Tzaraath
Encyclopedia
The Hebrew noun tzaraath (Hebrew
צרעת, Romanized
Tiberian Hebrew
ṣāraʻaṯ and numerous variants of English
transliteration
, including tzaraas, tzaraat, tsaraas and tsaraat) describes a disfigurative condition mainly referred to in chapters 13-14 of Leviticus
, as well as conditions equivalent to be "mildew" on clothes and houses.
Tzaraath affects both animate as well as inanimate objects; the Hebrew Bible
discusses tzaraath that afflicts humans, clothing and houses.
; it is quite possible that tzaraath was a general term for certain types of skin disease, rather than a particular condition, and the Talmud
maintains a similar view, arguing that tzaraath referred generally to any disease that produces sores and eruptions on the skin.
and Gentile proselytes, translates the term with Greek lepra (λέπρα), from which the cognate "leprosy
" was traditionally used in English Bibles. The classical Greek term lepra is primarily used only of skin diseases and not rot and mildew. The JPS Tanakh translates it as a "scaly affection" in Leviticus 13:2.
identifies three manifestations of tzaraath: as an affliction of human skin, (Leviticus 13:2) of garments (Leviticus 13:47) and of houses (Leviticus 14:34). The Torah also speaks of tzaraath on two other occasions, one in reference to Moses
and the other in reference to his sister, Miriam. In Exodus 4:6-7, when Moses is standing before the burning bush
, he doubts that the sages who lead Israel
will believe that he is the messenger of God. God provides him with two signs to prove his mission: turning his rod into a snake and then back into a rod and turning his hand into being stricken with tzaraath and then back again. Moses revealed these wonders to the sages in Exodus 4:30.
In Numbers 12:10, Miriam was stricken with tzaraath for her involvement in slandering Moses. Aaron
asks Moses to cure her via extraordinary means, because he claims that he, as her own brother, cannot examine, confine or purify her. Moses prays for his sister and she is cured of the tzaraath but must remain in confinement for seven days. The Torah, however, does not indicate that she went through any purification process similar to what is normally required, as elaborated on below.
According to some the three subdivisions of skin tzaraath are best left transliterated, rather than translated, because there are no equivalent English terms and any attempt to translate them greatly diminishes the distinctiveness and focus of the Hebrew term. Though this is not the view of the Jewish Publication Society nor of the Bible Society
. Additionally, a diagnosis of tzaraath is not to be performed by anyone but a kohen (member of the priestly caste).
Some say the manifestation of tzaraath is termed a negah (נגע) "spiritual disease" or literally "a memory," nega'im (plural: נגעים) and there are three varieties of nega'im that relate to human flesh:
Whereas baldness is not a form of tzaraath, patches that occur on a bald scalp may be tzaraath if they meet the criteria as mentioned by the Torah
. Such an eruption on a bald scalp must appear in a distinct fashion but is regulated by rules similar to that of nega'im on the skin; however, it can only occur on men. For a scalp eruption to be tzaraath, the lesion must be a white patch tinged with red (נגע לבן אדמדם). This can occur in one of two places: within what are referred to as a man's posterior baldness (קרחת) and anterior baldness (גבחת).
If someone cuts off some skin or a part of his body to remove a negah, he becomes impure, even if he had no confirming signs. He may become pure only after another negah forms. The exception is when a negah appears on the tip of the foreskin
and is cut off during circumcision
, which is permitted, because a positive commandment overrides a negative commandment.
, blunt force trauma or thermal insult to the skin, are not tzaraath and do not carry impurity. During the healing phases of these wounds, however, if certain signs that mimic those of the aforementioned patches appear, tzaraath may occur. Confirmation is by the occurrence of one of two signs:
, scalp and beard nega'im are characterized by hair loss without any change to the skin of the bald spot The Tosefta
, however, maintains that the skin of the bald spot does indeed become altered in a negah. There are two confirming signs:
for determining whether or not the skin eruption is indeed tzaraath. The individual with the eruption must visit a kohen
, who is a male possessing direct lineage to Aaron
, who was the High Priest
and brother of Moses
. The kohen, trained in examining lesions and diagnosing tzaraath, will examine the lesion and determine whether or not it meets the specifications of tzaraath. Specifically, he will evaluate the lesion for the criteria mentioned above, except of course for the final criterion of spreading, which can only be diagnosed at a follow-up examination, should one be necessary. If during the initial examination, the characteristics of the lesion meet the criteria for tzaraath, the kohen will declare the individual tamei (טמא, "ritually impure") (Leviticus 13:3, 20, 25, 30)
If the criteria are not met by the lesion during the initial examination by the kohen, the individual is confined in his home for seven days, pending a follow-up examination (Leviticus 13:4, 21, 26, 31) If the criteria for tzaraath are again not met and the lesion has not spread, there is a difference in protocol depending of the type of lesion.
After the second confinement period of seven days, both those with patches on the skin as well as those with bald patches are re-evaluated once more. If the criteria for tzaraath have still not been met, the afflicted individual is declared tahor (טהר, "ritually pure"). He or she, does, however, have to wash both his or her body and garments; due to the confinement, he or she is considered impure in some sense.
If the negah was declared ritually pure and later it spread, it must be shown once again to a kohen, who will then declare it tzaraath.
There are many other regulations regarding the inspection:
If, however, the criteria for tzaraath have been met, either during the initial exam or at either of the two follow-ups (when applicable) or even after a previous declaration of purity, the individual is declared tamei (טמא, "ritually impure"). The individual is declared impure even if the lesion did not worsen or spread but remained the same—the skin eruption must become dimmer in appearance for it to be declared pure at the second follow-up examination.
Commentary on Leviticus 3:45).
The metzorah remains confined outside of the community until his tzaraath vanishes—the metzorah is evaluated by a kohen, who leaves the community to examine them. When the kohen observes the resolution of the tzaraath, he begins a procedure that ultimately reverses the impure status of the metzorah (Leviticus 14:4)
The items used in the purification ritual were specifically included to deliver a message to the metzorah. Although many sins may lead to this punishment, the most predominant sin to cause tzaraath is lashon hara
(an "evil tongue"), to talk derogatorily about others consistently to his friends is likened to birds, who chatter endlessly (Talmud Arachin 16b). In a similar vein, the one who speaks ill of others is haughty, holding himself or herself high above others and is likened to the tall cedar. To be healed, the metzorah must erase arrogance, making themselves lowly like a worm. This is a play on words -- the word tola'as (תולעת) means both "red" and "worm." - or a hyssop.
Spring water is placed in an earthenware vessel, over which one of the birds is slaughtered and into which the blood is allowed to run. The kohen then dips the remaining bird and other items into the bloodied water and sprinkles the metzorah seven times on the back of the hand. Some say the sprinkling was done onto his or her forehead. The identical procedure was performed for a house struck by tzaraath, with the sprinkling done on the lintel. The slaughtered bird was buried in the presence of the metzorah and the live bird was freed into the open field.
