The Torah portions of “Tazria” and “Metzora” deal with the laws of skin afflictions (negaim) and the individual person afflicted by them, which, according to our tradition, come as a result of evil speech (lashon hara). However, upon deeper reflection, we find that more than they are a punishment, these ailments serve as a warning sign God places before humanity.
For this reason, the size of the affliction and its visibility are irrelevant. In fact, a person whose entire body is covered in tzara’at (a skin condition) is declared completely pure: “The Kohen shall look and behold, the affliction has covered his entire flesh – then he shall declare the affliction pure; it has all turned white, it is pure” (Leviticus 13:13).
The affliction could be small and barely visible (as small as a grain of barley), yet still require a person to be quarantined, banished from the community, and undergo an atonement process at the Temple.
The dangers of evil speech
Evil speech is one of the gravest sins; however, unlike other sins, which people commit knowingly or accidentally, a person may not even realize that he is gossiping or speaking harmfully.
Speech is a central part of human identity; it is what distinguishes us from other creatures. A word can build worlds, but it can just as easily destroy them. Studies show that a person utters around 30,000 words a day, and sometimes destruction comes not from calculated malice but from casual, routine speech. This is why the Torah treats the sin of lashon hara so seriously.
In the days of the Temple, when someone was afflicted with tzara’at, it was a divine wake-up call: Your speech is flawed; stop before it’s too late!
Let us consider the process that the gossiper would undergo, as described by Rambam (Maimonides) in his monumental halachic work, Mishneh Torah:
“The changes mentioned in garments and houses, which the Torah calls ‘tzara’at’… are not natural phenomena but signs and wonders for Israel to warn them against lashon hara.
“One who speaks lashon hara: First, the walls of his house change. If he repents, the house is purified. If he persists, the leather items in his house change. If he repents, they are purified. If he persists, the garments he wears change. If he still doesn’t repent, his own skin changes and he becomes afflicted and isolated so that he will no longer engage in sinful conversation – scoffing and evil speech” (Hilchot Tumat Tzara’at 16:10).
In other words, those who use their power of speech to destroy rather than build must be alone with themselves, reflect on the consequences of their actions, and make a decision about their future.
According to the Talmud and Kabbalistic literature, a person who engages in lashon hara has his prayers rejected, and his good deeds are not accepted in heaven because sometimes a single harmful word is enough to ruin an entire family’s life. And once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back.
At the same time, the Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah, teaches us that a person is punished not only for speaking harmful words but also for withholding kind words: “Just as a person is punished for evil words, so too is he punished for failing to say a good word when he had the chance to do so...” (Zohar, Vol. III, p. 46b).
Just as a bad word can destroy, a good word can build – and that, after all, is the purpose of creation: “The world will be built with kindness.”
Let us reflect on the power of our speech and strive to use it to build, not to destroy.■
The writer is the rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites.