Jewish Texts

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

The burnt offering and the sin offering that a woman brings after childbirth symbolize the dual nature of parenting.

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

The ritual of circumcision allows us to partner with God in the covenant and also in perfecting creation.

The cycle of life and death represented by leprosy encourages us to bring acts of purity into our lives even when we have become impure.

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

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.

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

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

When we welcome baby girls into the covenant we allow them to remind us of God's presence in the world.

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.

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.