The metzorah washes their garments from impurity and shaves off all their hair, save for that located in places similar to those in which nega'im are not subject to impurity (Mishnah Nega'im 2:4) The metzorah then waits for seven days to begin the final steps of his or her purification ceremony (Leviticus 14:8-9). On the seventh day, the metzorah again washes the garments he or she had been wearing from impurity and again shaves off all of his or her hair (Mishnah Nega'im 14:3) On the eighth day, the metzorah brings three animal sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem
: a sin offering of a female lamb
and a guilt offering and a burnt offering, both of male lambs (Leviticus 14:10).
Blood from the slaughtered guilt offering was placed on the right ear, right thumb and right big toe of the metzorah (Leviticus 14:14) The need for this to be done was cause for some complication, because the metzorah was not allowed into Temple grounds prior to his purification process and the blood of the offering was not allowed out of the Temple grounds. To reconcile this dilemma, the metzorah stuck these body parts through the gateway one at a time to receive the blood. The same was done with the oil from the flour offerings of the metzorah. If the metzorah lost any of these body parts after he was ready for purification, he could never obtain purification (Mishnah Nega'im 14:9).
.
13:47). Garment tzaraath is relevant to only three materials:
In a woolen or linen garment, the tzaraath may appear as a uniformly existing negah within the material or as a negah limited to either only the woof
or warp
(או בשתי או בערב) of the garment (Leviticus 13:48).
There are a number of limitations to tzaraath as it applies to clothing:
for inspection. In regards to garment tzaraath, there are no criteria by which it can be declared impure upon initial examination. The garment is confined for seven days, and if on the seventh day, the negah has spread, it is a negah of tzaraath and is declared impure. Subsequent to a declaration of tzaraath, the garment, whether or wool, linen or leather, is completely burnt (באש תשרף); if the tzaraath was confined to the woof or warp, only that need be burnt.
If upon re-evaluation after the seven day confinement, the kohen instructs that the garment with the eruption be washed and confined once more for seven days. If upon a second re-evaluation after the second seven days of confinement, the kohen sees that the eruption did not dim and did not spread, the garment is declared impure and must be completely burnt.
If the second re-evaluation reveals a dimming of the eruption, the kohen tears the area with the eruption from the garment and burns the torn out portion completely. The torn out area is patched to allow for a reinspection of the area for return of the negah. If, the eruption returns to the patch, there is no confinement period instituted and the entire garment is completely burnt.; if a negah reappears on the garment but not on the patch, the garment must be burned but the patch can be saved. To recapitulate, if the negah remained as it was after the first week of confinement, it is washed and reconfined. If it remained as it was after the second week of confinement, it is burned.
If, however, upon the second re-evaluation, the negah disappears, the garment must be immersed in a mikveh (מקוה, "ritual bath") and is then pure.
affects buildings. If an individual notices an affliction on his house, he is to inform a kohen
. The kohen will then command that they empty the house of all of its contents prior to his inspection; this is to prevent further financial loss, because should the house be confined, everything within it became impure as well.
When the kohen comes to perform the inspection, he looks for lesions on the wall that appear either intense green (ירקרקת) or intense red (אדמדמת) and that appear sunken below the plane
of the wall's surface (שפל מן הקיר, literally "lower than the wall"). If this is what he sees, the kohen exits the house and confines it for seven days.
On the seventh day, upon re-evaluating the eruption, if the kohen sees that the eruption has spread beyond what it had been, the afflicted stones are removed, the area around the afflicted stones is scraped and both the removed stones and clay plaster are cast into a place of impurity. At least two afflicted stones are necessary for removal of any stones and at least two new stones must be used to fill the void. If the afflicted wall is shared by two houses owned by two neighbors, both neighbors must help to remove the afflicted stones, scrape and place the new stones, but only the owner of the house whose interior was afflicted performs the replastering. It is from this ruling that the proverb
Oy l'rasha, oy l'scheino (או לרשע או לשכנו, "Woe to the wicked! Woe to his neighbor!") originates.
The void is filled with new stones and clay plaster and the house is confined for another seven days. If upon a second re-evaluation, the negah has returned after new stones have been plastered in, the negah is deemed tzaraath and the entire house must be dismantled. If the negah does not return, the house is pronounced pure, and the same purification process mentioned in relation to tzaraath of human flesh is employed here.
There are numerous limitations put on the tzaraath that afflicts houses:
demonstrated at length that tzaraath was not to be interpreted as a medical malady, but rather as a spiritual affliction. The verse itself indicates this, as it directs those who find themselves afflicted to seek out a Kohen (priest) and not a doctor, while the Torah specifically permits and even encourages those who are in need of medical care to seek treatment from physicians.
The Torah's emphasis is clearly on the tu'mah (טומאה, "ritual impurity ") that results from a diagnosis of tzaraath because the verses focus on the kohens declaration of "unclean" - וראהו הכהן וטמא אתו ("The kohen will see [the eruption] and [declare] him impure").
The Talmud, and the majority of historic Jewish literature in general, regards tzaraath as a punishment
for sin
; it lists seven possible causes for tzaraath:
One midrash
ic source categorically states that tzaraath only appeared as punishment for evil tongue, while others add further reasons to the list in the Talmud. Unlike the modern medical approach, which seeks to cure by natural means, the classical Jewish sources argue that cure from tzaraath only came about through repentance
and forgiveness. In particular, the Midrash Rabbah
sees the different types of tzaraath as increasing levels of punishment, which could be curtailed at any stage if repentance was made:
Other classical rabbinical writers saw tzaraath of houses as having a practical benefit. According to one, as well as being a punishment for miserliness, it also demonstrated that the house owner was lying, if they had said they did not own certain objects neighbours had asked to borrow, since the biblical regulations require the house owner to take all their possessions outside prior to confinement. On the other hand, Rashi
, basing his view on the Leviticus Rabbah
, states that tzaraath of houses was a reward for the homeowner, arguing that the Israelite
homes had previously been those of Canaanites, who had hidden their valuables in the walls; the tzaraath required the house owner to remove the bricks, and so find the treasures hidden there.
Rather than following the biblical descriptions of the symptoms of tzaraath in the manner of modern doctors, classical rabbinical literature took an extremely literal view. In the group of symptoms where the hair of the inflicted region has turned white, the Mishnah
argues that plucking out the white hair was all that was required for the disease not to be considered tzaraath; similarly since the biblical text mentions tzaraath occurring where boils had previously healed, but not where unhealed boils exist, the Mishnah maintains that the appearance of the other symptoms in an unhealed boil or burn do not indicate tzaraath, and that if the boil or burn subsequently heals, it still doesn't indicate tzaraath, unless the other symptoms occur in parts of the body not previously diseased. The Mishnah also argues that sores smaller than the size of a lentil
, those on the extremities of the body (such as the fingers, toes, ears, nose, breasts, etc.), those that occur in the location of an unhealed boil or burn, and those that occur in hairy parts of the body, do not indicate tzaraath.
