Torah Portion: Metzora
“זאת תהיה תורת המצורע ביום טהרתו…” (ויקרא יד ב)
It is a positive commandment that the purification from tzara’as—whether a tzara’as affliction of a person, garment, or house—shall be effected using cedar wood, hyssop, crimson thread, two birds, and spring water and that the process should follow all the prescribed instructions, as it is written: This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification etc. (Vayikra 14:2).
There are three types of purifying agents mentioned in the Torah:
(a) Immersion in water—this agent is used to purify all types of spiritually contaminated people; it is impossible for a contaminated person to exit his state of tum’ah without water. The idea behind this is that the person is to look at himself after the immersion as though he was born at that moment, just as the world was all water before Man was created, and so shall he internalize that just as he has been renewed in body so too shall he renew himself in deed for the good, perfecting his actions and meticulously following the ways of Hashem, may He be blessed.
(b) The sprinkling of “water of purification” containing the ashes a red-heifer. This agent is used specifically in cases involving impurity of [one who has touched] a dead person.
(c) Cedar wood, hyssop, crimson thread, two birds, and spring water. These items used together as a purifying agent are unique to cases involving tzara’as afflictions. Our Sages teach that the idea behind these items is that they are to impress upon the soul of a person afflicted with tzara’as that if he is haughty like a cedar tree, which is a tall tree, he should humble himself like hyssop, which is a low-growing plant. The reason they give for bringing two birds is that the metzora prattled with many words of evil speech, therefore let him offer birds which chirp constantly. The crimson thread is possibly also an allusion that the person should humble himself like a worm [that was used to produce the crimson dye].
This purification process applies in all places and at all times where there is kohen knowledgeable of tzara’as afflictions. One who transgressed this and did not follow the procedure as prescribed, violated a positive commandment.
