Questions on Parshas Metzorah to think about and discuss:

1. What is the theme and connection between the different parts of Parshas Metzorah?
2. There are three categories of tzoraas – on people, clothes and houses. The first two appear in the previous parsha of Tazria. Why does the third category of houses appear separate from the other two in a separate parsha with the purification process of the metzorah separating between the other tzoraas?
3. In what way is the tzoraas on walls different to the tzoraas on people and clothes and how are we to understand this?
4. What is the process for the purification of the metzorah and why is it different to all other types of purification?
5. Tzoraas comes due to sinning. How then can it lead to revealing treasures behind the broken wall stones, what seems like a reward?
6. What lies behind the name tzoraas?
7. What lies behind the name “Metzora”?
8. What do we have to be careful with when illustrating to others about tzoraas?
9. Where from Parshas Metzora do we find how we have to be careful about other peoples’ possessions?
10. How many people who had tzoraas in the Torah can you think of?
11. In a leap year, (like 5776), Parshas Metzora falls as the week before Pesach. How is this significant?
12. What are the three levels of increasing purity to the “mechusar kepurim”?
13. Is tzoraas something beneficial for a person?
14. How is the tzoraas of houses in Parshas Metzorah different to the tzoraas on a person and on clothes?
15. Why is the purification process of the person who has tzoraas on his body only mentioned at the beginning of Parshas Metzorah separated by the tzoraas on clothes?

Ideas for answers:

1. The connection and theme of Parshas Metzorah is Mechuser Kippurim, people who become tomai and despite going to the mikva and waiting until nightfall, they still need to bring a korban the next day. These include the Metzorah and Zovim.
3. Some unique things that apply only to the tzoraas on the walls of houses. It requires a larger size, two grisim, that is 72 hairs (twelve rows of six hairs instead of one gris of 36 hairs like the others). Something good could come from it – treasures were found behind the walls smashed down! Another condition for tzoraas was that the appearance must look set in to the wall. The possible number of weeks for locking up the house with the tzoraas was three weeks.
6. The Targum of “tzoraas” is “siguru” that means “closed”. This expresses that tzoraas comes and spiritually “closes off” a person.
7. The word “metzora” is a contraction of “moitzi ra” meaning someone who brings out (of his mouth) evil (words) and this is punished with tzoraas.
8. Rava says that one must not demonstrate two things on one’s own body – shechting and tzoraas as then there could be the danger of it actually happening to that person. (See Rashi to Gittin 57b).
9. Rashi (14:36) brings that before the Kohen would see and pronounce a tuma nega that appeared on the walls of a house, the owner should empty out all his possessions, so that his earthenware pots will not need to be broken.
10. In the Torah it is Miriam (and Aaron – see Gemora Shabbos 97a) and Moshe’s hand (Shemos, 4:6). Paro used the babies blood for a bath to cure him being a metzorah (Rashi, Shemos, 2:23).
11. The Biur Halacha (428:4) brings that since we read about the breaking of earthenware pots (Metzora, 15:12) this is the same idea of hagolas keilim where we can to remove chometz.
12. The “mechusar kepurim” would first count seven days and immerse himself in a mikva and then is permitted to eat maaser. Then by nightfall he can eat teruma and the next day after bringing his sacrifices he can eat kodshim.
13. Tzoraas is beneficial to a person. It is like a father disciplining his child where the punishment is out of love and comes to make the son repent from his evil actions. The tzoraas make a person repent and this is seen in the tzoraas disappearing and being allowed back into camp.
14. The size of the tzoraas by houses is twice the size of those on people and on clothes. Instead of one gris (36 hairs) it two grisim (72 hairs). Additionally, only by the tzoraas of houses can there be the locking of of the nega for three weeks.