Scholars suspect that these descriptions of tzaraath, where it applies to skin conditions, actually refer to a number of different skin diseases
, which, owing to the undeveloped state of medical science at that period, were not distinguished. Of the particular situations that the Priestly Code describes as being tzaraath,
es, inflammation
s, and swelling
s, the Biblical text mentions a number of other conditions that could be confused with tzaraath. Among other situations the text considers harmless are the appearance of dull white spots, white patches of skin without sores, and baldness without sores; the latter two of these are thought by scholars to most probably refer to vitiligo
and alopecia
, respectively, and the Bible remarks that the former - the dull white spots - are merely a form of freckles. The symptoms that the text considers to be indicative of disease include those of the spread of superficial swellings or spots (where there had previously been a boil), and those of reddish-white sores in areas of baldness; the former condition is identified by the Bible as plague, and scholars regard its symptoms as pointing to a diagnosis
of smallpox
, while the latter is unidentified in the Biblical text, but considered by scholars to indicate favus
.
, linen
, and leather
. The Biblical description of tzaraath in such fabrics is strikingly analogous to that of tzaraath in the skin, with, for example, spreading of the infection being tested for by isolating the fabric in question for first 7 days. The principle symptoms are described as being very green or very red spots, which spread within a week, or that don't change appearance at all after a fortnight, having been washed after the first week, or that return a week after having been torn out, if they also had faded with washing prior to being torn out. These descriptions are regarded by scholars as most probably indicative of certain moulds, and especially matching infections by Penicillium
(the fungus
that produces penicillin
)
The biblical text also describes tzaraath as infecting the walls of houses; the symptoms it describes are depressions in the wall, which are very green or very red, and spread over a period of seven days. The description is regarded by scholars as again being strikingly similar to the wording of the description of tzaraath infections in the skin, but still somewhat obscure; it would seem to fit some form of fungal growth, especially dry rot
, which produces yellowish-green and reddish patches on walls.
Although the medical and chemical conditions, which scholars consider the descriptions to fit, have obvious natural causes
in the light of modern scientific knowledge, the biblical texts characterise it as a spiritual affliction with a supernatural cause, bringing ritual impurity to its victims. Each victim of tzaraas mentioned by the Bible is stated to have received the condition due to some transgression of biblical laws, including Joab
being cursed for the murder of Abner
(whose blood was shed deceitfully in time of peace), Gehazi
(for 1. rebelling against Elisha's decision to not take payment for a miracle God had worked 2. working deceitfully to take the payment 3. lying to Elisha, saying he hadn't done the thing); and Uzziah
for presuming to burn incense in the Holy Temple—violating a clear and direct Commandment of G-d (which prohibited anyone besides the priests to burn incense).
If a person was afflicted with tzaraath in their skin, they were required to wear torn clothes, keep their hair unkempt, cover the lower part of their face, cry out [ritually] impure, [ritually] impure, and reside away from other people; a few medical historians
, such as Arturo Castiglioni
, regard this as the first model of sanitary legislation. Nevertheless, this isolation isn't necessarily due to concerns over the contagiousness of the disease, but rather due to concerns about the risk of moral corruption to other people; the Talmud doesn't treat tzaraath as contagious, and doesn't consider non-Jewish victims of tzaraath to be ritually impure. The Talmud states that if tzaraath hadn't been confirmed by a Jewish priest
, then a bridegroom with suspected symptoms of it was allowed to postpone any isolation or inspection by a priest until a week after his wedding
, and if a person developed suspected symptoms of tzaraath during a holy day
, then the isolation and inspection by a priest could be postponed until the holy days had finished.
Fabrics and clothing affected by tzaraath were required by the text to be burnt entirely, unless it was the form of tzaraath that faded after washing but came back after being torn out, in which case it could be considered ritually pure as soon as the tzaraath had gone, and it had subsequently been washed. Tzaraath infections in houses were to be treated similarly harshly according to the biblical regulations, and didn't have any exceptions; stones showing the symptoms had to be removed, and the house had to be scraped, with the removed stones and scraped-off clay being cast into a rubbish heap outside the city, and if the infection returned once replacement stones were laid and daubed with clay, then the whole house had to be dismantled, with the rubble again going to the tip outside the city. Additionally, people who had been in a house while it was infected with tzaraath was considered ritually impure until the evening came, and anyone who had eaten or slept there had to also wash their clothes
The first group of requirements are that the formerly infected person kills a (ritually pure) bird over fresh water, in a clay pot, and dips another living bird, together with cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and ezob, into the blood; this combination was used to sprinkle the formerly infected person seven times with the blood. Once the surviving bird was released over open fields, and the formerly infected person had shaved off all their hair, and bathed themselves and their clothes in water, they were counted as ritually pure. According to biblical scholars, this ritual is primarily an example of sympathetic magic
, with the running water and living bird being symbolic representations of ritual impurity going away; killing animals over running water was a widespread ancient custom. The cedar and ezob have more practical applications, with cedarwood having medicinal properties, and ezob being a good implement to use for sprinkling.
In the second group of requirements, having completed the first group, the formerly infected person is required to avoid their own home for a week (although they may mix with other people), after which they must shave off absolutely all of their hair, including their eyebrow
s, and then wash themselves. Having done this, the formerly infected individual was required to make a standard whole offering, a standard sin offering (to excuse the profanity of having had tzaraath), and a guilt offering
(to apologise for the cause of the tzaraath); if people are too poor
to afford that, the bible allows the standard alternative set of sacrificial victims to be used instead.
Unlike other guilt offerings, the priest was required to put some of the blood from the sacrifice onto the formerly infected person's right ear lobe, right thumb
, and right big toe
, then some of the oil for the sacrifice had to be poured into the priest's left palm, and applied with the priest's right forefinger onto to the formerly infected person's right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe, and then the rest of the oil from the priest's palm was to be poured onto the formerly infected person's head; critical scholars regard the Priestly Code, of which the tzaraath regulations are a part, to have been written in the early 7th century, and it is in this context that these additional rules have significance. By that era, non-priests were not allowed to pass beyond a certain gateway (the gate of Nicanor) in the complex at the Temple in Jerusalem
, while the blood from sacrifices couldn't pass outside, thus for a person to be touched by the blood, they had to lean through the gateway without setting foot on the other side; the right ear, thumb, and toe, were symbolically the parts of the body that achieve this.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
צרעת, Romanized
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
Tiberian Hebrew
Tiberian Hebrew
Tiberian Hebrew is the extinct canonical pronunciation of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh and related documents in the Roman Empire. This traditional medieval pronunciation was committed to writing by Masoretic scholars based in the Jewish community of Tiberias , in the form of the Tiberian vocalization...
ṣāraʻaṯ and numerous variants of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
, including tzaraas, tzaraat, tsaraas and tsaraat) describes a disfigurative condition mainly referred to in chapters 13-14 of Leviticus
Leviticus
The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
, as well as conditions equivalent to be "mildew" on clothes and houses.
Tzaraath affects both animate as well as inanimate objects; the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
discusses tzaraath that afflicts humans, clothing and houses.
Etymology
The noun form comes from the verb tzara (צָרַע) which means "to have a skin disease." The linguistic root of tzaraath may mean "smiting", in comparison with Arabic, in reference to a Talmudical explanation that it serves as a punishment for sinSin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
; it is quite possible that tzaraath was a general term for certain types of skin disease, rather than a particular condition, and the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
maintains a similar view, arguing that tzaraath referred generally to any disease that produces sores and eruptions on the skin.
