Our sages brilliantly associated the disease of tsaraat of Leviticus not as a physiological condition but a spiritual one. The passages of the Torah about tsaraat are very difficult. Whether they are describing the western disease, which we call 'leprosy', is impossible to ascertain. The kohen's role is solely to provide a diagnosis. The individual afflicted with the symptoms is then isolated. After time has elapsed, the afflicted individual is pronounced "tahor" and permitted to rejoin the Israelite camp. The kohen does not act as a physician. Rather, he is concerned with the categories of tameh, impure, and tahor, pure.

Our sages took these categories of purity and impurity and re-interpreted them in a moral way. What makes a person tameh, impure? For our sages, unethical behavior was an expression of impurity. Leprosy became associated with abusive language. The rabbis drew a continuous thread throughout the Torah of individuals who misappropriated the gift of speech. Because the power of speech is associated with the Divine, the abuse of speech is a particularly heinous offense. As G-d created the world through His word, the misappropriation of the word, is especially sinful. The sages played on the origins of the word tsaraat. They claimed it was associated with motsi shem ra - one who speaks ill of another's reputation.

Our sages portray the daughter of Pharaoh, Bat Par'oh, as the first personality afflicted with the disease of tsaraat. She comes to the Nile at the beginning of the Book of Exodus in order to bathe and perhaps ameliorate her skin condition. It is there that the daughter of Pharaoh hears the cry of the baby Moses and offers to protect him. Because of her compassion, the Midrash teaches that the daughter of Pharaoh is cured of her leprosy. The rabbinic understanding perceives this affliction in moral terms. The daughter of Pharaoh is cursed with disease when she fails to hear the suffering of the Israelites. Once she opens her heart and her arms to the baby Moses, she is cured.

A second instance of the disease of leprosy is found in the call of Moses to prophecy. Moses places his hand within his cloak and it becomes "white as snow" with the disease of tsaraat. The rabbinic understanding of this affliction is that Moses deprecates his brothers and sisters in Egypt. Moses asserts that the Israelites will refuse to listen to him and will refuse to obey G-d's teachings. Because of his maligning of his people, Moses is afflicted with the disease. Again, our sages understand tsaraat to be an affliction of the spirit. Moses debunks his people rather than giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Many of us are familiar with the most famous case of tsaraat in the Torah. This time, the disease derives from Miriam's speaking ill of "the Cushite woman who Moses married." The commentators debate whether Miriam badmouths her brother because of his new wife's ethic or racial background or because she is opposed to Moses divorcing Tzipporah and remarrying this new woman. Or, perhaps Miriam is jealous of her secondary role to that of her brother Moses. Again, tsaraat, is an affliction of the spirit which makes Miriam spiritually tameh or impure. Moses, through his humility and compassion, is able to heal his afflicted sister. Our sages note the efficacy of his prayer - a very, very short prayer, but a prayer from the heart. "El na, refa na la". "G-d, please heal her." Because of the sincerity of his words, Moses is able to heal his sister Miriam. Again, the cure for tsaraat seems to be kindness and compassion.

Of course, we should not learn from this rabbinic understanding that physical illness actually is due to some type of spiritual flaw. Illness is tragic and not related to a person's character - sinful or pious or otherwise. There are many horrible people who live to ripe old ages in wonderful health and many wonderful individuals who unfortunately confront serious illness. Rather, our sages use outward illness as a metaphor or symbolic expression of an inner affliction of the spirit. This powerful interpretation of the disease of tsaraat allowed our rabbis to make these difficult passages of Leviticus a powerful source of teaching.

We hope and we pray for both the physical and the spiritual healing of our people. Often, like the kohen of the Torah, we cannot provide the cure for affliction. However, we can analyze it, and like the kohen isolate the evil of malicious speech. Also, like the kohen, let us be able to realize noble and pure action and deed that brings life into the world.