Questions on Parshas Metzorah to think about and discuss:
What is the theme and connection between the different parts of Parshas Metzorah?
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?
In what way is the tzoraas on walls different to the tzoraas on people and clothes and how are we to understand this?
What is the process for the purification of the metzorah and why is it different to all other types of purification?
Tzoraas comes due to sinning. How then can it lead to revealing treasures behind the broken wall stones, what seems like a reward?
What lies behind the name tzoraas?
What lies behind the name “Metzora”?
What do we have to be careful with when illustrating to others about tzoraas?
Where from Parshas Metzora do we find how we have to be careful about other peoples’ possessions?
How many people who had tzoraas in the Torah can you think of?
In a leap year, (like 5776), Parshas Metzora falls as the week before Pesach. How is this significant?
What are the three levels of increasing purity to the “mechusar kepurim”?
Is tzoraas something beneficial for a person?
How is the tzoraas of houses in Parshas Metzorah different to the tzoraas on a person and on clothes?
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:
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.
The idea of why there are three types is because they came as warnings from far to close. It starts with appearing on the house. If they person does not get this message it then comes nearer and comes onto his clothes until it comes onto his body. (Perhaps it then starts on the body and then goes up to his head affecting his hair and beard.) Why then does it appear in the parsha in the opposite order – person, clothes and building? Perhaps because it goes according to the order of what happens most frequently. See the Ramban about the clothing that the clothing and body tzoraas can even appear outside of Eretz Yisroel, while those on building only appeared in Eretz Yisroel. Additionally, there are more types of tzoraas on the body hence it is mentioned first. This would also explain the separation between the tzoraas on body and clothing in Parshas Tazria by themselves since these both can appear in all countries. However, the tzoraas on buildings is mentioned separately since it only applies in Eretz Yisroel. As to the reason why it appears after the purification process for tzoraas, perhaps this is because like Rashi brings that the tzoraas on building could actually be for a blessing! It would reveal the hidden treasures from the conquered nations and therefore this would not require any purification!
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.
Note that the possuk here uses the word כנגע that means “like a nega”. This is because this tzoraas could be either for the good to reveal hidden treasures or as a punishment. Alternatively, we find this same idea of how a punishment can also be a reward by the spies. Outwardly, these forty years were a punishment – one year for each of the forty days that the spies went and then gave a bad report about Eretz Yisroel. However, an inner reason is that it was actually for their benefit! Rashi to Tehilim (68:11) brings: “You prepare with your goodness – When they left Egypt, You led them around in the desert for forty years because the Canaanites rose and cut down the trees. During the interim, when they tarried in the desert, they rose and rectified it all.” The same here.
The Targum of “tzoraas” is “siguru” that means “closed”. This expresses that tzoraas comes and spiritually “closes off” a person.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