Translations
The Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Bible originally used by Greek speaking JewsHellenistic Judaism
Hellenistic Judaism was a movement which existed in the Jewish diaspora that sought to establish a Hebraic-Jewish religious tradition within the culture and language of Hellenism...
and Gentile proselytes, translates the term with Greek lepra (λέπρα), from which the cognate "leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
" was traditionally used in English Bibles. The classical Greek term lepra is primarily used only of skin diseases and not rot and mildew. The JPS Tanakh translates it as a "scaly affection" in Leviticus 13:2.
Hebrew Bible
The TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
identifies three manifestations of tzaraath: as an affliction of human skin, (Leviticus 13:2) of garments (Leviticus 13:47) and of houses (Leviticus 14:34). The Torah also speaks of tzaraath on two other occasions, one in reference to Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and the other in reference to his sister, Miriam. In Exodus 4:6-7, when Moses is standing before the burning bush
Burning bush
The burning bush is an object described by the Book of Exodus as being located on Mount Sinai; according to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name...
, he doubts that the sages who lead Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
will believe that he is the messenger of God. God provides him with two signs to prove his mission: turning his rod into a snake and then back into a rod and turning his hand into being stricken with tzaraath and then back again. Moses revealed these wonders to the sages in Exodus 4:30.
In Numbers 12:10, Miriam was stricken with tzaraath for her involvement in slandering Moses. Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
asks Moses to cure her via extraordinary means, because he claims that he, as her own brother, cannot examine, confine or purify her. Moses prays for his sister and she is cured of the tzaraath but must remain in confinement for seven days. The Torah, however, does not indicate that she went through any purification process similar to what is normally required, as elaborated on below.
- "אדם כי יהיה בעור בשרו שאת או ספחת או בהרת לנגע צרעת והובא אל אהרן הכהן או אל אחד מבניו הכהנים"
- "When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling, a rash, or a discoloration, and it develops into a scaly affection of the skin of his body, it shall be reported to [or he shall be brought before] Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests. (JPS Tanakh, Leviticus)
According to some the three subdivisions of skin tzaraath are best left transliterated, rather than translated, because there are no equivalent English terms and any attempt to translate them greatly diminishes the distinctiveness and focus of the Hebrew term. Though this is not the view of the Jewish Publication Society nor of the Bible Society
Bible society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization devoted to translating, publishing, distributing the Bible at affordable costs and advocating its credibility and trustworthiness in contemporary cultural life...
. Additionally, a diagnosis of tzaraath is not to be performed by anyone but a kohen (member of the priestly caste).
Some say the manifestation of tzaraath is termed a negah (נגע) "spiritual disease" or literally "a memory," nega'im (plural: נגעים) and there are three varieties of nega'im that relate to human flesh:
- boils and burns (Leviticus 13:18-28)
- bald patches or lesions of the scalp or beard, the negah of which is called a נתק (netek)(Leviticus 13:29-44)
Patches of the skin
Patches of the skin are confirmed as tzaraath by the occurrence of one of three signs:- white hair (והיא הפחה שאר לבן) - if at least two hairs within the confines of the negah turn white
- healthy flesh (ומחית בשר חי) - if skin of a normal appearance appears within the confines of the patch
- spreading (ואם פשה תפשה המספחת בעור) - if the patch became enlarged since the time of the initial examination by the Kohen
Whereas baldness is not a form of tzaraath, patches that occur on a bald scalp may be tzaraath if they meet the criteria as mentioned by the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. Such an eruption on a bald scalp must appear in a distinct fashion but is regulated by rules similar to that of nega'im on the skin; however, it can only occur on men. For a scalp eruption to be tzaraath, the lesion must be a white patch tinged with red (נגע לבן אדמדם). This can occur in one of two places: within what are referred to as a man's posterior baldness (קרחת) and anterior baldness (גבחת).
If someone cuts off some skin or a part of his body to remove a negah, he becomes impure, even if he had no confirming signs. He may become pure only after another negah forms. The exception is when a negah appears on the tip of the foreskin
Foreskin
In male human anatomy, the foreskin is a generally retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and protects the urinary meatus when the penis is not erect...
and is cut off during circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
, which is permitted, because a positive commandment overrides a negative commandment.
Boils and burns
Boils and burns, as occur naturally as a result of an abscessAbscess
An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue in which the pus resides due to an infectious process or other foreign materials...
, blunt force trauma or thermal insult to the skin, are not tzaraath and do not carry impurity. During the healing phases of these wounds, however, if certain signs that mimic those of the aforementioned patches appear, tzaraath may occur. Confirmation is by the occurrence of one of two signs:
- white hair (ושארה הפך לבן and נהפך שאר לבן בבהרת) - similar to that in patches (Leviticus 13:20 and 13:25)
- spreading (ואם פשה תפשה בעור and אם פשה תפשה בעור) - similar to that in patches (Leviticus 13:22 and 13:27)
Bald patches or lesions of the scalp or beard
The initial symptom of this type of negah is patches of hair loss. According to MaimonidesMaimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
, scalp and beard nega'im are characterized by hair loss without any change to the skin of the bald spot The Tosefta
Tosefta
The Tosefta is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah.-Overview:...
, however, maintains that the skin of the bald spot does indeed become altered in a negah. There are two confirming signs:
- thin yellow hair (ובו שאר צהב דק) - if at least two and a half hairs from within the bald patch turn yellow (Leviticus 13:30)
- spreading (והנה פשה הנתק בעור) - if the balding spreads, according to Maimonides. According to Abraham ben DavidAbraham ben DavidRabbeinu Abraham ben David was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud, Sefer Halachot of Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi and Mishne Torah of Maimonides, and is regarded as a father of Kabbalah and one of the key and important links in the chain of Jewish mystics...
, who quotes the Tosefta, this spreading would refer to spreading of a skin change as well (Leviticus 13:36).
Inspection of nega'im of human flesh, and tzaraath determination
For all of the different types of nega'im of human flesh, there is a similar protocol put in place by the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
for determining whether or not the skin eruption is indeed tzaraath. The individual with the eruption must visit a kohen
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
, who is a male possessing direct lineage to Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
, who was the High Priest
Kohen Gadol
The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
and brother of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
. The kohen, trained in examining lesions and diagnosing tzaraath, will examine the lesion and determine whether or not it meets the specifications of tzaraath. Specifically, he will evaluate the lesion for the criteria mentioned above, except of course for the final criterion of spreading, which can only be diagnosed at a follow-up examination, should one be necessary. If during the initial examination, the characteristics of the lesion meet the criteria for tzaraath, the kohen will declare the individual tamei (טמא, "ritually impure") (Leviticus 13:3, 20, 25, 30)
If the criteria are not met by the lesion during the initial examination by the kohen, the individual is confined in his home for seven days, pending a follow-up examination (Leviticus 13:4, 21, 26, 31) If the criteria for tzaraath are again not met and the lesion has not spread, there is a difference in protocol depending of the type of lesion.
