"This shall be the law of the metzora" [Metzora 14:2]
Why, asked R' Shmuel of Sochotchov, does the verse state: "This shall be the law of the metzora" and not "This is the law of the metzora"?
The tzara'as affliction, answered the Rebbe, is brought about by the sin of haughtiness. Once he is afflicted, however, and individuals begin to distance themselves from him, he feels contrite and humbled.
But this feeling of humility must accompany him for the rest of his life. Even after he is healed, let him not return to his previous state of arrogance; rather, he must ingrain the lesson he has learned as a metzora and remain humble until his very last day.
Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein
1 comment:
The Metzora must reside outside the entire Jewish camp. This separation is to repay him for "killing" another Jew by "separating" that Jew from someone else. Like you said, he must learn humility. And only the Kohen can declare his state officially, because the Kohen is a man of love (as attests his bracha that he says before blessing the crowd "... with love.") - to teach us too that this lesson the Metzora learns will be achieved only via brotherly love.
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