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The Mitzvot Regarding Skin Diseases
13:1 to 14:57

After teaching about what a new mother must do after giving birth, the prashiyot instruct the Israelites regarding what happens if they contract various skin afflictions and aliments. Although the text mentions several different types of affections, unfortunately the Hebrew words describing them are almost impossible to translate into English. However, there are two particular classifications of afflictions which are extremely important. They are called skin diseases, or tsara’at and leprosy, or m’tsora. Not all afflictions are labeled by these names, only certain ones whose characteristics are described in our Torah portion. These names, however, are used to describe the particular afflictions which render a person ritually clean or ritually unclean. Interestingly, these names are also used to describe the same afflictions when they appear on inanimate objects such as clothes and houses. Without a doubt, classify these afflictions into a modern medical book is almost impossible. However, in this commentary, I will using the term tazria in Chapter 13 and the term m’tsora in Chapter 14. In effect, both of these chapters serve as a training manual for the priests in treating skin diseases. There are two ways to look at this section of Scripture. The first way is the understanding of the two kingdoms, first the kingdom of sin and death (to see link click Bv – The Test of Tsara’at), and secondly, is the Kingdom of Life and Righteousness as seen in the healing ministry of Yeshua (see Cg – The Test of M’tsora).