Introduction

The Torah in Leviticus 13:1-14:57 describes a mysterious plague of tzaraat (in Hebrew צרעת) which may affect a person in different ways. The following table lists the areas affected, colour of plague, and related verses in Leviticus.

Area	Colour	Verses
Skin	White	13:1-46
Clothing	Dark green or red	13:47-59
House	Dark green or red	14:33-57

This article due to its length will focus on tzaraat of the skin and clothing which the Torah describes in Parshat Tazria (Leviticus 13:1-59). A companion article on this web site will discuss the tzaraat on houses and purification rites of one afflicted with tzaraat which the Torah describes in Leviticus 14:1-57.

Law

It is interesting to note that the Torah in Leviticus describes the details of this plague and related laws of impurity but does not indicate which sins precipitate this plague. This article focuses on the law of tzaraat through initial inspection, quarantine, and confirmation of the affliction using the pardes method of exposition drawn from scripture, Talmud, Midrash, and Zohar with associated commentaries

Sin

There are several verses in scripture which indicate the cause of this plague. In addition there are sources in the Talmud and Midrash which discuss the many sins that lead to tzaraat. A companion article on this web site “Tzaraat –Aggadah (Homilies)” elaborates on the causes of sin.

Medical condition

This plague of tzaraat is not comparable to any known disease because of the following reasons:

Tzaraat can clear in 1 or 2 weeks.
If the whole body is covered by the plague then the person is declared pure.
Tzaraat may appear on clothes and houses as dark green or red streaks.

Throughout the ages students of scripture (including the author) have attempted without success to link this plague with known medical conditions (e.g. leprosy). Tzaraat differs from leprosy in many ways as shown in the following table.

Feature	Leprosy	Tzaraat
Cause	Bacterial infection	Divine decree
Symptoms	Pink coloured patches	Bright white spots
Medication	Antibiotics	None
Treatment time	6-12 months	1-2 weeks
Cycles	Does not clear by itself	Clears by repentance
Examination	Doctor	Priest

The author has considered the skin disease of psoriasis or eczema as a potential link to tzaraat since the word in Hebrew צרעת sounds like psoriasis. However this skin disease causes a rash with itchy, scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp. In addition this condition does not fit the description of tzaraat because psoriasis is a long term disease that does not clear in 1 or 2 weeks. Furthermore psoriasis results in red or scaly patches by contrast tzaraat produces white or reddish white lesions.

The following table shows the similarities and differences of psoriasis to tzaraat.

Feature	Psoriasis	Tzaraat
Cause	Not really known	Divine decree
Symptoms	Pink or red patches	Bright white spots
Medication	No cure – Creams helpful	No medical cure
Duration	Weeks or months	1-2 weeks
Clears	By itself	By repentance
Returns	By itself	By divine decree
Examination	Doctor	Priest

Although psoriasis is cause by rapid cell growth, the underlying cause of this growth is not fully understood. Researchers believe it to be a combination of genetic, environmental, and immune factors. Similar to tzaraat, psoriasis can clear and return by itself in the order of weeks or months. At present medical theory cannot satisfactorily explain these cycles. The following are some of the triggers for psoriasis:

Infections
Injury to skin
Stress

Like psoriasis, the cause of eczema is unclear. Patients either develop or are born with an impaired skin barrier function, which means they’re more susceptible to external allergens and bacteria. Again, there are a variety of genetic, environmental, and immune factors at play. The difference between psoriasis and eczema lies in their cause (i.e. autoimmune in the former and skin irritation in the latter) and treatment (i.e. different drugs or creams depending upon the severity of the condition).

Divine Judgment

Torah commentators understand that this affliction is a result of divine judgment. For example Maimonides writes (Laws of Tzaraat 16:10), “This change that affects a person and his clothes (i.e. tzaraat) is not a natural occurrence. Rather it is a sign and a wonder among the Jewish people to warn them against sin in particular undesirable speech.” Even though tzaraat is a supernatural affliction Hashem often works miracles within nature because:

Hashem created nature.
Hashem grants mankind free will.

Nature

Hashem created nature together with the world as the Talmud states (Avodah Zarah 54b), “The world (generally) functions according to its natural order.” Hashem is not bound by nature and can perform miracles according to His will. Nevertheless Hashem often performs miracles using nature. For example, before splitting the Seas of Reeds Hashem moved the sea with a strong east wind all night (Exodus 14:21) using the wind as part of the miracle. Hence tzaraat may appear similar to natural conditions.

Free will

In general Hashem does not wish to interfere with man’s free will as the Talmud states (Berachot 33b), “All is in the hands of heaven except the reverence for heaven (which is in the hands of man).” Therefore even in a supernatural affliction as tzaraat the Torah through its laws (e.g. complete spreading of affliction) leaves room for a person to misinterpret the signs and think that he has outsmarted Hashem.

In addition this disease is not a purely medical condition because the Torah:

Is not a medical text.
Does not provide a cure for this disease.
Declares the person with tzaraat as ritually impure and not sick.
Mandates a priest to make the declaration and not a doctor.

Order of Text

As mentioned in the Introduction section, the Torah describes the laws of tzaraat in the order of afflictions on the body, clothing, and houses. However the Midrash (Leviticus Rabbah 17:4 and Tanchuma Tazria 10) explains that divine judgment reverses the order, meaning that Hashem first seeks corrective action through afflictions on the walls of a house. If the person repents, then the affliction ends. If not the affliction continues leading to the demolition of the house. If the person does not repent after losing his house then Hashem may apply this affliction to his clothes. If the person repents, then the affliction ends. If not the affliction continues leading to the burning of the clothes (after removal from the person). If the person does not repent after losing his clothes then Hashem may apply this affliction to his body. If the person repents, then the affliction ends. If not the affliction continues leading to his removal from society through expulsion from walled cities especially Jerusalem (Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat 10:7). As a result of his impurity he cannot visit the temple on the pilgrim festivals nor partake of sacrificial meat when the temple was standing.

The reader may ask, “Why is the order in the Torah the reverse order of divine judgment?” The author offers the following answers:

Divine mercy.
Chronological order.

Divine mercy

The Torah describes tzaraat according to the strict sense of judgment (דין) meaning that tzaraat should first appear on the person. If the repentance is not complete the affliction may appear on his clothes and house. However Hashem is merciful (רחמים) and gives the sinner time to repent, hence the order is reversed. In a similar vein the Torah states (Exodus 21:24), “An eye for an eye” which is the strict sense of judgment. However Hashem is merciful and only monetary compensation is required (Maimonides Laws of Damages to People 1:3).

