The Torah portions of Tazria and Metzorah deal primarily with the skin disease called tzara'at, commonly translated as leprosy. The Sages point out though that this particular disease was not caused by physical factors, rather tzara'at was the product of various spiritual maladies and one was afflicted in order to force him or her to come to terms with the reasons for their malady and to change their ways.
The Talmud (Arachin 16a) enumerates a long list of sins that cause the disease such as bloodshed, false oaths, sexual misconduct, pride, robbery and selfishness. The sins of slander and gossip though stand out among all the sins as the primary reason for tzara'at. The one who has the disease is called a metzorah, and the Sages explain this name is a contraction of the term motza rah, a spreader of slander, or more literally, one who brings out evil.
Art Scroll points out that all the sins listed above have a common theme of insensitivity to others and imply a total self centered attitude. Therefore, the one who contacts this disease is then isolated from the community as a learning process of experiencing the pain he has caused others in the hope that it will move him to repentance and introspection.
The Torah is eternal and its teachings are relevant to each person in each generation. The only disease per se treated in the Torah is tzara'at and the fact that all the commentaries explain in depth the spiritual source of the disease is highly significant. In addition to the emotional, psychological and spiritual causes of tzara'at, the afflicted person goes through a dramatic and transforming healing process which entails a real paradigm shift in their relationship to the world around them. Much of these two portions describe this healing process.
Despite all the tremendous advances in medicine this last century western medicine was until very recently extremely reluctant to relate sickness or disease to anything but purely physical factors. The influence of the mental state of the individual was considered irrelevant to the symptoms of disease. But this attitude has begun to change as more and more evidence is gathered that many of the most troubling diseases of our age are in fact caused in large part by emotional, psychological and spiritual factors, which in turn cause stress and unhealthy life styles leading to disease.
These factors are now seen to have a major impact on setting the stage for a whole host of conditions such as obesity, ulcers, migraine head aches, insomnia, back pain, constipation and other stomach problems, as well as high blood pressure and certain heart conditions. Many other medical conditions are thought now to have some connection to non-physical factors as well. Until AIDS began to spread to the general population it was contained to those practicing certain sexual practices and among drug addicts. Cigarette smoking, poor eating habits and lack of exercise, which are now recognized as major contributors of sickness and disease, are also caused by a stressful, pressure driven life style. These habits in turn have very negative ramifications on a person's health.
The mind/body connection is receiving more and more attention and credence while alternative healing methods which treat the entire person are not only gaining in popularity but are making major inroads into conventional medical practices and journals. Not only is the cause of disease being related to the human psyche, but the treatment and alleviation of these conditions are being shown to depend in many cases on a person's attitude and willingness to change long and ingrained patterns of behavior.
All of these discoveries of the intrinsic connection between the spiritual world of an individual and his or her physical condition are alluded to in the Torah's explanation of tzara'at. One beautiful allusion to this connection is in the verse: "If the hair in the affliction has changed to white, and the affliction's appearance is deeper than the skin of the flesh; it is the affliction of tzara'at (Tazria 13:3). "Deeper than the skin" is an allusion to the source of the disease being deeper than the superficial physical symptom alone. Another allusion to the spiritual dimension of the disease is the role of the kohen, the priest, in identifying and leading the afflicted one through the healing process.
By realizing the deeper aspects of what these portions are teaching relating to tzara'at we can have much greater appreciation of the Torah's wisdom and its relevance for us today.
