Parasha Thoughts |
By Rabbi Michael Segankohanim
This week’s Sidra deals with laws of Tzaraat. In the laws governing Tzaraat we find a very strange concept. Tzaraas status is affected totally by the declaration of the Cohen. A person may have all the conditions and physical characteristics that define Metzora, but he is not a Metzora until the Cohen declares him a Metzora. Likewise, A Metzora may be cleared of his affliction, but he will remain a Metzora even after the Cohen examines him/her until the Cohen actually declares him cleared of Tzaraat.
This law is absolutely baffling; why should the Cohen’s WORDS determine the Halacha and not the reality, i.e. the malady itself? Chazal tell us that Tzaraat happened primarily for the sin of Lashon Hara: slander, gossip and negative speech. R’ Y.Y. Ruderman says the real reason one engages in negative speech is because he/she doesn’t appreciate the power of speech. He thinks, “I didn’t DO anything; it was just talk! What’s the big deal it was a harmless joke!†etc… In reality however nothing could be further from the truth; words DO matter! The words we use could build and destroy; they could bring joy or ruin a person’s day and, most importantly, the words we use create what type of person we are. Positivity creates a positive and growing person and negativity breeds the opposite.
That explains why the Torah makes the Tzaraat status dependent on the WORDS of the Cohen. This way the individual who is guilty of evil speech will experience firsthand what it means to hang on to every word another utters. He will feel what it means to worry, what if the Cohen says something negative? He will dream about a good verdict being uttered by the Cohen and realize how meaningful it could be to speak positively. After all is said and done, that is the true lesson here: do not sell short this powerful tool called speech.