Chronology

The Torah records the different forms of tzaraat in chronological order with respect to the Israelites who left Egypt. Tzaraat on houses only applies after the Israelites conquered and apportioned the land of Israel (Sifra on Leviticus 14:34) which was 14 years after the initial entry into Israel (Talmud Arachin 13a). Tzaraat did not appear on the clothes of the Israelites in the desert because these clothes were miraculously cleaned by Hashem based through the clouds of glory (Midrash Song of Songs 4:11). However tzaraat of the skin did occur in the desert as happened to Miriam when she spoke against Moses (Number 11:10).

Overview

Introduction

The Torah records 116 verses about different forms of tzaraat and method of purification which corresponds to chapters 13 and 14 in Leviticus. In the Mishna there are 14 chapters in tractate Negaim (literally plagues) which elaborates on this Torah law. Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah codifies the laws of tzaraat in 16 chapters with an average of 10 subsections per chapter. Since there are many details in these laws the author will only focus on major topics to provide the reader with an overview, explanation of the derivation of these laws, comparison to known medical conditions, and a philosophical explanation where possible. The author found the following English language commentaries on the Torah helpful in explaining the details of the laws of tzaraat:

Chumash, Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Stone Edition, Mesorah Publications, First Edition 1993, 1313 pages, ISBN- 0-89906-014-5.
Chumash, Rabbi Chaim Nachum Cumin (General Editor), Michaan Edition, Kehot Publication Society, First Edition 2015, 1503 pages, ISBN 978-0-8266-0196-4.

In the article the author will refer to these sources as Chumash Ref. 1 and Chumash Ref. 2 respectively.

Patients

The Talmud in Arachin 3a and Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat 9:1) state that both male and female Israelites whether adults or minors may contract tzaraat. Furthermore even a one day old child may contract this disease. Appendix 1 – explains the derivation of this law from the verses in Leviticus chapter 13.

Stages of Disease

The Mishna (ibid. 1:3) identifies the following stages of this disease whether on a person, garment, or house:

Initial inspection ראיה.
Quarantine מוסגר.
Confirmed מוחלט.
Recovered פטור.
Reoccurrence חזרה (or in the language of the Mishna אחר הפטור ).

The following discussion applies to tzaraat of a person in its different forms or on his clothes.

Initial inspection

When the symptoms of tzaraat appear on the patient or garment, he comes to the priest for examination. Depending upon condition of the affliction and its location on the patient the priest may:

Discharge the patient.
Quarantine the patient.
Confirm the disease.

If the affliction is less than the minimum size or not the required colour the patient is discharged and is ritually pure. If the affliction is at the minimum size or larger and at the required colour the priest declares the patient impure and the patient or garment is placed in quarantine. Depending upon the type of tzaraat and additional symptoms the priest may declare the patient as a confirmed metzora.

Quarantine

Depending upon the type of tzaraat there may be 1 or 2 quarantine periods of seven days. Actually the total time for quarantine is 13 days because the 7^th day serves as the end of the 1^st week and beginning of the 2^nd week (Mishna Negaim 3:3 and Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat 9:9). At the end of the 1^st week the priest examines the person to determine the patient’s status and may:

Discharge the patient.
Quarantine the patient again for some types of tzaraat.
Confirm the disease.

Confirmation of Disease

Depending upon the tzaraat and its symptoms the priest may declare the affliction as confirmed. In this state there is no time limit. The patient remains a metzora until the symptoms clear or fully spread. By contrast a garment with confirmed tzaraat is burned.

Recovered

After the symptoms clear or after full spread the priest declares the patient as recovered and requires additional purification. However the patient is not immune to recurrence of tzaraat and may undergo another cycle of initial inspection, quarantine, confirmation, and recovery. In fact the Torah does not place a limit on the number of these cycles in a person’s lifetime.

Medical Condition

The stages of inspection, quarantine, confirmation, recovery, and potential reoccurrence closely follow current medical approach to pandemics. In fact some of the sages of the Midrash took precautions to avoid contact with someone afflicted with tzaraat as follows.

Social distancing – Keeping a distance of 2 meters from an infected party if no wind is blowing and up to 50 meters if the wind is blowing towards the uninfected. Others would not even enter an alleyway where a person infected with tzaraat lived (Leviticus Rabbah 16:3).
Avoid food contamination – Rabbi Meir would not even eat an egg (which has a shell) in the neighbourhood of a metzora (ibid.).
Avoid carriers of disease – Rabbi Yochanan advised to keep away from the flies (or other insects) that are near a metzora. (ibid. 16:1). The Midrash alludes to infection through insects similar to malaria.

The weekly reading of the Torah which details the laws of tzaraat (i.e. symptoms and quarantining) and its purification occurs around spring time. It is interesting to note that in the year 2020 this Torah reading coincided with Covid-19 lockdown of the Western world.

Divine Judgment

The stages of inspection, quarantine, confirmation, recovery, and potential reoccurrence also reflect divine judgment of a sinner. The appearance of tzaraat symptoms indicates that Hashem is displeased with a person’s actions. If the symptoms are not significant (e.g. small size or dim colour) then the patient should interpret this sign as a warning from Hashem which requires some introspection. However if the priest places the patient in quarantine then the person has sinned and requires an improvement in his ways. If the affliction progresses to confirmation then the person has sinned grievously and requires a change in his life because there is no time limit in this stage. By contrast quarantine lasts to a maximum of 13 days. Even after recovery a person should reflect on his behaviour realizing that tzaraat may reoccur. This divine judgment has a parallel in secular law where a person may receive a warning from the police, jail sentence of short duration for a minor offence, and a life sentence for a serious offence. If a person has changed his ways then the affliction will clear indicating that Hashem has accepted his change.

Types of Tzaraat

Before analyzing each of the different forms of tzaraat, each with their own symptoms of quarantine and confirmation, the author will provide a brief overview of the different types of tzaraat discussed in parshat Tazria (Leviticus 13:1-59) with the page number from Chumash reference 2 for a detailed flow chart as follows:

Skin (Page 1482)
After boil or burn (Page 1483).
Hair loss (Page 1484).
Baldness.
Garment (Page 1485).

Skin

The laws of skin tzaraat (i.e. white patches or spots) only apply to exposed skin thereby excluding eyes, interior of the ear, interior of the nose, folds in the skin, nails, and sole of the foot (Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat 6:1). In skin tzaraat the affliction appears without a preliminary physical symptom.

Boil or burn

The boil or burn is not per se a sign of tzaraat. Rather the laws of tzaraat apply after the boil or burn start to heal. If the boil or burn has not begun to heal then a white patch or spot is not tzaraat.

