire any recompense for curing Naaman of his leprosy. The prophet sanctified G-d s name and also enhanced the standing of the Jordan River over the rivers of Damascus. The leprosy of Gehazi, Elisha s attendant, who chased after Naaman to take money for the cure he Naaman had received and who lied in the name of the prophet, thereby wiping out the impression made by Elisha s words. The prophet learned prophetically of Gehazi s action and cursed him for it: Surely, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever. And as [Gehazi] left his presence, he was snow-white with leprosy (II Kings 5:27). Later on we are told that in the time of Ahab the Arameans laid siege to the city of Samaria, and there was famine in the city. Four lepers stood at the city gates, and the Lord caused the Arameans who were laying siege to the city hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses the din of a huge army and they fled headlong in the twilight (II Kings 7:6-7). The lepers brought the king tidings of the Arameans flight and thus brought great salvation. Rashi comments that the four people were Gehazi and his sons. The leprosy of Uzziah, king of Judah. Due to his military victories, great construction projects and development of agriculture he became strong, and when he was strong, he grew so arrogant he acted corruptly: he trespassed against his G-d by entering the Temple of the Lord to offer incense on the incense altar. The priest Azariah, with eighty other brave priests of the Lord said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord, Uzziah got angry; but as he got angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead beside the incense altar King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death (II Chron. 26:17-21). We see that often leprosy came as punishment from heaven. On this the gemara remarks (Arakhin 16a): Rabbi Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Johanan: Because of seven things the plague of leprosy is incurred: [These are:] slander, the shedding of blood, vain oath, incest, arrogance, robbery and envy. For slander, as it is written, He who slanders his friend in secret I will destroy (Ps. 105:5). For bloodshed, as it is written, May the house of Joab never be without someone suffering from a discharge or an eruption (II Sam. 3:29). For a vain oath, as it is written, Naaman said, Please take two talents (II Kings 5:23), and it is written, Surely, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to 4

5 you (II Kings 5:27). For incest, as it is written, But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with mighty plagues (Gen. 12:17). For arrogance, as it is written, When he was strong, he grew so arrogant he acted corruptly: he trespassed against his G-d and leprosy broke out on his forehead (II Chron. 26:16, 19). For robbery, as it is written, The priest shall order the house cleared (Lev. 14:36), in connection with which a Tanna taught: Because he had gathered money that was not his own, the priest comes and scatters it. And for envy, as it is written, The owner of the house shall come [and tell the priest, saying, Something like a plague has appeared upon my house ] (Lev. 14:35), referring to which the school of Rabbi Ishmael taught: He who would reserve his house for himself. Leprosy is considered one of the harsher judgments: Then the Lord sent a plague upon the people (Ex. 32:35) this teaches us that three severe judgments were passed against them: plague, execution, and leprosy (Midrash ha-gadol, Exodus 32:35). Lepers as the bringers of tidings The gemara recounts that on the Israelites journey to the land of Israel, approaching from the east, still on the other side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, there were two lepers bringing up the rear of the Israelite encampment. The Amorites made themselves caves in the mountains near the ford of the Arnon stream and hid there, saying: When the Israelites cross here, we will kill them. But they did not know that the Ark of the Lord flattened mountains before them. As the Ark approached, the mountains stuck one to the other, killing the Amorites, and their blood flowed into the Arnon stream. Tidings of this miracle were discovered by the two lepers, and they relayed it to the Israelites. For this the Israelites sang songs of thanksgiving (Berakhot 54a-b; also cf. II Kings 7). Types of leprosy in the Bible Leprosy of the skin: bald or scaly patches of eruption on the skin or in the hair or beard. Leprosy of wool or linen fabric or leather items: if an affection spreads on these, then they must be consigned to fire, but if it does not spread, the items are treated by washing and quarantine for seven days. Leprosy of buildings: An eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess (Lev. 14:34) a spreading affection in the wake of which the affected stones must be extracted and removed from the city, the openings in the wall then rebuilt and re-plastered. After this treatment, if the affection spreads then the house must be demolished and its stones 5

6 removed from the city. Anyone who sleeps or eats in an affected house must wash his clothes. As we said, leprosy on a living body is caused by bacteria. But how does leprosy affect a garment, processed leather, or a stone house? Apparently, these are affected differently from living creatures, and as described: the plague in the walls of the house is found to consist of greenish or reddish streaks that appear to go deep into the wall (Lev. 14:37). I think that here we are dealing with various sorts of moss, lichen and algae, and the redness is caused by their sporangium. These plants eat away at the walls of the house. The Torah here takes maximal precaution to preserve hygiene by removing the affected parts of the wall. Tzara`at in the Bible is different from Hansen s Disease, also known as leprosy, in several respects. In the Bible the disease can appear suddenly and be cured of its own accord in a short time. The hair turns white or may even fall out, whereas with Hansen s Disease the hair does not change color. Hansen s Disease is caused only by bacteria, whereas tzara`at in the Bible is of uncertain cause and remains an obscure mystery, studied but little. Treatment of the leper in the Bible The first treatment given the leper was to examine the affection; if it was found to be leprous, the person would be isolated outside the camp. The priest would go outside the camp to examine the patient. A leper who had recovered from his illness himself was required to launder his clothes, shave his hair and wash his body reasonable hygienic measures. The objectives of the additional actions of purification are less self-evident. The priest would take two live birds (house sparrows), slaughter one of them over fresh water in an earthen vessel, then into the blood he would dip a piece of cedar wood, hyssop, crimson stuff, and the live bird, and then sprinkle this seven times on him who is to be cleansed. Afterwards, he would set the live bird free. Since tzara`at was thought to come because of one s sins, the person being cleansed had to bring a guilt offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering and a meal offering. Isolation and quarantine A person with leprosy was stigmatized as unclean. He was shunned from society, would sit on the side and observe practices of mourning, degradation and sorrow, as it is written, As for the person with a leprous affection, his clothes shall be rent [save for women], his hair shall be let loose, and he shall cover over his upper lip [with a head covering]; and he shall call out, Unclean! Unclean! (Lev. 13:45). In other words, when other persons would come near the leper, he had to announce that he is unclean. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, lepers were sent out of the camp, and when they were living in their own 6

7 land, lepers were distanced from their homes, as with the lepers at the gates of Samaria. Similarly, in modern times lepers in European countries were forbidden to marry, had to wear identifying clothing, and even had to go around with a bell that they would ring to announce their presence. In various eras lepers were kept in special hospitals, and in the land of Israel there were lepers neighborhoods near the Jewish Quarter in the Old City and in the neighborhood of Talbiye, in Jerusalem. These, however, no longer exist because there are so few lepers and because medical treatment of the disease has progressed. Translated by Rachel Rowen 7