Questions on Parshas Tazria to think about and discuss:

1. Why is there no tzoraas nowadays?
2. If the tzoraas comes as a punishment for speaking Loshon Hora then why are there so many different types of tzoraas for one sin?
3. What is the understanding that the final verdict to the appearance of tzoraas must be said only by a Kohen?
4. What is the connection between the different parts of Parshas Tazria – first it discusses the Yoledes, a woman after childbirth and then the different types of tzoraas (on the skin and on clothes)?
5. Can the metzorah when sent outside the camp to be alone, be together with other metzoroim or even there must remain alone?
6. We find the the signs of tuma by the tzoraas is the strong colour of white while by one type (the Neseck HoRosh ViZoken) the colour of black is a sign of tahara. Usually, the different colours each have a special connotation. White is associated with purity and tahara and black is assigned to representing evil and tuma. Why then by tzoraas do we find the colours represent the opposite – white is a sign of tuma and black tahara?
7. Why is there the need for three types of tzoraas on three different objects: people, clothes and buildings?
8. If a person sinned, he should get a punishment immediately. Why then are there in between periods when the person is locked up for seven days to then have his tzoraas reviewed?
9. What is the difference between Tzoraas and Negoim – the Mishnayos are called Negoim while the Rambam calls it Hilchos Tumas Tzoraas?
10. How many people can you name throughout Jewish History who had tzoraas?
11. What is the significance of the Kohen being needed to pronounce the state of the nega as opposed to any Talmid Chochom?
12. How many different types of Metzorois are there and what is the difference?
13. After childbirth (12:6) women bring korbonos – a sheep for an olah and a bird for a chatos. These korbonos are associated with sinning. What does a woman in childbirth do wrong to warrant the need for these sacrifices?
14. What is the significance that the time period of tuma for a woman after childbirth for a girl is double than that of a boy?
15. What is the significance that bris mila is on the eighth day?
16. What does a metzora have to say to people and why?
17. What did a metzora look like?
18. What is the smallest size of a nega?
19. What are the four shades of white that are tomei?
20. The Gemora (Nedorim 64b) brings that a metzora is considered as a dead person. How are we to understand this?
21. How are we to understand that when a metzora is totally covered with white negoim he is pure?
22. Can a metzora push off his sentence?
23. What are the seven different types of tzoraas that can appear on a person? What is the significance of these being seven?

Ideas for answers:

1. Tzoraas was a punishment that was special. It showed clearly the direct result of sin. This can only work for people who are on a high spiritual level who will take this message to heart and repent. However, nowadays we are on such a low spiritual level that we are almost all guilty of Loshon Hora and we would not be able to all be sent away! It is because of this lowly situation that this blessing in disguise of tzoraas was taken away from us nowadays. (See Ramban, 13:47 and Alshich, 13:2.) Chafetz Chaim (Shaar HaZechira 6) answers that since we do not have a Beis HaMikdash and are unable to sacrifice the proper Korbanos which are necessary for the purification of the Metzora, Hashem has mercy on us and has removed the phenomenon of Tzaraas from our midst. Hashem does not want to place a punishment upon us, from which we can not cleanse ourselves.
2. Even though there is one sin of Loshon Hora, yet there are seven types of tzoraas on people. (This is one opinion in the Gemaro Erchin 15b-16a. The other opinion is that it came for seven sins in which case it is understood why the punishment was with seven different tzoraas, one for each sin. There is even an opinion in the Midrash that it came because of ten sins.) This can be understood based on the principle that each person is made up of different characteristics. Just like no face is the same so too the make up of each person. This means that the way the sin is done internally is different for each person. This is why the tzaddikim are judged kichut hasaira, like a hairbreadth, while reshoyim are judged less severely. Since tzoraas is a spiritual type of punishment it therefore has different manifestations to different people based on their spiritual level. These levels are split into seven levels and reflected in the seven different types of tzoraas on people.
3. There is the principle of midda kineged midda, meaning that Hashem will pay the person back in the same way as he acts. The tzoraas is caused by the sin of Loshon Hora, speech. Therefore the punishment is that it requires the speech of the Kohen to pronounce the verdict. Since this is a spiritual illness, instead of a doctor being involved, the Kohanim, the spiritual elite of the people (as seen in that they are chosen to do the avoda in the Beis Hamikdosh) are the ones who tell the affected man what to do. In the same vein, the purpose of his evil speech was to provoke argument and get people to separate from each other. His punishment is therefore to be sent outside all three camps to be alone and separate from other people.
4. The connection and theme of Parshas Tazria 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 Yoledes and the Metzorah. (This theme is continued into the next parsha, Parshas Metzorah, that again discusses tzoraas of houses and Zovim.)
5. We find in the haftora of Parshas Metzorah that four Metzoroim were together by the entrance gates and had a discussion, etc. We see from here that they can stick together with fellow metzoroyim and only need to remain separate from everyone else.
7. Even though there is one sin of Loshon Hora, the punishment comes in stages and on different things. Each stage is a warning that if it goes unheeded then the punishment continues. It comes from outside, affecting first his house continues and works inwards. It comes closer, appearing on clothes and then eventually on the skin of the person himself!
8. The idea of tzoraas is a spiritual sign for a person to repent. This explains why there exists the possibility of teshuva even after the tzoraas appears. This is the idea of hesger, locking up the tzoraas before the kohen pronounces a final verdict.
9. R’ Shimshon Refoel Hirsch (Tazria, 13:2) explains the difference between Negoim and Tzoraas. Negoim refers to a punishment seen to have been clearly decreed by Hashem, meaning that it appears as being out of the ordinary. The word נגע comes from נגוע, “touched”. Tzoraas is where what is internal comes out and is seen externally.
10. נעמן, גחזי, מרים…
11. Perhaps since negoim is a clear spiritual illness it therefore requires the tribe with Kohanim. They were selected to be the most spiritual as seen in them being allowed to work in the Beis Hamikdosh. Since we are dealing with spiritual matters, it requires a spiritual announcement by a Kohen and not merely knowledge.
12. Two. There is a metzora “musger“, who is locked up to see what will happen to his nega that does not have definite signs of tuma. There is the metzora “muchlet” whose nega shows definite signs of tuma and is immediately sent outside the camp. (See the differences between them in the Mishna Megilla 8b.)
13. The Ibn Ezra brings that in the pain of childbirth the woman may have sinned in thought requiring the olah and may have sworn verbally needing a chatos. Rabbeinu Bechai brings that it is for the sin of chava that involved thought and action and resulted in the punishment of pain by childbirth.
14. A woman contains in addition to herself the possibility of having another being inside her – a baby. Therefore, in a certain sense she is double.
15. The number seven symbolises nature while eight signifies the supernatural…
16. A metzora must call out to people that he is tomei. They in turn should feel pity for him and daven to Hashem to heal him.
17. He resembled a mourner. He covered his head and face with torn clothing. He could not greet people nicely and could not have haircuts or wash.
18. The size of a gris that is 6 hairs by six hairs making 36 hairs.
19. snow white, white as lime, like wool and like the white of an egg.
20. A metzora needs to live outside the camp and is in seclusion with other restrictions. In a certain sense, his sense of life in certain areas is “dead”.
21. The Tur explains that since it is spread all over the person this is a sign that it is healing instead of entering the skin deeply in a few places.
22. Rashi (13:14) brings that sometimes the final verdict is postponed and gives an example of a choson who has a nega during the seven days of sheva brochos.