[א] "נגע לבן אדמדם" – מלמד שהיא מטמאה בפתוך "צרעת" מלמד שהיא מטמאה במחיה. הלא דין הוא: מה אם השחין והמכוה שהם מטמאים בשער לבן אין מטמאים במחיה, קרחת וגבחת שאינן מיטמאות בשער לבן אינו דין שלא יטמאו במחיה?! ת"ל "צרעת" – מלמד שהוא מטמא במחייה. 1) (Vayikra 13:42) ("And if there be on the karachath or on the gabachath a reddish-white plague-spot, it is blossoming leprosy on his karachath or on his gabachath.") "a reddish-white plague-spot": We are hereby taught that it confers tumah intermixed. "leprosy": We are hereby taught that it confers tumah through (the eruption of) a michyah (viz. Section 4, Chapter 7:9), (michyah also being called "leprosy" [viz. Vayikra 13:11]). For (had "leprosy" not been written in this connection,) it would follow a fortiori (that it does not confer tumah through a michyah), viz.: If boil or burn, which do confer tumah through white hair, do not confer tumah through michyah, then karachath or gabachath, which do not confer tumah through white hair, how much more so should they not confer tumah through michyah! It is, therefore, written "leprosy," teaching us that it does confer tumah through michyah.
[ב] "פורחת" – מלמד שהיא מטמאה בפשיון. "הוא" – אינה מטמאה בשיער לבן. הלא דין הוא: מה אם השחין והמכוה שאינם מטמאים במחיה מיטמאין בשער לבן, קרחת וגבחת שהם מיטמאים במחיה אינו דין שיטמאו בשיער לבן?! ת"ל "הוא" – היא אינה מטמאה בשער לבן 2) "blossoming": We are hereby taught that it confers tumah by spreading. "it": It does not confer tumah through white hair. For (had "it" not been written for this exclusion,) it would follow a fortiori (that it does confer tumah through white hair), viz.: If boil or burn, which do not confer tumah through michyah, do confer tumah through white hair, then karachath or gabachath, which do confer tumah through michyah, how much more so should they confer tumah through white hair! It is, therefore, written "it," to teach us that it does not confer tumah through white hair.
[ג] "וראה אותו הכהן והנה שאת הנגע לבנה אדמדמת" – למדנו לשאת שהיא מטמאה בפתוך. ומנין לרבות שאר המראות? ת"ל "נגע לבן אדמדם" "כמראה צרעת עור בשר" – בשני שבועות. 3) (Vayikra 13:43) "And the Cohein shall see him, and, behold, a rising of the plague-spot, reddish-white, (is in his karachath or in his gabachath"): We are hereby taught that a rising confers tumah intermixed. And whence (is the same) to be derived for the other appearances? From (Vayikra 13:42) "a reddish-white plague-spot in his karachath or in his gabachath … as in the appearance of the leprosy of the skin of the flesh." Just as this [karachath] confers tumah intermixed, so the leprosy of the skin of the flesh confers tumah intermixed, and just as the skin of the flesh confers tumah plain, non-intermixed, this, too, confers tumah plain, non-intermixed. "the skin of the flesh": (which requires a quarantine of) two weeks.
[ד] הלא דין הוא: טימא כאן וטימא בעור הבשר. מה עור הבשר בשני שבועות אף כאן בשני שבועות. 4) (Why is this Scriptural analogy [hekesh] needed?) Does it not follow by induction (mah matzinu)?, viz.: Tumah is conferred here (in the instance of karachath), and tumah is conferred in (the instance of) the skin of the flesh. Just as the skin of the flesh, two weeks, here, too, two weeks.
[ה] או כלך לדרך זה: טימא כאן וטימא בשחין ובמכוה. מה שחין ומכוה בשבוע אחד אף כאן בשבוע אחד… 5) Or, perhaps go in this direction: Tumah is conferred here, and tumah is conferred in (the instance of) boil or burn. Just as boil or burn, one week, here, too, one week.
[ו] נראה למי דומה: דנים דבר שהוא מטמא במחיה מדבר שהוא מטמא במחיה ואל יוכיחו שחין ומכוה שאינם מיטמאין במחיה. או כלך לדרך זה: דנים דבר שהוא מיטמא בשני סימנים מדבר שהוא מטמא בב' סימנים ואל יוכיח עור הבשר שהוא מטמא בג' סימנים… ת"ל "כמראה צרעת עור בשר" – בב' שבועות. הרי עור הבשר כזו, מה זו מטמאה בפתוך אף עור הבשר מטמאה בפתוך. רבי אומר הרי הוא כעור הבשר, מה עור הבשר מטמא חלקה שלא בפתוכה אף זו תטמא חלקה שלא בפתוכה. "צרעת" – כגריס. הלא דין הוא: טימא כאן וטימא בשחין ובמכוה. מה שחין ומכוה כגריס אף כאן כגריס. 6) Let us see what it [karachath] most resembles. We derive something which confers tumah through michyah [i.e., karachath], from something which confers tumah through michyah [i.e., skin of the flesh], and this is not to be refuted by boil or burn, which do not confer tumah through michyah. — But, perhaps go in this direction: We derive something [karachath] which confers tumah through two signs (michyah and spreading) from something [boil or burn] which confers tumah through two signs (spreading and white hair), and this is not to be refuted by skin of the flesh, which confers tumah through three signs (white hair, michyah, and spreading). It must, therefore, be written "as the appearance of the leprosy of the skin of the flesh" — two weeks. "leprosy": (the size of) a garis (see Section 4, Chapter 7:9). Now does this not follow by induction. (Why make special mention of "leprosy" to this end?) Tumah is conferred here [karachath] and tumah is conferred through boil or burn. Just as boil or burn, the size of a garis, here, too, the size of a garis!
[ז] לא אם אמרת בשחין ובמכוה שהם מיטמאים בשער לבן ואין מקום שער לבן צריך כלום, תאמר בקרחת ובגבחת שהם מיטמאים במחיה ומחיה צריכה כעדשה. עור הבשר יוכיח! שהוא מיטמא במחיה ומיטמא כגריס! 7) No, this may be true of boil or burn, which confer tumah through white hair, and the size of the white hair requires no space, so that a garis suffices for the size of the boil or burn, as opposed to karachath and gabachath, which confer tumah through a michyah, which requires the size of a lentil, (so that they should be of greater size than a garis relative to the michyah in order to confer tumah). This is refuted by skin of the flesh, which confers tumah through a michyah and confers tumah (even) by the size of a garis.
[ח] לא אם אמרת בעור הבשר שהוא מיטמא בג' סימנים, תאמר בקרחת ובגבחת שאין מיטמא אלא בב'?! הואיל ואין מיטמא אלא בב' לא יהיה כגריס. ת"ל "צרעת" – כגריס 8) No, this may be true of skin of the flesh, which confers tumah through three signs, as opposed to karachath and gabachath, which confer tumah through only two signs, so, the Torah, having been relatively lenient with them, perhaps they must be greater than a garis to confer tumah. It must, therefore, be written (re karachath and gabachath) "Leprosy," (to teach that they confer tumah even if they are only) the size of a garis.