Hair loss

Hair loss is a symptom of tzaraat and according to Maimonides even without a change in skin colour (ibid. 8:1). The appearance of yellow hair is a sign of confirmation of affliction.

Baldness

Baldness is not per se a sign of tzaraat. Rather the now exposed skin on the head or face is subject to the laws of skin tzaraat.

Garment

The laws of tzaraat apply to material of wool or linen whether in spool form or finished product Ibid. 13:1 and 13:8). Tanned leather made into a vessel is subject to the laws of tzaraat (ibid. 13:4).

The table of quarantine symptoms shows the type of tzaraat, colour of affliction, duration of quarantine, and notes where applicable.

Type	Colour	Duration (weeks)	Notes
Skin	White (4 shades)	2	2
After boil or burn	White (4 shades)	1	2
Hair loss	Not applicable	1	3
Baldness	White (4 shades)	2	2
Garment	Dark green or red	2	N/A

Notes:

All afflictions must be the size of a Cilician bean.
The affliction must appear to penetrate the skin.
Some authorities opine that the affliction must be one of the 4 shades of white in addition to hair loss.

The following table lists the type of tzaraat, symptoms for confirmation including hair colour, healthy flesh, spreading, and notes (all where applicable).

Type	Hair Colour	Healthy Flesh	Spreading	Notes
Skin	White	√	√	1 and 2
After boil or burn	White	X	√	1 and 2
Hair loss	Yellow	X	√	1 and 2
Baldness	Not applicable	√	√	1, 2, and 3
Garment	Not applicable	Not Applicable	√	1, 2, 3, and 4

Notes:

Spreading is a sign of impurity after quarantine or discharge.
Full spread is a sign of purity after quarantine or confirmation.
Hair colour is not applicable in for baldness or garment.
The garment is confirmed as tzaraat if the dark green or red colour remains after the second quarantine.

Tzaraat on Skin

The Torah introduces the topic of tzaraat by discussing tzaraat on skin in terms of symptoms for quarantine and confirmation of the affliction.

Symptoms for Quarantine

The initial signs of tzaraat which lead to quarantine are white spots or streaks which must satisfy the followings requirements:

Colour (bright white).
Deeper than surrounding skin (in appearance).
Minimum size (Cilician bean).

The following table lists the symptom, verse number in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation in Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Colour (White)	2	1:2
Deeper than skin	3 and 4	1:6
Size (Cilician bean)	Not applicable	1:7

Colours

The white spot must be as bright one of the 4 colours listed below or even a mixture these colours. If the affliction is darker than this white, the spot is called בהק (Leviticus 13:39) and the patient is discharged. The following table lists the name of the white spots in English, Hebrew, and colour in descending order of brightness.

Brightness	English Name	Hebrew Name	Colour
1	Bright spot	בהרת	Snow
2	Rising	שאת	Wool
3	Scab	ספחת	Lime (plaster)
4	Scab	ספחת	Egg white

Appendix 2 discusses the derivation of these colours from scripture and the Mishna. The egg white colour corresponds to the thin membrane of the egg and not its shell.

Deeper than skin

The brightness of the spot must create the impression that it is deeper than the surrounding skin (i.e. penetration) even though it is actually at the same level as the skin. The verse states (Leviticus 13:3), “The priest shall look at the lesion on the skin. If hair in the lesion has turned white and the appearance of the lesion is deeper than the skin it is a lesion of tzaraat. Therefore the priest shall pronounce the patient as unclean. Appendix 3 deals with an apparent contradiction in Leviticus 13:4 which states that quarantine applies even when the appearance of the spot is not deeper than the surrounding skin.

Size of the spot

The written Torah does not specify a minimum size for this spot. Other than sacrificial offerings the Torah does not provide minimum sizes or volumes in relation to its commandments (Talmud Eruvin 4a). Maimonides (ibid. 1:7) writes, “The minimum measure for all appearances of tzaraat is the size of a Cilician bean, which is a square area on the skin where 36 hairs could grow, (i.e., six hairs in length and six hairs in width) or 2 cm by 2 cm (Chumash Ref. 1) or 1.24 cm by 1.24 cm (Chumash Ref. 2).” In any event the minimum size of this spot is quite small and for the latter size equivalent to the area of a fingernail.

(Note: Throughout this article dimensions expressed in terms of hair refer to the area required to grow the hair including pores and not the width of the hair which is much smaller.)

Symptoms of Confirmation

The priest declares a person as a confirmed metzora after one of these symptoms develop as shown in the following table. The table mentions the symptom, verse in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation from Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat).

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Two white hairs	3	1:10 and 2:1
Healthy flesh	10	1:10 and 3:1
Spreading of spots	8	1:10 and 4:1

These symptoms are further defined by size, colour, and sequence with respect to the initial spot. The following table indentifies these symptoms in term of size, colour, and citation from Maimonides (ibid.)

Symptom	Size	Colour	Citation
White hairs	2 hairs cut by scissors	Any shade of white	2:1 and 2:3
Live flesh	2 by 2 hairs	Any colour (Note 1)	3:1 and 3:2
Spreading	Any amount	4 shades of white	4:1

Note 1: The healthy flesh may be any colour including white but excluding the 4 bright white colours mentioned above (ibid. 3:2).

White Hairs

The appearance of 2 white hairs in the afflicted area renders the patient a confirmed metzora. Each of the 2 white hairs must be long enough to be pulled out by a tweezers or cut by scissors. The white hairs are not a sign of impurity unless the affliction (i.e. white spot) precedes the white hair as the verse states (Leviticus 13:3), “If the hair in the affliction turned to white.” This means that the affliction caused the hair to turn white. If the white hairs were present before the affliction then this symptom is not significant.

Live (or Healthy) Flesh

The priest declares the patent as a confirmed metzora if healthy flesh of an area 2 by 2 hairs appears within the white spot. This corresponds to an area of 0.67 cm by 0.67 cm (Chumash Ref. 1) or 0.41 cm by 0.41 cm (Chumash Ref. 2). In any event the minimum size of this flesh is quite small and equivalent to the size of a dimple. Nachmanides (Leviticus 13:10) points out an apparent contradiction in this verse which seems to imply that both white hair and healthy flesh are required for confirmation of the affliction. He explains that the conjunctive letter vav in Hebrew (ו) may mean a logical AND (i.e. both conditions) or logical OR (i.e. either condition). He adds, based upon the Sifra (Laws of Negaim 3:7), that the mention of white hair (i.e. 2 hairs) defines the size of the healthy flesh.

In addition to its size and colour the healthy flesh must be totally enclosed within the affliction with a border of 2 hairs between the affliction and flesh on all sides. Therefore the total area of the affliction including the healthy flesh must be 6 hairs by 6 hairs (i.e. 2 +2*2).