- For patches of the skin, another confinement period of seven days is imposed.
- For boils or burns, the kohen declares it merely a צרבת (tzarevet, "scar") and there are no further examinations (Leviticus 13:23 and 28)
- For bald patches or lesions of the scalp or beard, another confinement period of seven days is imposed. However, prior to this second confinement period, the individual is shaved around the nesek (והתגלח ואת הנתק לא יגלח - "he should be shaved but the nesek should not be shaved), leaving a rim of two hairs completely surrounding the bald spot to make any spreading recognizable (especially according to Maimonides, who asserts that these lesions manifest as pure hair loss without any concomitant skin eruption.)
After the second confinement period of seven days, both those with patches on the skin as well as those with bald patches are re-evaluated once more. If the criteria for tzaraath have still not been met, the afflicted individual is declared tahor (טהר, "ritually pure"). He or she, does, however, have to wash both his or her body and garments; due to the confinement, he or she is considered impure in some sense.
If the negah was declared ritually pure and later it spread, it must be shown once again to a kohen, who will then declare it tzaraath.
There are many other regulations regarding the inspection:
- The kohen must be able to see the entirety of the lesion. Thus, if the skin eruption or bald spot wraps around either the body or body parts, or occurs at the tip of terminal body parts—any place that would preclude the observation of the entire lesion at one time (i.e. wrapping around the torso, scalp or arm, or occurring at the tip of a finger or toe) -- there can be no declaration of tzaraath.
- In a similar vein, a kohen who is blind in one eye or who cannot see well may not perform the inspections. An eligible kohen may inspect anyone, including his relatives, except himself. However, it is not necessary that a kohen perform the inspection; anyone who is proficient in the laws of nega'im may perform the examination. However, only a kohen may declare purity or impurity. A non-kohen examiner may inform an accompanying inexpert kohen of his determination that a negah is or is not tzaraath and the kohen declares "purity" or "impurity".
- Nega'im do not render impurity on parts of the body that are naturally concealed by other parts of the body according to specific regulations. For skin eruptions on the legs, men are inspected standing as though they are hoeing and women standing as though they are rolling dough. For eruptions on the arms, men raise their arms as though they are picking olives and women raising their arms as though they are weaving or spinning.
- Nega'im do not render gentileGentileThe term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
s impure. - A groom is exempt from visiting the kohen until the eighth day after his wedding for any nega'im on his flesh, garments or house. Similarly, there are no inspections carried out on the days of PassoverPassoverPassover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, ShavuotShavuotThe festival of is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan ....
or SukkotSukkotSukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
. - Even on the days when inspections are performed, they are only allowed for two hours each day: during the fourth and eighth hour of the day (corresponding roughly to 9-10 AM and 2-3 PM).
If, however, the criteria for tzaraath have been met, either during the initial exam or at either of the two follow-ups (when applicable) or even after a previous declaration of purity, the individual is declared tamei (טמא, "ritually impure"). The individual is declared impure even if the lesion did not worsen or spread but remained the same—the skin eruption must become dimmer in appearance for it to be declared pure at the second follow-up examination.
The metzorah: management of tzaraath of human flesh
The individual who is declared impure with tzaraath is referred to as a either a tzorua (צרוע) or a metzorah (מצרה). The metzorah is shunned and must live alone outside the confines of the community (Leviticus 13:46) The metzorah tears his or her garments in mourning like those who are in mourning for a close family member and does not cut his or her hair. The metzorah must also cover his or her face until the upper lip in the fashion of mourners, and he or she calls out "impure, impure" to warn others to keep their distance (RashiRashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
Commentary on Leviticus 3:45).
The metzorah remains confined outside of the community until his tzaraath vanishes—the metzorah is evaluated by a kohen, who leaves the community to examine them. When the kohen observes the resolution of the tzaraath, he begins a procedure that ultimately reverses the impure status of the metzorah (Leviticus 14:4)
The purification process
- "וצוה הכהן ולקח למטהר שתי צפרים חיות טהורות ועץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזב"
- "The kohen shall command to take for the person undergoing purification (the metzorah) two live kosher birds, cedarwood, red string and hyssopHyssopHyssop is a genus of about 10-12 species of herbaceous or semi-woody plants in the family Lamiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to central Asia. They are aromatic, with erect branched stems up to 60 cm long covered with fine hairs at the tips. The leaves are narrow oblong, 2–5 cm...
."
The items used in the purification ritual were specifically included to deliver a message to the metzorah. Although many sins may lead to this punishment, the most predominant sin to cause tzaraath is lashon hara
Lashon hara
The Hebrew term lashon hara is a term for gossip. It also refers to the prohibition in Jewish Law of telling gossip....
(an "evil tongue"), to talk derogatorily about others consistently to his friends is likened to birds, who chatter endlessly (Talmud Arachin 16b). In a similar vein, the one who speaks ill of others is haughty, holding himself or herself high above others and is likened to the tall cedar. To be healed, the metzorah must erase arrogance, making themselves lowly like a worm. This is a play on words -- the word tola'as (תולעת) means both "red" and "worm." - or a hyssop.
Spring water is placed in an earthenware vessel, over which one of the birds is slaughtered and into which the blood is allowed to run. The kohen then dips the remaining bird and other items into the bloodied water and sprinkles the metzorah seven times on the back of the hand. Some say the sprinkling was done onto his or her forehead. The identical procedure was performed for a house struck by tzaraath, with the sprinkling done on the lintel. The slaughtered bird was buried in the presence of the metzorah and the live bird was freed into the open field.
The metzorah washes their garments from impurity and shaves off all their hair, save for that located in places similar to those in which nega'im are not subject to impurity (Mishnah Nega'im 2:4) The metzorah then waits for seven days to begin the final steps of his or her purification ceremony (Leviticus 14:8-9). On the seventh day, the metzorah again washes the garments he or she had been wearing from impurity and again shaves off all of his or her hair (Mishnah Nega'im 14:3) On the eighth day, the metzorah brings three animal sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
: a sin offering of a female lamb
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
and a guilt offering and a burnt offering, both of male lambs (Leviticus 14:10).
Blood from the slaughtered guilt offering was placed on the right ear, right thumb and right big toe of the metzorah (Leviticus 14:14) The need for this to be done was cause for some complication, because the metzorah was not allowed into Temple grounds prior to his purification process and the blood of the offering was not allowed out of the Temple grounds. To reconcile this dilemma, the metzorah stuck these body parts through the gateway one at a time to receive the blood. The same was done with the oil from the flour offerings of the metzorah. If the metzorah lost any of these body parts after he was ready for purification, he could never obtain purification (Mishnah Nega'im 14:9).
The Priestly gift
The remaining portion of the olive oil, called in Hebrew log shemen shel metzorah, is given to the Kohen at the completion of his service. This portion is listed as one of the twenty four priestly giftsThe twenty-four Kohanic gifts
The twenty four priestly gifts, are a description in the Gemara tradition of offerings given to the Jewish priests. The adjective "kohanic" means "of a kohen", relating to a Jewish priest....
.
