After giving birth to a son, a mother was not permitted to enter the Sanctuary for forty days; if she gave birth to a daughter, the waiting period was eighty days. At the end of this period, the mother brought a burnt and sin offering to the Sanctuary and was then considered to be ritually clean.

A person who contracted the skin disease of tzora’as was not allowed to enter the Sanctuary. Thus, when a person’s skin color indicated that he might have the disease, he was examined by a kohen. If the kohen, after examining the spots or scabs on the person’s skin, was unable to make a definitive determination that the affliction was indeed tzora’as, the person was placed in isolation for seven days and then examined again. If the appearance of the skin remained unchanged, the person was isolated for another seven days. Then a final examination was made. If the marks had not spread, the person was declared ritually clean. However, if the blemish had spread, the person was declared to be a metzorah, a person afflicted with tzora’as. He was then sent to live outside the camp of assembly, with his clothes torn off and his hair unkempt. He was told to call out “Unclean, unclean!” as a warning for others not to touch him.

When the tzora’as subsided, the person was again examined by a kohen outside the camp to make sure that the recovery was complete. The cleansing ceremonies, which were quite elaborate, took place over an eight day period. On the first and last days, special rites were observed. Sacrifices were then offered by the priest, and both cedar wood and hyssop were used in the process of purification.

The laws of tzora’as applied to both a house and a garment as well. If a garment showed signs of tzora’as, it might need to be burnt. If a house became marked by green or red streaks, it was boarded up for seven days. If the streaks then spread, the affected stones of the house were removed and replaced with new ones. The house was replastered, the old stones and dust were thrown into a specially designated unclean area outside the camp. If the signs lingered, the building might need to be demolished.

The kohen had the ultimate responsibility to examine the person afflicted with tzora’as and to declare them pure or impure. The affliction seems to be historically related to leprosy except that in those days, leprosy was incurable and this affliction did seem to “run its course” in a matter of days or weeks.

Those who were deemed impure, had to remain in isolation. When the lesions healed, the kohen would again examine the body and, if declared clean, the person would undergo ritual immersion in water (in a mikvah). The person then needed to have the kohen present a guilt offering on their behalf in the Tabernacle. The kohen, therefore, served as doctor, spiritual guide, teacher, and “agent” for the congregation before G-d.

There is an interesting discussion about this agency aspect in the Talmud Tractate Yoma where the sages discuss whether the kohen can be both agents of the people and of G-d. The prophet Malachi writes (2:7): “For the lips of a kohen should keep knowledge, and they should seek Torah from his mouth.”

The person afflicted with tzora’as was called a metzorah. The sages interpreted this disease to be a punishment for loshen hara (evil speech). Miriam came down with the symptoms of tzora’as immediately after speaking out gainst Moses. In the Talmud, the word metzora is linked to the phrase motzi shem ra which means “one who issues evil.” The sages spent an enormous amount of time and space in the Talmud discussing the evils of slander and gossip. In tractate Chullin (89a), the gemara states: “What is a person’s proper craft in this world? He should make himself as though mute.” The Jerusalem Talmud relates loshen hara to idol worship. When a person worships an idol, they deny the existence of G-d. When a person speaks loshen hara, they may talk about someone “behind their back”, thinking that what the person does not hear, will not hurt them. This is also denying G-d, since He hears and sees everything!

The prophet Micah (7:5) writes: “Guard the entrances of your mouth.” The sages compare the mouth to the entrance of a house. Just as we guard the front door of our house to prevent evil from entering, so to we must guard our mouths from making sure evil speech (loshen hara) does not leave. The Talmud states that loshen hara “kills” three people: the speaker, the listener, and the target of the slander or gossip. Additionally, the Torah in Sefer Bamidbar (19:15) states: “And every open vessel that has no bound lid on it, is ritually unclean.” The sages interpret this verse to apply to one’s mouth as an open vessel that becomes defiled with evil speech and is unfit to utter praises to G-d.