Divine Judgment

The reader may ask, “If the skin is healthy why the patient is declared a metzora?” The commentator Rashi (Leviticus 13:11) explains that the affliction resides underneath the healthy flesh. If the person were truly cured then the affliction should have cleared. The author would like to add that the Hebrew word for this affliction is מחית which when separated into 2 words becomes חי (life) and מת (death). Hence this sign from Hashem indicates that the patient is at a crossroad between spiritual life and death and therefore requires immediate action and hence the confirmation of this affliction.

Spreading

After the 1^st or 2^nd quarantine the priest will declare the patient as a confirmed metzora if the affliction has spread. The affliction must spread from its initial location in any amount as long as its colour is one of the 4 colours mentioned above. Therefore if the affliction develops in another part of the skin it is not considered as a sign of confirmation. Rather it is judged as a new affliction.

Full spread

The Torah (Leviticus 13:13) presents a law about tzaraat which appears to be counterintuitive. The verse reads, “(Since) tzaraat has covered all his flesh the priest shall pronounce (the person with) the affliction as clean since it has turned completely white.” The reader may remark in astonishment, “If spreading of the affliction is a sign of impurity then certainly a complete spreading should maintain impurity!” However the reverse is true meaning that a complete spreading of the affliction reverses the patient’s state from impurity to purity whether from quarantine or confirmation (Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat 7:1). Moreover spreading of the affliction is a sign of impurity at the initial inspection or after discharge. At initial inspection full spread results in quarantine. If the affliction remains for 2 weeks the patient is discharged because it did not spread past the initial inspection (Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat 7:2). After discharge of a partial affliction full spread is a sign of confirmation (ibid. 7:1). Hence what is the exact nature of the symptom of spreading, purity of impurity?”

As discussed above, the affliction of tzaraat may be understood in both physical and spiritual planes. In this case an explanation based upon medical concepts would be difficult to find because the outcomes appear contradictory, namely discharge from impurity and confirmation from purity. However on a spiritual plane this anomaly may be explained in terms of divine justice and interaction. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) compares full spread of tzaraat to spread of heresy which prompts the following remark, “The son of David (i.e. messiah) will not come until the entire world (literally kingdom) will be converted to heresy.” This statement implies that the world will be redeemed at its lowest spiritual point when Hashem must intervene to save mankind. (The messiah my also come if the world is worthy by avoiding sin – Sanhedrin 98a). In a similar vein when tzaraat spreads over all of the flesh the patient must realize that the corrective action of tzaraat is not sufficient to atone for his sins especially after the warning of quarantine hence the discharge. Rather the patient must sincerely return to Hashem without the message of tzaraat. When the spreading occurs at the beginning of tzaraat or after discharge then Hashem has shown his displeasure and the patient must reflect and return to Hashem.

Healthy skin

Although spread of the affliction is a sign of purity after quarantine or confirmation the appearance of healthy skin on top of the affliction overrides the sign of spreading as the verse states (Leviticus 13:14), “But on the day that live flesh appears in it he shall become unclean.” As explained above, the healthy skin on top of the affliction is a sign of impurity because the affliction remains underneath. If the person were truly healed then the affliction should have cleared. In a moral sense the healthy skin provides the metzora with a false sense of security because he appears to be on the way of recovery. However in the eyes of Hashem the patient must do more.

Sequence of Events

Using the above symptoms which lead to quarantine or confirmation, the author will explain the sequence of inspection, quarantine, confirmation, recovery, and reoccurrence in terms of skin tzaraat.

Initial inspection

When a person sees a white spot on his skin he should go the priest for diagnosis (Leviticus 12:2). After this inspection the priest may:

Discharge the patient.
Quarantine the patient.
Confirm of affliction.

Discharge the Patient

The priest will discharge the patient unless all of the following conditions are met as shown in the table below. This table provides the condition, associated verse in Leviticus chapter 13 and the Law from Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat Chapter 1.

Condition	Verse	Law
White skin colour	2	1
Deeper than skin	3	6
Size of spot	Not applicable	7

Quarantine

If the above conditions are met (i.e. white colour, deeper than surrounding skin, and size of Cilician bean) the priest places the patient in quarantine. The person remains in quarantine for up to 2 weeks (actually 13 days because the 7^th day serves as the end of the 1^st week and beginning of the 2^nd week).

Confirmation of Affliction

The priest declares a person as a confirmed metzora after any one of the confirmation symptoms appears (i.e. white hairs, live flesh, or spreading).

First Quarantine

At the end of the 1^st week the priest examines the person to determine the patient’s status and may:

Discharge the patient.
Quarantine the patient again.
Confirm the disease.

Discharge the patient

The priest will discharge the patient if the any of the 3 signs of affliction have cleared (viz. Colour of the affliction is darker than the 4 shades, affliction does not appear darker than the surrounding skin, or the affliction has shrunk below the minimum size of a Cilician bean.)

Quarantine the patient again

The priest will quarantine the patient for another 6 days if the 3 signs of affliction remain but none of the 3 signs of confirmation have appeared.

Confirm the disease

The priest declares a person as a confirmed metzora after one of the confirmation symptoms appears.

Second Quarantine

At the end of the 2^nd week the priest examines the person to determine the patient’s status and may:

Discharge the patient.
Confirm the disease.

Discharge the patient

The priest will discharge the patient if the affliction has not spread even though the patient still carries the initial signs of tzaraat (viz. colour of skin is one of the 4 shades, affliction does appear darker than surrounding skin, and the affliction is the required size of a Cilician bean) provided that none of the 3 signs of confirmation have appeared. The reader may remark that this law of discharge does not seem to correspond to the literal meaning of the verse. The Torah states (Leviticus 13:6), “The priest shall examine the patient on the seventh day (of the 2^nd quarantine) and declare him pure if the affliction has dimmed (below the 4 colours) and not spread.” This verse implies that both conditions must be met (i.e. dim colour and no spreading). However Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat 1:10-11) following the Mishna in Negaim 1:3 interprets the verse as either of the conditions will lead to discharge (i.e. dim colour or no spread with existing colour). The letter vav (ו) in Hebrew may indicate a logical AND condition meaning both conditions are required or a logical OR meaning either condition is sufficient. In this case the letter vav (ו) indicates a logical OR condition.

Nachmanides similarly explains this verse in a non-literal manner. He interprets the clause “if the affliction has dimmed” to emphasize that a change in colour from one of the 4 shades to another, whether brighter or dimmer, is a continuation of the affliction and not a new one. The Torah mentions a dimmer colour only as an example because a person may be inclined to interpret dimming as a new affliction.