Affliction of clothing
Tzaraath can also afflict garments (LeviticusLeviticus
The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
13:47). Garment tzaraath is relevant to only three materials:
- woolWoolWool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
(Hebrew צמר) - linenLinenLinen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
(Hebrew פשתים) - Two types of leatherLeatherLeather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
are indicated in Leviticus 13:48:- untanned leather (עור)
- tanned leather (כל מלאכת עור, literally "all worked leather")
In a woolen or linen garment, the tzaraath may appear as a uniformly existing negah within the material or as a negah limited to either only the woof
Weft
In weaving, weft or woof is the yarn which is drawn through the warp yarns to create cloth. In North America, it is sometimes referred to as the "fill" or the "filling yarn"....
or warp
Warp (weaving)
In weaving cloth, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom. The yarn that is inserted over-and-under the warp threads is called the weft, woof, or filler. Each individual warp thread in a fabric is called a warp end or end. Warp means "that which is thrown...
(או בשתי או בערב) of the garment (Leviticus 13:48).
There are a number of limitations to tzaraath as it applies to clothing:
- Clothing belonging to a gentileGentileThe term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
are insusceptible to tzaraath. - Only sheep's wool is susceptible to a negah of tzaraath, although an even mixture of sheep's wool and another type of wool (camel's wool, for example) can be afflicted. In a similar vein, a mixture of plant fibers containing linen is insusceptible unless it is at least half linen.
- The leather referring to by the Torah does not include the hides of marine animals.
- The fabric of wool or linen or leather article cannot be rendered impure by tzaraath if it is artificially dyed. If, however, the item is naturally colored (such as wool from a black sheep), it can be rendered impure.
Appearance, inspection and management of tzaraath in clothing
Tzaraath appears in clothing as an intense green (ירקרק - yerakrak) or red (אדמדם - adamdam) eruption, and must be brought to the kohenKohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
for inspection. In regards to garment tzaraath, there are no criteria by which it can be declared impure upon initial examination. The garment is confined for seven days, and if on the seventh day, the negah has spread, it is a negah of tzaraath and is declared impure. Subsequent to a declaration of tzaraath, the garment, whether or wool, linen or leather, is completely burnt (באש תשרף); if the tzaraath was confined to the woof or warp, only that need be burnt.
If upon re-evaluation after the seven day confinement, the kohen instructs that the garment with the eruption be washed and confined once more for seven days. If upon a second re-evaluation after the second seven days of confinement, the kohen sees that the eruption did not dim and did not spread, the garment is declared impure and must be completely burnt.
If the second re-evaluation reveals a dimming of the eruption, the kohen tears the area with the eruption from the garment and burns the torn out portion completely. The torn out area is patched to allow for a reinspection of the area for return of the negah. If, the eruption returns to the patch, there is no confinement period instituted and the entire garment is completely burnt.; if a negah reappears on the garment but not on the patch, the garment must be burned but the patch can be saved. To recapitulate, if the negah remained as it was after the first week of confinement, it is washed and reconfined. If it remained as it was after the second week of confinement, it is burned.
If, however, upon the second re-evaluation, the negah disappears, the garment must be immersed in a mikveh (מקוה, "ritual bath") and is then pure.
Affliction of housing
The third and last type of tzaraath mentioned by the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
affects buildings. If an individual notices an affliction on his house, he is to inform a kohen
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
. The kohen will then command that they empty the house of all of its contents prior to his inspection; this is to prevent further financial loss, because should the house be confined, everything within it became impure as well.
When the kohen comes to perform the inspection, he looks for lesions on the wall that appear either intense green (ירקרקת) or intense red (אדמדמת) and that appear sunken below the plane
Plane (mathematics)
In mathematics, a plane is a flat, two-dimensional surface. A plane is the two dimensional analogue of a point , a line and a space...
of the wall's surface (שפל מן הקיר, literally "lower than the wall"). If this is what he sees, the kohen exits the house and confines it for seven days.
On the seventh day, upon re-evaluating the eruption, if the kohen sees that the eruption has spread beyond what it had been, the afflicted stones are removed, the area around the afflicted stones is scraped and both the removed stones and clay plaster are cast into a place of impurity. At least two afflicted stones are necessary for removal of any stones and at least two new stones must be used to fill the void. If the afflicted wall is shared by two houses owned by two neighbors, both neighbors must help to remove the afflicted stones, scrape and place the new stones, but only the owner of the house whose interior was afflicted performs the replastering. It is from this ruling that the proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
Oy l'rasha, oy l'scheino (או לרשע או לשכנו, "Woe to the wicked! Woe to his neighbor!") originates.
The void is filled with new stones and clay plaster and the house is confined for another seven days. If upon a second re-evaluation, the negah has returned after new stones have been plastered in, the negah is deemed tzaraath and the entire house must be dismantled. If the negah does not return, the house is pronounced pure, and the same purification process mentioned in relation to tzaraath of human flesh is employed here.
There are numerous limitations put on the tzaraath that afflicts houses:
- The house of a gentileGentileThe term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
is insusceptible to tzaraath. - Only houses that possess four walls and four corners are susceptible. Similarly, only those houses that rest on the ground are susceptible, to the exclusion of those that are suspended above ground or are built on a boat.
- Tzaraath only affects houses that are built entirely out of stones, wood and clay plaster. If any of the four walls are built or internally overlaid with marbleMarbleMarble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, natural outcropping of rock, brickBrickA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
or earthen soil, that wall is insusceptible to tzaraath, and a house cannot be rendered impure unless all four walls are susceptible. - Two storey houses are treated as two distinct houses and the beams that serve as the floor of the upper storey and the roof of the lower storey are allowed to remain with whichever house remains.
- Houses are the only buildings that are susceptible to tzaraath (not, for example, barns or cattle stalls) and only houses that exist within the region of land originally divided among the 12 tribes, because the verse refers to beis eretz achuzaschem (בית ארץ אחזתכם, "a house of the land of your inheritance"); this also excludes houses in Jerusalem, because it was not given as an inheritance to any one tribe, but rather held jointly by all of Israel.
Interpretations
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael HirschSamson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch was a German rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism...
demonstrated at length that tzaraath was not to be interpreted as a medical malady, but rather as a spiritual affliction. The verse itself indicates this, as it directs those who find themselves afflicted to seek out a Kohen (priest) and not a doctor, while the Torah specifically permits and even encourages those who are in need of medical care to seek treatment from physicians.
The Torah's emphasis is clearly on the tu'mah (טומאה, "ritual impurity ") that results from a diagnosis of tzaraath because the verses focus on the kohens declaration of "unclean" - וראהו הכהן וטמא אתו ("The kohen will see [the eruption] and [declare] him impure").
The Talmud, and the majority of historic Jewish literature in general, regards tzaraath as a punishment
Punishment
Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
for sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
; it lists seven possible causes for tzaraath:
- an evil tongueLashon haraThe Hebrew term lashon hara is a term for gossip. It also refers to the prohibition in Jewish Law of telling gossip....
(malicious gossipGossipGossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
) - murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
- a vain oathOathAn oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
- illicit sexual intercourseSexual intercourseSexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
- pridePridePride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings. With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one's personal status or accomplishments, often used synonymously with hubris...
