Leviticus 14:1 - 15:33

Shabbat HaGadol: Malachi 3:4-24

In this Torah portion, God describes the purification ritual for people and homes afflicted with skin diseases. God also instructs Moses and Aaron regarding the laws of the emission of bodily fluids.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

The Toothpaste Sacrifice

Like toothpaste, derogatory speech cannot be returned to the tube.

More on this Torah Portion

Reappropriating the Taboo

Bringing new meaning to the status of a menstruating woman.

Haftarah for Metzora

Four lepers save the Israelite camp.

Leper as Other

How to create a society that recognizes and meets the needs of ill and marginalized people.

Making Room for the Leper

When we embrace with one hand but push away with the other, it's the push that remains in lasting memory.

Sensitivity To Speech

Rabbinic interpreters regarded leprosy as punishment for the sin of careless speech.

Recipe For Purity

An internal process of repentance must accompany the external, physical cleansing for leprosy.

The Cursed House

The image of a house afflicted with a plague encourages us to examine what real and metaphorical plagues afflict our own homes and societies.

Parashat Metzora: Summary

God describes the purification ritual for people and homes afflicted with leprosy; God also instructs Moses and Aaron regarding the laws of the emission of bodily fluids.

Modern Untouchables: Our Sins Of Exclusion

Parshat Metzora calls attention to how we treat those who are excluded and alienated from our society.

The Subtleties Of One Letter

We can learn numerous lessons from the statement of the owner of a house that appears to be afflicted with spiritual defilement.

Reaching Out To The Isolated

Just as the priest went out from the community to welcome back those afflicted with leprosy, we too should reach out to those who feel excluded.

Is It Blasphemous To Heal People?

Even if we view leprosy as a punishment, we must work to heal the afflicted, allowing our sense of compassion to override justice or logic.