The priest will certainly discharge the patient if the any of the 3 signs of the affliction have cleared (viz. colour of the affliction is darker than the 4 shades, affliction does not appear darker than the surrounding skin, or the affliction has shrunk below the minimum size of a Cilikian bean.)

Medical practice

As discussed above the procedure of examination by the priest, quarantine, and discharge follows medical practice. However the discharge of the patient with tzaraat symptoms requires explanation.

Divine Judgment

If the patient is discharged with symptoms, in effect Hashem has given the patient a suspended sentence meaning that Hashem has accepted his returning to Torah and mitzvoth to avoid a confirmed metzora status. However this returning is not complete because the patient still carries the affliction or in a medical sense remission.

Confirmation

Once the priest declares the patient as a confirmed metzora the patient remains in this state until all 3 confirmation signs and together with any of the 3 initial signs of quarantine have cleared.

To summarize the following table indicates how the priest uses each symptom to declare the patient as confirmed metzora with respect to time (i.e. initially, 1^st quarantine, 2^nd quarantine, and after discharge).

Symptom	Initially	1^st Quarantine	2^nd Quarantine	Discharge
White hairs	√	√	√	√
Live flesh	√	√	√	√
Spreading	X	√	√	√
Full spread	√	X	X	√

Boils and burns

The Torah records the laws of tzaraat with respect to a person who suffered an inflammation (i.e. boils or blows) or a burn. In this form of tzaraat, the inflammation or burn is not the cause of tzaraat. Rather the Torah discusses the laws of tzaraat after the inflammation or burn start to heal. The following table lists the conditions, verses in Leviticus Chapter 13 and citations from Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Condition	Verses	Citation
Inflammation (boils)	19-23	5:1-7
Burn	24-28	5:1-7

Although the laws of quarantine and confirmation are the same for an inflammation or burn the Torah describes them separately because these skin conditions are different domains and cannot join together for a minimum size of the affliction or for the law of spreading from one domain to the other (Laws of Tzaraat 5:5). In the following description whatever applies to an inflammation equally applies to a burn.

After a person suffers an inflammation or burn the following states of recovery and associated laws are shown in the table below which lists the stages, consequences, and citation from Maimonides (ibid.).

Stage	Consequence	Citation
No recovery	No tzaraat	5:3
Partially recovered	Laws of blow and burn	5:4
Fully healed	Laws of skin tzaraat	5:3

Maimonides explains these stages as follows:

No recovery

Maimonides (ibid. 5:3) – “As long as the boils or burns are fresh, festering wounds, they do not impart impurity of tzaraat at all.” This law may be explained medically or in a spiritual manner. From a medical viewpoint, tzaraat may only develop in healthy skin otherwise any skin abnormality may be attributed to a natural infection as a result of the boil or burn and not the supernatural tzaraat. From a spiritual viewpoint Hashem may not wish to afflict a person who is currently suffering from other medical issues.

Partially recovered

When the skin begins to recover, the laws of inflammation and burn apply as Maimonides rules (ibid. 5:4), “If the boil or the burn begins to heal with a scab of the thickness of a garlic peel forming over them, then this law applies.” The Torah itself alludes to this condition by using the words (Leviticus 13:18), “If the skin has an inflammation and is healing.” The Sifra (halachic Midrash on Leviticus complied at the time the Mishna) on this verse explains that the skin is between inflammation and full recovery.

Fully recovered

If the skin fully recovers and an affliction occurs then the patient is judged by the laws of skin tzaraat and not by the laws of boils or burns Maimonides even though there is a scar on the skin (ibid 5:3).

Symptoms of Quarantine

In the partial recovery state the laws of the boil and burn apply as follows. Similar to skin tzaraat the symptoms that lead to quarantine are white skin colour, appearance deeper than skin, and size of the affliction as a Cilician bean or greater. The following table lists the condition, associated verse in Leviticus chapter 13 for the inflammation and burn respectively, and the Law from Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat Chapter 1. Maimonides does not describe the symptoms leading to quarantine in chapter 5 because they are the same as skin tzaraat of chapter 1.

Condition	Verses	Law
White skin colour	19 and 24	1
Deeper than skin	21 and 26	6
Size of spot	Not applicable	7

Although the Torah mentions reddish streaks in the white affliction with respect to inflammations (Leviticus 13:19) or burns (ibid. 13:24) this colouration equally applies to all cases of bodily tzaraat as long as the affliction appears white (Maimonides ibid. 1:4). The Torah mentions reddish streaks in these two cases because streaks commonly occur in these skin conditions. Nachmanides notes on verses 13:21 and 13:26 that the Torah states that the affliction is not deeper than the skin which appears to contradict the law that the affliction must appear deeper in the skin to undergo quarantine. He explains that with the reddish streaks or scab the affliction is not as deep when compared to the bright white spot of skin tzaraat.

Symptoms of Confirmation

Symptom	Verses	Citation
Two white hairs	20 and 25	5:4
Spreading of spots	22 and 27	5:4

Symptom	Size	Colour	Citation
White hairs	2 hairs cut by scissors	Any shade of white	2:1 and 2:3
Spreading	Any amount	4 shades of white	4:1

Unlike tzaraat of skin, the Torah only considers white hairs and spreading as signs of confirmation but not healthy flesh because the skin has partially recovered after the inflammation or burn. In addition the quarantine period is 1 week and not 2 (Maimonides ibid. 5:4). Similar to the law of full spreading on skin, the patient is discharged from quarantine or confirmation if the affliction covers the entire inflammation or burn (ibid. 7:6). The following table shows the symptoms of contamination:

Symptom	Initially	1^st Quarantine	Discharge
White hairs	√	√	√
Spreading	X	√	√
Full spread	√	X	√

Hair Loss on the Head or Face -נתק

The Torah describes the condition of tzaraat on the head or face (literally on the beard) in terms of hair loss. The following table lists the condition, verses in Leviticus Chapter 13 and citations from Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Condition	Verses	Citation
Head or Face	29-37	8:1-14

According to Maimonides (Ibid. 8:1), this condition develops when hair the size of a Cilician bean or more falls out from the head or beard where hair normally grows even though the colour of the skin has not changed from its natural tone. The Torah (Leviticus 13:30) calls this form of tzaraat נתק which means to fall out because the initial sign of this affliction is hair loss. However according to Raavad (Rabbi Abraham ben David of the 12^th century) there may be a requirement for the skin to change to one of the 4 colours. In contrast to tzaraat of the skin the appearance of live flesh is not a sign of confirmation. Presumably the affliction that causes hair loss is different from skin tzaraat.