The kohen, in Biblical times, had to be well versed in the laws of Tahara or ritual purity and Tumah or ritual impurity. Based on the appearance of the lesions, their location, color, size, and feel, a person, their clothes, or even their house, might becomes off limits to the general population.

Of the six orders of the Mishnah as redacted by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, three are devoted to aspects of family, purity, and holiness. These orders are Nashim, Kodshim, and Taharot. Nashim, which means women, deals with the laws of betrothal, marriage, divorce, and adultery. Kodshim, which means “holy things”, deals with aspects of Temple service or Avodah. This includes ritual slaughtering, sacrifices, and the services rendered in the Temple itself. Taharot, which means purity, deals with aspects of ritual cleanliness such as immersion (mikvaot), defilement by corpses, menstrual purity, and the status of vessels used in Temple service.

The fact that one half of the Mishnah is devoted to these aspects of daily life testify to their importance to the average Jew. The Torah states: “You shall be holy because I, the Lord your G-d, am Holy.” Every act a Jew undertakes has the potential to be imbued with holiness. Through proper intention or kavannah or the recital of the proper blessing or b’racha, we can transform the mundane to a new sanctified level. The Hebrew word for marriage is kiddushin and denotes a dimension of holiness in this act of joining between a man and a woman.

A person who dedicated his life pursuing the fight against loshen hara was Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan HaKohen of Radin, Poland (1838-1933). He is more commonly known as the “Chofetz Chaim” because of the title of his book on the laws of loshen hara; “Sefer Chofetz Chaim” which was published in 1873. The name comes from a verse in Tehillim (Pslams 34: 13-14): “Mi ha’ish ha’chofetz chaim…”. “Who is the man who desires life… Let him keep his lips from speaking evil…” King Solomon wrote in Mishlei (Proverbs 18:21): “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

To the Chofetz Chaim, the battle against loshen hara was an ongoing war against the Evil Inclination (yetzer hara). The Talmud, in Kiddushin 30b states: that G-d said, “I created the yezter hara and I also created the Torah as its antidote.” In a subsequent work entitled “Sh’miras HaLoshen”, the Chofetz Chaim writes : “Fortunate is the man who has developed the trait of patience and tolerance to such an extent that he can have complete control of himself and feel nothing whatsoever when he is shamed or insulted. Happy is he who can be forbearing and overlook his pride, and keep silent.”

These are useful words to consider. The lessons of Tazriah-Metzorah lie in the arena of interpersonal relationships. It is true that we must all choose our battles to fight. When it comes to “bad mouthing” someone, there is no choice. Not only should we not engage in it, we should not listen to it. We must rebuke those who do engage in it. You cannot stand by idly and think to yourself, “Well, as long as I’m not saying anything, it’s okay.” Before you walk away from loshen hara, you must make your intentions known.

The sages state that the destruction of the Second Temple happened because of

sinat chinan or baseless slander and hatred. The Talmud also states that the 24, 000 disciples of Rabbi Akiva were slaughtered because they were not civil to each other in their Talmudic debates. Avoiding loshen hara is one of the greatest mitzvos we can perform. It is worthwhile to review the laws of loshen hara on Tisha b’Av for this reason.

The Chofetz Chaim once paid a visit to a prospective supporter of his Radin yeshiva. When he arrived, the man, a wealthy businessman, was in the midst of writing a telegram to his business partner. He stopped and rose to greet the great sage and the two began talking. Quickly, the discussion centered around the activities of another businessman in town. Not wishing to engage in loshen hara, the Chofetz Chaim rose from his seat and walked over to the desk. He looked at the man’s telegram and commented to him: “You certainly have chosen your words carefully since you re-wrote this telegram several time.” “Of course”, answered the man. “Each word costs me money so I must be very careful to get my message across as clearly and succinctly as possible.”

“May your ears hear what your mouth has just said”, marveled the

Chofetz Chaim. “If people are this careful with words, where their earthly money is concerned, how much more so should they be careful in avoiding loshen hara where it might cost them some of their reward in the World to Come!”