[Avodah] Medicine for a Metzora

[Michael Makovi]

On Mon, Apr 7, 2008 at 6:22 AM, Cantor Wolberg <cantorwolberg at cox.net> wrote:
> "Anyone know if a Metzora is allowed to seek medical attention and/or
> take
> medication for his symptoms?"
>
> Since a Metzorah is not a physical condition, there is only one
> Physician (the RSO) Who can cure it
> and the only medication for the symptoms should have been utilized
> prior to the tzaraas which is
> Shmiras Haloshon.  Also, the term leprosy for this condition is
> misleading since it leads one to think
> it is a medical condition.
>
> ri

I've seen some things that said that tzaarat is definitely not
leprosy, but the various forms of tzaarat do appear similar to eczema,
ringworm, and other skin conditions.

Could it perhaps be that a person gets a real medical condition (eg.,
ringworm) because of his lashon hara, i.e. a person gets a natural
condition as a punishment b'derech teva? Similarly, perhaps a person
might break his bone or catch a cold because he did an averah.

If so, just as we can fix the bone or the cold even though it is a
punishment, perhaps too the tzaarat?

Mikha'el Makovi