The reader may ask, “If the skin does not change colour how does Maimonides explain this part of the verse (ibid.) which states that the affliction is deeper than the skin?” Maimonides (ibid. 8:1), based upon the Sifra on this verse, explains that this citation is not to be interpreted literally. Rather the Torah means that the term “deep” mentioned with regard to this affliction means that the hair loss must come about through the hand of heaven (i.e. without human intervention) just as a shade that is deeper than the surrounding skin comes about through the hand of heaven. Therefore hair loss by a chemical or shaving is not a sign of this affliction. By contrast when all of the hair on the head falls out the Torah calls this condition tzaarat of baldness which is explained in the next section.

Symptom for Quarantine

As discussed above the symptom for quarantine is hair loss on the beard or head. The following table lists the symptom of hair loss, verse number in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation in Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Size (Cilician bean)	Not applicable	8:1

Symptoms of Confirmation

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Short golden hair	30	8:2
Spreading of hair loss	36	8:2

Short golden hair

The Torah clearly specifies the colour of the hair as golden צהב. The Mishna (Negaim 10:1) records a dispute over the Hebrew term דק which usually means thin. In this case does the Torah mean thin which is the usual interpretation or by context the word means short because hair is usually thin? Maimonides rules (ibid. 8:2 and 4) that we follow the context of the word and the golden hair must be shorter than the surrounding hairs. Similar to the skin affliction the minimum number of golden hairs is 2 (ibid. 8:5).

The Mishna also records a dispute (Negaim 10:2) whether or not the affliction must precede the golden hairs. As explained above the verse (Leviticus 13:3) clearly specifies that the affliction must precede the hair turning white for a skin affliction. However for a hair loss affliction the verse (ibid. 13:30) does not mention this requirement and therefore the golden hairs are a sign of impurity independent of which came first (Maimonides ibid. 8:5).

In contrast to the skin affliction where 2 black hairs do not override the sign of 2 white hairs as a sign of impurity, 2 black hairs do override the sign of impurity of 2 golden hairs as the verses indicate (Leviticus 13:31 and 37). In fact the Sifra on Leviticus 13:31 rules that any colour of hair other then golden (e.g. red, brown, or white) is deemed as black and prevents the person from becoming impure. Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat 8:7) only considers black hairs significant in preventing the person from becoming impure.

Spreading of hair loss

The Torah declares spreading of hair loss as a sign of impurity. To facilitate detection of spread the Torah (Leviticus 13:33) commands that the patient be shaved around the initial hair loss after the 1^st week of quarantine. Maimonides (ibid. 8:3) specifies this shaving;” One shaves the area around it and leaves two hairs next to it on every side so that any spread will be noticeable”.

Similar to skin tzaraat, hair loss affliction may proceed up to 2 quarantines for a total of 13 days. At the first inspection the priest will declare the tzaraat as confirmed if two or more golden hairs appear in the area of the hair loss. If not then the patient will be in quarantine for one week. At the end of this week the priest will examine the patient. If the hair loss has spread or if 2 or more golden hairs appear then the priest will declare the tzaraat as confirmed. If not then the patient will be in quarantine for one more week. At the end of this quarantine the priest will examine the patient. If either of the signs of impurity appears then the priest will the tzaraat as confirmed. Otherwise the patient is discharged even though the hair has not grown back. At each stage of examination, including after spread, the patient is discharged if the size of hair loss is less than a Cilician bean (Maimonides ibid. 8:1) or if two black (or other non-golden according to Sifra) hairs grow in the afflicted area (Maimonides ibid. 8:6).

Symptom	Initially	1^st Quarantine	2^nd Quarantine	Discharge
Golden hairs	√	√	√	√
Spreading	X	√	√	√

Medical Condition

From a medial viewpoint sudden circular or patchy bald spots (alopecia areata) are believed to be a symptom of an autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to mistake hair follicles for foreign invaders and attack them as such. Other natural causes of hair loss include psoriasis, eczema, leprosy, vitamin deficiency, or stress. In addition with patchy bold spots yellow follicles may appear as a result of keratin and/or sebum. However as explained in the Introduction tzaraat is a supernatural affliction sent by Hashem to lead a person to abandon sin and return to Hashem. However Hashem often veils a miracle in a natural guise. Hence there is some degree of correlation between tzaraat and medical theory.

Baldness – קרחת גבחת

The Torah describes this condition of tzaraat on the head or beard when all of the hair falls out resulting in baldness. In this case hair loss is not a symptom of tzaraat. Rather the exposed skin on the head or beard area is now susceptible to skin tzaraat with the same symptoms for quarantine and confirmation. The following table lists the condition, verses in Leviticus Chapter 13 and citations from Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Condition	Verses	Citation
Head or Beard	40-44	5:8-11

Maimonides (Ibid. 5:8) explains, based upon the Mishna (Negaim 10:10), that this condition develops after the hair on the head or beard falls out through natural means (e.g. sickness) or even human action (e.g. applying a hair depilatory or a wound that prevents hair growth.) The Hebrew term קרחת refers to baldness from the top of the forehead and downward, descending until the first vertebra of his neck. By contrast the Hebrew word גבחת refers to baldness from the top of his forehead and downward to the hair line.

Symptoms for Quarantine

The symptoms of tzaraat are similar to that of the skin on the rest of the body, namely a white spot of the 4 white colours, appearance deeper than the surrounding skin, and size of a Cilician bean.

The following table lists the symptoms, verse number in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation in Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Colour (White)	2 and 43	1:2
Deeper than skin	3 and 4	1:6
Size (Cilician bean)	Not applicable	1:7

Although the Torah only mentions the wool colour in verse 43 as a symptom of tzaraat the law applies to the other 3 colours. The wool colour is more common on these bald spots.

Symptoms for Confirmation

The signs of confirmation are live flesh or spreading after quarantine. Unlike tzaraat on the skin, appearance of white hairs is not a sign of tzaraat because hair does not normally grow after this kind of baldness (Maimonides ibid. 5:9). The patient may undergo a quarantine of a maximum of 2 weeks (i.e. 13 days).

The following table mentions the symptom, verse in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation from Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat).

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Healthy flesh	10	1:10 and 5:9
Spreading of spots	8	1:10 and 5:9

The Torah does not explicitly mention the signs of confirmation because it relies on the description of skin tzaraat mentioned earlier as the verse states (Leviticus 13:43), “Like the appearance of tzaraat on the skin.”

To summarize, the following table indicates how the priest uses each symptom to declare the patient as confirmed metzora with respect to time (i.e. initially, 1^st quarantine, 2^nd quarantine, and after discharge) for this type of tzaraat.

