Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
Tzara’at could affect your body, and also your clothes:
וְהַבֶּ֕גֶד כִּֽי־יִהְיֶ֥ה ב֖וֹ נֶ֣גַע צָרָ֑עַת בְּבֶ֣גֶד צֶ֔מֶר א֖וֹ בְּבֶ֥גֶד פִּשְׁתִּֽים׃
When a tzara’at wound occurs in wool or linen fabric…
Our פַּרְשָׁנִים (parshanim, commentators) wondered about the kinds of tzara’at that aren’t on the human body (in next week’s parashah we’ll read about houses that get tzara’at). Where do they come from, and what do they mean?
רלב"ג
וְעִנְיַן הַצָּרַעַת בְּאֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים הוּא שֶׁיִּגְבַּר בָּהֶם הַלַּחוּת הַנָּכְרִי וְהַחֹם הַנָּכְרִי… בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁיִּדְרְכוּ אֶל הַכָּלוּי וְהֶפְסֵד הַהַרְכָּבָה… כְּמוֹ זֶה הֶעָפוּשׁ הוּא הַיָּרֹק אוֹ הָאָדֹם; כְּבָר תִּמְצָא זֶה בִּמְקוֹמוֹת הָעֲפוּשִׁים כְּמוֹ מֵימֵי הָאַשְׁפּוֹת.
Ralbag
Tzara’at on these objects is caused by moisture and heat… this causes them to be damaged and destroyed… the discoloration is what you’d find in moldy places, like water near a dump, where things turn green or red.
אֵין סָפֵק בּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה זֶה בַּטֶּבַע בְּשׁוּם פָּנִים… אָמְנָם הֵעִיד הַכָּתוּב שֶׁלִּפְעָמִים יִהְיֶה זֶה כְּפֶלֶא בִּבְגָדִים וּבְבָתִּים, וְזֶה לְהָעִיר אֹזֶן הַבְּעָלִים עַל עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבְּיָדָם…
וְכָל זֶה בְּחֶמְלַת ה' עַל עַמּוֹ…
וְכַאֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלוּ הַדּוֹרוֹת לְמַדְרֵגָה רְאוּיָה לְחֶמְלָה זוֹ, אֵין זִכָּרוֹן לָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ לְעוֹלָם נִגְעֵי בָּתִּים.
There is no doubt that this is supernatural… This miracle can sometimes strike clothing or houses, in order to make their owners aware of their sins…
And all this is because of God’s compassion for us…
But since we never reached a spiritual level worthy of this kind of communication from God, there is no record of any house ever having tzara’at.
- When you read our parashah, does tzara’at on clothing (or anywhere) seem natural, like Ralbag suggests, or supernatural, like Sforno thinks? What evidence can you find?
- Is it possible for Ralbag and Sforno to both be right?
- What do you think of Sforno’s idea? How would you act differently if you knew that God could give you physical feedback on your actions, in the form of a rash on your skin or weird stuff growing on your clothing or home? Why would that be an example of God’s compassion?
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