Tazria & Metzorah 5770

Join Beth Tikkun as we study Parshat Tazria & Metzorah.

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2 Comments

  1. Heather Gibson on 04/15/2021 at 7:40 AM

    Grant: In this two-portion lesson, you said that tzara’at is not a contagious disease. In my CJB, Leviticus 13:51, 52, 57 and 14:44 actually uses the word contagious in regards to tzara’at affecting a house. Is contagious a good translation? Is it a contagion that spreads like a disease or should it be understood as running the risk of becoming impure/unclean (possibly spiritually) by continued exposure to the physical house? Thanks, Heather PS – The word infection is also used in these passages, and that always makes me think of a contagious situation/condition.

  2. L. Grant Luton on 04/18/2021 at 8:35 AM

    Heather, It is unfortunate that the CJB renders the Hebrew word “ma’am” (מאר) as “contagious”. The word actually means “persistent” (or “malignant”). No one in Scripture contracted tzaraat from touching someone. They would become ritually unclean, but not sick. In fact, a person who was completely covered with tzaraat was considered clean! (13:12-13) This meant that he could touch and be touched by others without them contracting rituals impurity! So, why would this be permitted if the disease was contagious? As to tzaraat of a house, it was not contagious either. But the objects in the house (if they were there when the priest arrived and pronounced the house unclean) would be become ritually unclean.

    Hope this helps!
    Grant

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