Symptom	Initially	1^st Quarantine	2^nd Quarantine	Discharge
Live flesh	√	√	√	√
Spreading	X	√	√	√
Full spread	√	X	X	√

The discharge from impurity on full spread includes the exposed scalp or beard (Maimonides ibid. 7:6), meaning that the tzaraat must spread to all areas of baldness.

Summary of Symptoms and Conditions

The following table compares and contrasts the symptoms and conditions of impurity for hair loss and baldness tzaraat.

Feature	Hair Loss (נתק)	Baldness (גבחת קרחת)
Hair loss	Patches	Complete
Cause	Disease	Disease or man made
Hair Colour	Yellow	Not applicable
Skin Colour	Not applicable	White (4 shades)
Live Flesh	√	√
Spread	√	√
Quarantine (maximum)	2 weeks (13 days)	2 weeks (13 days)

Clothes – בגדים

The Torah describes the condition of tzaraat on clothes. The following table lists the condition, verses in Leviticus Chapter 13 and citations from Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Condition	Verses	Citation
Clothes	47-59	12:1-13 and 13:1-15

Symptoms of Quarantine

The following table lists the symptom, verse number in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation in Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat.

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Colour (Dark green)	49	12:1
Colour (Dark red)	49	12:1
Size (Cilician bean)	Not applicable	12:1

Colour- Dark Green or Red

The dark green colour resembles the wings of a peacock or the leaves of a date palm (Maimonides ibid.). The dark red colour resembles a cloth dyed scarlet red (ibid.). The oral law through the Mishna Negaim 11:5 and Sifra on Leviticus 13:56) define the following colours:

Dark green or red spots or streaks which lead to impurity.
Lighter green or red which may lead to impurity.
Not recognizable green or red which leads to purity.

The distinction between these colours and consequent actions depends upon the level of quarantine as discussed below. Other discolouration does not lead to tzaraat.

Although the laws are the same for dark green or red both the Mishna Negaim 3:7 and Maimonides (ibid.) list these colours as separate symptoms.

Size

The area of the spots or streaks must be at least the size of a Cilician bean (ibid.). Similar to other forms of tzaraat the garment or leather skin may undergo up to 2 week of quarantine or 13 days (ibid).

Symptoms of Confirmation

The priest declares a person as a confirmed metzora after one of these symptoms develop as explained below. The table mentions the symptom, verse in Leviticus Chapter 13, and citation from Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat).

Symptom	Verse	Citation
Colour (dark green)	55	12:1
Colour (dark red)	55	12:1
Spreading of streaks	51	12:1

Initial Examination

After the person recognizes the green or red streaks on the garment or leather utensil he presents the item to the priest for examination. If the priest considers the colour as dark green, red, or combination of both then the priest places the item in quarantine. If the colour is lighter then the item is free of tzaraat.

First Quarantine

After seven days the priest examines the item which will lead to one of the following outcomes:

Spread of the affliction – the priest declares the item impure and is consequently burned. The spread of the smallest amount may be either the existing or a different colour as long as it is dark green or red (Maimonides ibid. 12:2). Unlike skin tzaraat, if the affliction occurs in a different place on the item this new affliction is deemed as spread provided that it is the size of a Cilician bean (Maimonides ibid. 12:4).
Affliction unchanged – If the affliction has not spread nor has the colour changed then the item is washed and placed in a 2^nd quarantine. In fact this law applies even if the colour intensified (Maimonides ibid. 12:1). The Sifra (Leviticus 13:54) explains that both the affliction and surrounding area of the item are washed.
Colour diminished – If the colour has dimmed but is still recognizable as green or red the item is washed and placed in a 2^nd quarantine whether or not the affliction has spread. If the green or red is not recognizable then the item is discharged.

The following table summarizes the outcome of the 1^st quarantine using the conditions of colour (unchanged or diminished), spread, and verse number in Leviticus chapter 13.

Colour	Spread	Result (Item)	Verse
Unchanged	√	Burned	51-52
Unchanged	X	Washed, 2^nd Quarantine	53-54
Diminished	√	Washed, 2^nd Quarantine	53-54 (Implied)
Diminished	X	Washed, 2^nd Quarantine	53-54 (Implied)

Although the Torah does not explicitly mention the diminishment of colour after the 1^st quarantine the Sifra links the diminishment of colour after the 2^nd quarantine (i.e. verse 56) to verse 54 of the 1^st quarantine since both verses mention the affliction with corrective action.

Second Quarantine

After six days from the end of the first quarantine the priest examines the item which will lead to one of the following outcomes:

Spread of the affliction – the priest declares that the item is impure and is subsequently burned.
Affliction unchanged – If the affliction has not spread nor has the colour changed then the item is impure and subsequently burned. Even if the colour has changed from green to red or vice versa the item is burned.
Colour diminished – If the colour has dimmed but is still recognizable as green or red the affected area is torn and burned but the item is discharged (Sifra on Leviticus 13:56). If the affliction changed to a colour other than green or red the item is discharged. If the affliction later returns then the item is burned because there is no 3^rd quarantine.

The following table summarizes the outcome of the 2^nd quarantine using the conditions of colour (unchanged or diminished), spread, and verse number in Leviticus chapter 13.

Colour	Spread	Result (Item)	Verse
Unchanged	√	Burned	55
Unchanged	X	Burned	55
Diminished	√	Affliction Torn	56
Diminished	X	Affliction Torn	56

Full spread

Similar to other forms of tzaraat, full spread of the affliction results in discharge after the first or second quarantine or declared impure and burnt if full spread occurs after release from quarantine (Maimonides Laws of Tzaraat 12:8). Full spread at first inspection results in a second quarantine (ibid.).

Type of Garment

The Torah specifies that the tzaraat of cloth applies only to clothes of wool and linen (Leviticus 13:47) and leather skins whether wearable or used as mats or utensils (ibid. 48). The oral law further specifies that the wool or linen must in their natural colour of white (Sifra on Leviticus 13:47 and Maimonides ibid. 13:1). Only leather that is naturally coloured may contract tzaraat (Maimonides ibid. 13:1).

Physical Condition

Although tzaraat of the skin resembles a medical condition as discussed above, tzaraat of clothes has no parallel in the physical world as Maimonides writes (Laws of Tzaraat 16:10), “The change that affects clothes is not a natural occurrence. Rather it is a divine sign and wonder to warn the Israelites against sin, especially undesirable speech. If a person sins his clothes may change colour. If he repents, they will be purified. Otherwise he must burn the affected clothes.”

The reader may ask, “Even though that this tzaraat is supernatural, is there a way to explain this discolouration in natural means?” Rabbi J. Hertz in his commentary on the Torah (Leviticus 13:47) considers the following possibilities:

Contact with a person with tzaraat.
Mildew.
Parasitic infection.

