In our Parasha Tazria, we read about an ailment that it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as leprosy, an ailment that was spiritual, although it expressed itself in a physical sense. If a person would speak Lashon Hara – a normal “juicy” gossip, defamation or in some instances other problematic behavior – they would have a lesion that would appear upon their skin and need to be observed and declared by the Cohanim.
In our time we lack this experience – it is not until we are caught or the damage we do to another person is observed that we suffer from Lashon Hara that we even register its effect. Our society is one of accusations, legal proceedings, cancel culture, and in cyberspace we are prepared to write whatever we like about others in a form that is semi-permanent and can do long lasting damage to careers, reputations, marriages and in extreme cases even lead to terrible consequences.
Imagine that if one would damage someone using the facility of Lashon Hara that the sign of such an act would be written upon our skin, visible to all. This idea of sins being written upon us in a way that others can perceive is more than daunting: all of us have made mistakes in our lives and many of us live with the guilt of things that have happened that few know about.
Even though the outward signs of such actions may not be visible to the naked eye, it is observed that such actions affect us deeply and can take many years to undo the damage we may have done to ourselves – so great is the guilt and shame that our entire outlook and experience of dealing with others can be profoundly changed, altered and we can carry bitterness and anger around in our hearts and cause untold suffering to others.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a terrible condition, and it is impossible not to have profound sympathy and pity for those affected by it. Not so many years ago, the disease meant dreadful pain, total social ostracization, profound public fear and terrible isolation. Today thankfully we have new medical technologies that can do much to alleviate the suffering and if diagnosed early even cure it – however the social stigma in many countries remains strong where it is associated with a curse and considered (somewhat incorrectly) very contagious.
Imagine if we had a world where sins and misdeeds caused such isolation, such profound separation – the Torah is actually coming to teach us that it is so. In many sources both in the Midrash and deeper Mystical Torah we learn that sins separate us from the Divine much like a cloth that buffers from the sun, subsequent layers of incorrect action can lead to feelings of separation and despair as we realize that we have damaged the relationship between us and our Creator. The deeper secret is that as much as Hashem has created a Yetzer Hara – the bad instinct, to test us and attempt to draw us away from good, he has created the Torah as its remedy.
As we approach Pesach and our attention turns to koshering our kitchens and cleaning out our Chametz, let us also turn to our inner world where we cook our experiences and distill the lessons of life, may our internal chopping boards be cleaned with the blessing of Teshuvah and Peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen