Metzora

Continuing last week’s theme, the Torah relates to us the purification process for the one who was afflicted. with Tzaraas זאת תהיה תורת המצרע ביום טהרתו והובא אל הכהן ; this "shall" be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification & he shall be brought to the Kohen. Shem MiShmuel says that the Torah speaks in future tense "shall" to teach us that these feelings of sincere & complete remorse the metzora is currently feeling must stay with him throughout his life. His whole future has to be one where he remembers this time so that he won't come to sin again.

The next posuk continues, וראה הכהן והנה נרפא נגע הצרעת מן הצרוע , the Kohen shall look & behold the Tzaraas has been healed from the metzora. The Torah still calls him a צרוע even though he has already been cured; why is the Torah still calling him a צרוע? The דעת קדושים, based on the Rambam's view of complete teshuva, answers that when one encounters the same sin on which he had previously stumbled while in the exact same situation & this time is able to overcome his desire & not stumble, that's complete teshuva.  

This same concept applies to the metzora. Even though he did teshuva & is now cured, he was secluded all that time from other people so he didn't have a chance to stumble again. Therefore, he's still called a צרוע until he goes back into society & still refrains from evil speech; then he will attain complete teshuva.

When the first posuk tells us that the metzora was brought to the Kohen, he was brought to the Kohen even by force. What was so important that he be brought to the Kohen? The Dubno Maggid explains that people are lax in regard to lashon hara because they feel it’s only words & it doesn't mean anything. In fact, when one disparages another person, it evokes divine justice against both the speaker & the one spoken about. Additionally, the spoken word has not only the power to hurt people but also to destroy lives. Yet, one rationalizes that it’s only words. Therefore, the Torah sends the Metzora to the Kohen, where he will see that now his fate, too, will be decided by the spoken word; one word from the Kohen & he now has to remain in solitary confinement until he is cured, dermonstrating just how damaging the spoken word could be.    

To what extent we have to avoid talking bad about another person can be exemplified from the following story. A man who was riding through Radin met the Chaftz Chaim without recognizing him & asked if he knew where the great Rav & Tzaddik, the Chafetz Chaim lived. The Chafetz Chaim said to him, first of all he's not a Rav & second he's not a tzaddik. The man was appalled! He said everyone knows that the Chafetz Chaim is the most saintly man in our generation to which the Chafetz Chaim replied, “what people say means nothing; they don't really know him. I know him personally & I can tell you it’s all exaggeration. The man became so upset that he started berating and hitting the old man who was belittling the Chofetz Chaim.

A little while later when the Chafetz Chaim got home, this man was waiting to meet him. When he saw that the man he had hit was none other than the Chafetz Chaim himself, he nearly fainted! The Chafetz Chaim reassured him saying you taught me a great lesson; not only can't one talk Lashon hara about one’s friend, he can't even talk lashon hara about himself!

This is how far we have to distance ourselves from speaking bad; if we can’t speak unfavorably about ourselves, then surely when it comes to other people, we have to be extremely careful not to say one bad word if we can remember this then even if we do falter we will be able to overcome & remember how bad we felt when realizing our mistake & when given the chance to sin again we will be able to resist, fulfilling even the Rambam's requirement for a complete teshuva, helping us never to sin again!