In this case Hashem may work a miracle through nature, albeit with a moral purpose. It is interesting to note that the Torah alludes to a natural mechanism when it commands washing the item after the 1^st quarantine.

Divine Justice

As mentioned above, tzaraat on clothes is a supernatural visitation from Hashem to correct a person’s actions. Although not mentioned in the Mishna or Maimonides, Nachmanides (Leviticus 13:47) opines that this plague can only occur in the land of Israel where divine scrutiny is more intense as the verse states (Deuteronomy 11:12), “A land that Hashem seeks out. The eyes of Hashem (anthropomorphism) are always upon it.” In effect Hashem is communicating with the person through the development of the affliction.

The appearance of the symptoms of dark green or red is a sign that Hashem is displeased with this person. The priest examines the colour and size of the affliction to determine the status of the garment or leather item. Thereby the priest interprets the message from Hashem which in effect determines the status of the person. Unlike skin tzaraat the affliction cannot be confirmed as tzaraat on the first inspection giving a person time to reflect on their situation.

Conclusion

This article examined tzaraat from different perspectives (i.e. law, medical condition, and divine judgment) and categorized the different of tzaraat – skin, boil/burn, hair loss, baldness, and garment. For each type of tzaraat this article discussed the symptoms of quarantine, confirmation, and discharge to facilitate understanding of the parsha which we read from year to year.

The condition of tzaraat is supernatural and reflects divine judgment. The companion article on this web site, “Tzaraat – Aggadah” examines tzaraat from a moral and homiletic point of view detailing the types of sins that led to this affliction in biblical times. The Midrash (Leviticus Rabbah 15:9) ends its comments on this parsha by saying, “In this world the priest examines the patient to determine the condition of the affliction. However in the world to come Hashem will purify the Israelites as the verse states (Ezekiel 36:25): I (Hashem) will sprinkle clean water upon you and you will be clean. From all your impurities and abominations I will cleanse you.” Therefore the Israelites will not suffer from tzaraat.

Appendix 1 – Derivation of Law

The Talmud in Arachin 3a and Maimonides (Laws of Tzaraat 9:1) state that both male and female Israelites, whether adults or minors, may contract tzaraat as follows:

Person (English)	Person (Hebrew)	Law	Verse
Minor	אדם	Contract tzaraat	2
Adult male	איש	Mourning rites	44
Adult female	הצרוע	Laws of tzaraat	45

Verse 2 – “If a person (אדם) will have on his skin a rising (שאת), scab (ספחת), or bright spot (בהרת) which may become a tzaraat affliction.” The term person (אדם) may refer to a minor or adult since both are humans.

Verse 44 – “He (איש) is a man afflicted with tzaraat and is therefore impure.” The term איש in this verse refers to an adult male.

Verse 45 – “And the person with tzaraat, in whom there is the lesion, his garments shall be torn and his head shall be unshorn.” The Talmud (ibid.) notes that the phrase “the person with tzaraat” (הצרוע) is seemingly redundant since the previous verse mentions a person afflicted with tzaraat. Therefore the Talmud concludes that this phrase comes to include another type of person (i.e. adult female) even though the literal meaning of the verse refers to a male because only a male afflicted with tzaraat would have his garments torn and hair unshorn (Sotah 23a). In this case the Talmud understands the verse as a continuation of the previous verse referring to an adult male and interprets the apparent redundant phrase to teach an extension of the tzaarat law to an adult female.

Appendix 2 – Derivation of Colours

Although the verse mentions only 3 types of colours the Mishna (Negaim 1:1) interprets the word scab (ספחת) which may mean attachment, as a descriptive term for secondary colours referring to both bright colours for a total of 4 different colours. The verse supports this interpretation since the word scab ספחת is placed between the rising and bright colours indicating an attachment or secondary colour for both of these primary colours. In the terse language of the Mishna (Shevout 1:1), “The signs of afflictions (Negaim) are 2 which are in fact 4.”

The Rambam (Laws of Tzaraat 1:3) understands that any of the 4 colours may combine to form a single blemish. However the Raavad (ibid.) understands that this combination is limited to the following rules:

Primary colours 1 and 2.
Primary and only its secondary colours – 1 and 3 as one pair and 2 and 4 as the other pair.

The dispute centers on different readings of the Mishna in Negaim 1:3. Maimonides has the text as, “These 4 colours combine with one another to exempt (from tzaraat), quarantine, or declare impure.” The Raavad has the text “Some of these 4 colours combine with one another to exempt (from tzaraat), quarantine, or declare impure.” They also disagree on the interpretation of Talmud Shevuot 6a-b. They both agree that if the colour of the spot is darker than egg white this spot is not tzaraat (Laws of Tzaraat 1:1).

Appendix 3 – Appearance of the Tzaraat

The Torah commentators grapple with the requirement of the affliction to appear deeper than the skin (Leviticus 13:3) in face of an apparent contradiction. In the following verse, “If a bright white spot develops on the skin, but its appearance is not deeper than the skin, and the hair has not turned white, then the priest shall quarantine the person with the lesion for seven days.” Hence we see that a lesion that is not deeper than the skin is still considered a potential form of tzaraat. The resolution of this apparent contradiction teaches some important lessons in Torah interpretation as follows:

Humility and honesty – Rashi (on Leviticus 13:4) comments, “I do not know how to interpret this verse (in a way that resolves this contradiction).” This comment shows the humility and honesty of Rashi. He could have refrained from making a comment and not admit that he does not have a solution to teach that there is no shame in saying that I do not know. He could also have given a forced answer but that would not be honest thereby showing that one should not give a forced answer to explain the Torah.
Literal vs. interpretation – Since Maimonides rules (Laws of Tzaraat 1:6) that the condition of deeper than the skin is essential for all forms of tzaraat the expression “not deeper than the skin” is not literal. Rather as the Kessef Mishneh explains (ibid.) the verse refers to an initial stage of tzaraat where the spot appears as not as deep as a confirmed case of tzaraat.

Context – Nachmanides (Leviticus 13:3) explains that the expression “deeper than the skin” or not deeper than the skin” depends upon context. If the hair has turned white then the lesion appears deeper than the skin because the entire affected area is white (i.e. lesion and hair) as in verse 3. However if the hair has not turned white then the lesion will not appear darker than the surrounding skin because the affected area is not completely white as in verse 4. In addition Nachmanides suggest that the deeper appearance only applies to the brightest colour (snow colour) and not the other colours. Nachmanides then explains that the deeper appearance in verse 13:20 also only applies to the bright colour. By contrast Maimonides rules that the deeper appearance applies to all 4 colours.