- theftTheftIn common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
- miserMiserA miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
ly behaviour
One midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
ic source categorically states that tzaraath only appeared as punishment for evil tongue, while others add further reasons to the list in the Talmud. Unlike the modern medical approach, which seeks to cure by natural means, the classical Jewish sources argue that cure from tzaraath only came about through repentance
Repentance in Judaism
Repentance in Judaism known as teshuva , is the way of atoning for sin in Judaism.According to Gates of Repentance, a standard work of Jewish ethics written by Rabbenu Yonah of Gerona, if someone commits a sin, a forbidden act, he can be forgiven for that sin if he performs teshuva, which...
and forgiveness. In particular, the Midrash Rabbah
Rabbah
Rabbah - "Rabbath of the children of Ammon," thechief city and capital of the Ammonites, among the eastern hills, some 20miles east of the Jordan, on the southern of the two streams...
sees the different types of tzaraath as increasing levels of punishment, which could be curtailed at any stage if repentance was made:
- the first stage in the Rabbah's view was the infection of homes, and if repentance came here it only required removal of the affected stones for a cure.
- in the second stage, the entire house must be torn down as the tzaraath would not go away, and the infection came upon one's clothes; if repentance came here it required only washing of the clothes for a cure.
- in the third stage of Rabbah's scheme, the clothes must be burnt, and the infection enters the person's skin; if repentance occurs here then purification could occur.
- in the fourth stage, which only occurs when the person has completely refused to repent, the person is forced to dwell alone.
Other classical rabbinical writers saw tzaraath of houses as having a practical benefit. According to one, as well as being a punishment for miserliness, it also demonstrated that the house owner was lying, if they had said they did not own certain objects neighbours had asked to borrow, since the biblical regulations require the house owner to take all their possessions outside prior to confinement. On the other hand, Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
, basing his view on the Leviticus Rabbah
Leviticus Rabbah
Leviticus Rabbah, Vayikrah Rabbah, or Wayiqra Rabbah is a homiletic midrash to the Biblical book of Leviticus . It is referred to by Nathan ben Jehiel in his Aruk as well as by Rashi in his commentaries on , and elsewhere. According to Leopold Zunz, Hai Gaon and Nissim knew and made use of it...
, states that tzaraath of houses was a reward for the homeowner, arguing that the Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
homes had previously been those of Canaanites, who had hidden their valuables in the walls; the tzaraath required the house owner to remove the bricks, and so find the treasures hidden there.
Rather than following the biblical descriptions of the symptoms of tzaraath in the manner of modern doctors, classical rabbinical literature took an extremely literal view. In the group of symptoms where the hair of the inflicted region has turned white, the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
argues that plucking out the white hair was all that was required for the disease not to be considered tzaraath; similarly since the biblical text mentions tzaraath occurring where boils had previously healed, but not where unhealed boils exist, the Mishnah maintains that the appearance of the other symptoms in an unhealed boil or burn do not indicate tzaraath, and that if the boil or burn subsequently heals, it still doesn't indicate tzaraath, unless the other symptoms occur in parts of the body not previously diseased. The Mishnah also argues that sores smaller than the size of a lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
, those on the extremities of the body (such as the fingers, toes, ears, nose, breasts, etc.), those that occur in the location of an unhealed boil or burn, and those that occur in hairy parts of the body, do not indicate tzaraath.
Scholars suspect that these descriptions of tzaraath, where it applies to skin conditions, actually refer to a number of different skin diseases
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, which, owing to the undeveloped state of medical science at that period, were not distinguished. Of the particular situations that the Priestly Code describes as being tzaraath,
- the whitening of the skin over the whole body with sores, is considered by scholars to be most indicative of PsoriasisPsoriasisPsoriasis is an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as a pathogen, and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious. However, psoriasis has been linked to an increased risk of...
- the spreading of sores is regarded by scholars as most symptomatic of ImpetigoImpetigoImpetigo is a highly contagious bacterial skin infection most common among pre-school children. People who play close contact sports such as rugby, American football and wrestling are also susceptible, regardless of age. Impetigo is not as common in adults. The name derives from the Latin impetere...
- the spreading of swellings or spots in a burn injury, according to scholars, is most probably a result of ErysipelasErysipelasErysipelas is an acute streptococcus bacterial infection of the deep epidermis with lymphatic spread.-Risk factors:...
- in regard to subcutaneous disease where the hair has turned white
- the additional presence of swellings or spots in a burn injury are thought by scholars most likely to be Tropical SoreCutaneous leishmaniasisCutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis. It is a skin infection caused by a single-celled parasite that is transmitted by sandfly bites...
s - the additional presence of bodily sores, and swellings or spots where there previously had been a boil, is one of the classical symptoms of LeprosyLeprosyLeprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
- the additional presence of sores on the head or chin is thought by scholars to most probably indicate the presence of Ringworm
- the additional presence of swellings or spots in a burn injury are thought by scholars most likely to be Tropical Sore
Symptoms of other conditions
In addition to simple rashRash
A rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and...
es, inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
s, and swelling
Swelling (medical)
In medical parlance, swelling is the transient enlargement or protuberance in the body and may include tumors. According to cause, it may be congenital, traumatic, inflammatory, neoplastic or miscellaneous....
s, the Biblical text mentions a number of other conditions that could be confused with tzaraath. Among other situations the text considers harmless are the appearance of dull white spots, white patches of skin without sores, and baldness without sores; the latter two of these are thought by scholars to most probably refer to vitiligo
Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a condition that causes depigmentation of sections of skin. It occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but research suggests that it may arise from autoimmune, genetic, oxidative stress,...
and alopecia
Alopecia
Alopecia means loss of hair from the head or body. Alopecia can mean baldness, a term generally reserved for pattern alopecia or androgenic alopecia. Compulsive pulling of hair can also produce hair loss. Hairstyling routines such as tight ponytails or braids may induce Traction alopecia. Both...
, respectively, and the Bible remarks that the former - the dull white spots - are merely a form of freckles. The symptoms that the text considers to be indicative of disease include those of the spread of superficial swellings or spots (where there had previously been a boil), and those of reddish-white sores in areas of baldness; the former condition is identified by the Bible as plague, and scholars regard its symptoms as pointing to a diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, while the latter is unidentified in the Biblical text, but considered by scholars to indicate favus
Favus
Favus is a disease usually affecting the scalp, but occurring occasionally on any part of the skin, and even at times on mucous membranes.-Presentation:...
.
In clothing fabrics
In addition to infecting the skin, tzaraath is described by the priestly code as being able to infect historically common clothing fabrics, specifically woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
, and leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
. The Biblical description of tzaraath in such fabrics is strikingly analogous to that of tzaraath in the skin, with, for example, spreading of the infection being tested for by isolating the fabric in question for first 7 days. The principle symptoms are described as being very green or very red spots, which spread within a week, or that don't change appearance at all after a fortnight, having been washed after the first week, or that return a week after having been torn out, if they also had faded with washing prior to being torn out. These descriptions are regarded by scholars as most probably indicative of certain moulds, and especially matching infections by Penicillium
Penicillium
Penicillium is a genus of ascomycetous fungi of major importance in the natural environment as well as food and drug production. Members of the genus produce penicillin, a molecule that is used as an antibiotic, which kills or stops the growth of certain kinds of bacteria inside the body...
