(לג) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃ (לד) כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזָּ֑ה וְנָתַתִּי֙ נֶ֣גַע צָרַ֔עַת בְּבֵ֖ית אֶ֥רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶֽם׃ (לה) וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִגִּ֥יד לַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר כְּנֶ֕גַע נִרְאָ֥ה לִ֖י בַּבָּֽיִת׃ (לו) וְצִוָּ֨ה הַכֹּהֵ֜ן וּפִנּ֣וּ אֶת־הַבַּ֗יִת בְּטֶ֨רֶם יָבֹ֤א הַכֹּהֵן֙ לִרְא֣וֹת אֶת־הַנֶּ֔גַע וְלֹ֥א יִטְמָ֖א כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּבָּ֑יִת וְאַ֥חַר כֵּ֛ן יָבֹ֥א הַכֹּהֵ֖ן לִרְא֥וֹת אֶת־הַבָּֽיִת׃ (לז) וְרָאָ֣ה אֶת־הַנֶּ֗גַע וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַנֶּ֙גַע֙ בְּקִירֹ֣ת הַבַּ֔יִת שְׁקַֽעֲרוּרֹת֙ יְרַקְרַקֹּ֔ת א֖וֹ אֲדַמְדַּמֹּ֑ת וּמַרְאֵיהֶ֥ן שָׁפָ֖ל מִן־הַקִּֽיר׃ (לח) וְיָצָ֧א הַכֹּהֵ֛ן מִן־הַבַּ֖יִת אֶל־פֶּ֣תַח הַבָּ֑יִת וְהִסְגִּ֥יר אֶת־הַבַּ֖יִת שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃ (לט) וְשָׁ֥ב הַכֹּהֵ֖ן בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י וְרָאָ֕ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּשָׂ֥ה הַנֶּ֖גַע בְּקִירֹ֥ת הַבָּֽיִת׃ (מ) וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְחִלְּצוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲבָנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּהֵ֖ן הַנָּ֑גַע וְהִשְׁלִ֤יכוּ אֶתְהֶן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֔יר אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָמֵֽא׃ (מא) וְאֶת־הַבַּ֛יִת יַקְצִ֥עַ מִבַּ֖יִת סָבִ֑יב וְשָׁפְכ֗וּ אֶת־הֶֽעָפָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִקְצ֔וּ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֔יר אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָמֵֽא׃ (מב) וְלָקְחוּ֙ אֲבָנִ֣ים אֲחֵר֔וֹת וְהֵבִ֖יאוּ אֶל־תַּ֣חַת הָאֲבָנִ֑ים וְעָפָ֥ר אַחֵ֛ר יִקַּ֖ח וְטָ֥ח אֶת־הַבָּֽיִת׃
(33) יהוה spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: (34) When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess, (35) the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared upon my house.” (36) The priest shall order the house cleared before the priest enters to examine the plague, so that nothing in the house may become impure; after that the priest shall enter to examine the house. (37) If, when he examines the plague, the plague in the walls of the house is found to consist of greenish or reddish streaks that appear to go deep into the wall, (38) the priest shall come out of the house to the entrance of the house, and close up the house for seven days. (39) On the seventh day the priest shall return. If he sees that the plague has spread on the walls of the house, (40) the priest shall order the stones with the plague in them to be pulled out and cast outside the city into an impure place. (41) The house shall be scraped inside all around, and the coating that is scraped off shall be dumped outside the city in an impure place. (42) They shall take other stones and replace those stones with them, and take other coating and plaster the house.
Tzara'at of the house caught the attention of commentators throughout the ages, even as early as the midrashim, and they have dramatically different understandings of it.
בראשית רבה:
תני ר׳ שמעון בן יוחאי: כיון ששמעו כנענים שישראל באים עליהם, עמדו וחטמינו ממונם בבתים ובשדות. אמר הקב׳׳ה: אני הבטחתי לאבותיהם שאני מכניס את בניהם לארץ מלאה כל טוב...מה הקב׳׳ה עושה? מגרה נגעים בביתו והוא סותרו ומצה בו סימא (מטמון).
Bereshit Rabbah:
Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai taught: When the Canaanites heard that the people of Israel were advancing on their land, they took action by burying their treasures in the fields and concealing them in the walls of their houses. Said the Holy Blessed One: Centuries ago I promised the patriarchs that I would bring their descendants into a land filled with all good things...Hence what does God do? God afflicts the Israelites' homes with tzara'at so that the new owners will break open the walls and discover the wealth that has been hidden inside them.
רות רבה:
אין בעל הרחמים פורע מן הנפשות תחילה...ואף בנגעים כן: בתחילה הן באים אל ביתו, אם חזר בו – מוטב, ואם לאו – הרי הן טעונין חליצה, אם חזר בו – מוטב, ואם לאו – טעונין נתיצה; חזר בו – מוטב, ואם לאו – באים על הבגדים וטעונין כיבוס; חזר בו – מוטב, ואם לאו – טעונין קריעה; אם חזר בו – מוטב, ואם לאו – טעונין שריפה; ואחר כך הן באין על גופו.
Ruth Rabbah:
He who is of ultimate compassion is not quick to take the lives of those who violate His will...And so we see concerning tzara'at: at first, the sinful individual's house is afflicted. If he repents from his evil ways, then all is well; but if he does not, the affected stones must be torn out of the building. If the owner then changes his behavior, all is well; but if he does not, the house will have to be destroyed. If the person then determines to act better, all is well; but if he does not, his clothing is stricken and must be cleansed. If the individual learns his lesson and stops transgressing, all is well; but if not, the spots on the garments must be cut out. If the man reforms at that point, all is well; but if he does not, the article will have to be burned. It is only after all of these stages that the person's own body will be plagued with disease.
Questions to consider:
- According to which of the above midrashim is tzara'at in a house actually a gift from God?
- Can you find a clue in the Torah that could suggests that tzara'at on a house should be understood very differently from all the other forms of tzara'at?