(the fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
that produces penicillin
Penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....
)
In houses
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
, which produces yellowish-green and reddish patches on walls.
Cause and treatment
As a "physical manifestation of a spiritual malaise," tzaraath is a "divine retribution for the offender's failure to feel the needs and share the hurt of others.Although the medical and chemical conditions, which scholars consider the descriptions to fit, have obvious natural causes
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
in the light of modern scientific knowledge, the biblical texts characterise it as a spiritual affliction with a supernatural cause, bringing ritual impurity to its victims. Each victim of tzaraas mentioned by the Bible is stated to have received the condition due to some transgression of biblical laws, including Joab
Joab
Joab the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Hebrew Bible.- Name :...
being cursed for the murder of Abner
Abner
In the Book of Samuel, Abner , is first cousin to Saul and commander-in-chief of his army...
(whose blood was shed deceitfully in time of peace), Gehazi
Gehazi
Gehazi, Geichazi, or Giezi is a figure found in the Tanakh Books of Kings. He was Elisha's servant. He appears in connection with the history of the Shunammite and of Naaman the Syrian...
(for 1. rebelling against Elisha's decision to not take payment for a miracle God had worked 2. working deceitfully to take the payment 3. lying to Elisha, saying he hadn't done the thing); and Uzziah
Uzziah
Uzziah , also known as Azariah , was the king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah's sons, whom the people appointed to replace his father...
for presuming to burn incense in the Holy Temple—violating a clear and direct Commandment of G-d (which prohibited anyone besides the priests to burn incense).
If a person was afflicted with tzaraath in their skin, they were required to wear torn clothes, keep their hair unkempt, cover the lower part of their face, cry out [ritually] impure, [ritually] impure, and reside away from other people; a few medical historians
Medical history
The medical history or anamnesis of a patient is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information , with the aim of obtaining information useful in formulating a diagnosis and providing...
, such as Arturo Castiglioni
Arturo Castiglioni
Arturo Castiglioni was an Italian-born American medical historian.He grew up in Trieste, Italy. 1939 he emigrated to the States and became Professor at the Yale-University, New Haven, Connecticut...
, regard this as the first model of sanitary legislation. Nevertheless, this isolation isn't necessarily due to concerns over the contagiousness of the disease, but rather due to concerns about the risk of moral corruption to other people; the Talmud doesn't treat tzaraath as contagious, and doesn't consider non-Jewish victims of tzaraath to be ritually impure. The Talmud states that if tzaraath hadn't been confirmed by a Jewish priest
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
, then a bridegroom with suspected symptoms of it was allowed to postpone any isolation or inspection by a priest until a week after his wedding
Jewish wedding
A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish law and traditions.While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ketuba signed by two witnesses, a wedding canopy , a ring owned by the groom that is given to the bride under the canopy, and the breaking of a...
, and if a person developed suspected symptoms of tzaraath during a holy day
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
, then the isolation and inspection by a priest could be postponed until the holy days had finished.
Fabrics and clothing affected by tzaraath were required by the text to be burnt entirely, unless it was the form of tzaraath that faded after washing but came back after being torn out, in which case it could be considered ritually pure as soon as the tzaraath had gone, and it had subsequently been washed. Tzaraath infections in houses were to be treated similarly harshly according to the biblical regulations, and didn't have any exceptions; stones showing the symptoms had to be removed, and the house had to be scraped, with the removed stones and scraped-off clay being cast into a rubbish heap outside the city, and if the infection returned once replacement stones were laid and daubed with clay, then the whole house had to be dismantled, with the rubble again going to the tip outside the city. Additionally, people who had been in a house while it was infected with tzaraath was considered ritually impure until the evening came, and anyone who had eaten or slept there had to also wash their clothes
After cure
When the priest had certified that tzaraath had been cured, the biblical text requires that the formerly infected person undergo a number of ritual events, some occurring straight away, and some occurring a week later. According to critical scholars, these are really two independent rituals spliced together, with the first group being the ritual that was originally part of the regulations for tzaraath of skin, and the other group being a later attempt at replacing the first group of rituals, so that the regulations fitted better with the sacrifice-centric view of the Aaronid priesthood. The biblical text states that a ritual, almost identical to the first group of rituals for skin-tzaraath, also had to be carried out for houses that had been cured of infections from tzaraath; however, there is no further ritual for houses that could parallel the second group of rituals for skin-tzaraath.The first group of requirements are that the formerly infected person kills a (ritually pure) bird over fresh water, in a clay pot, and dips another living bird, together with cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and ezob, into the blood; this combination was used to sprinkle the formerly infected person seven times with the blood. Once the surviving bird was released over open fields, and the formerly infected person had shaved off all their hair, and bathed themselves and their clothes in water, they were counted as ritually pure. According to biblical scholars, this ritual is primarily an example of sympathetic magic
Sympathetic magic
Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence.-Similarity and contagion:The theory of sympathetic magic was first developed by Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough...
, with the running water and living bird being symbolic representations of ritual impurity going away; killing animals over running water was a widespread ancient custom. The cedar and ezob have more practical applications, with cedarwood having medicinal properties, and ezob being a good implement to use for sprinkling.
In the second group of requirements, having completed the first group, the formerly infected person is required to avoid their own home for a week (although they may mix with other people), after which they must shave off absolutely all of their hair, including their eyebrow
Eyebrow
The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. Their main function is to prevent sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket, but they are also important to human communication and...
s, and then wash themselves. Having done this, the formerly infected individual was required to make a standard whole offering, a standard sin offering (to excuse the profanity of having had tzaraath), and a guilt offering
Guilt offering
A guilt offering , also referred to as a trespass offering , is a type of Biblical sacrifice, specifically a sacrifice made as a compensation payment...
(to apologise for the cause of the tzaraath); if people are too poor
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
to afford that, the bible allows the standard alternative set of sacrificial victims to be used instead.
Unlike other guilt offerings, the priest was required to put some of the blood from the sacrifice onto the formerly infected person's right ear lobe, right thumb
Thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...
, and right big toe
Toe
Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being digitigrade. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being plantigrade; unguligrade animals are those that walk on hooves at the tips of...
, then some of the oil for the sacrifice had to be poured into the priest's left palm, and applied with the priest's right forefinger onto to the formerly infected person's right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe, and then the rest of the oil from the priest's palm was to be poured onto the formerly infected person's head; critical scholars regard the Priestly Code, of which the tzaraath regulations are a part, to have been written in the early 7th century, and it is in this context that these additional rules have significance. By that era, non-priests were not allowed to pass beyond a certain gateway (the gate of Nicanor) in the complex at the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
, while the blood from sacrifices couldn't pass outside, thus for a person to be touched by the blood, they had to lean through the gateway without setting foot on the other side; the right ear, thumb, and toe, were symbolically the parts of the body that achieve this.