[Avodah] Tazria

[Cantor Wolberg]

The leprosy mentioned here was special kind of leprosy
which only the Jewish people suffered from only in Israel.
It never occurred outside of Israel, even in a Jewish home.
The etiology of leprosy in the Torah was not a physical 
but rather a spiritual disease. 
The Rabbis comment: b’sorah tovah hee l’Yisroel —
"It is good news for the Jews if a house is stricken with leprosy."
Ramban remarks that it is odd for a house made of bricks and
mortar to act as if it were alive. It would be most unusual for a
house to become sick just like a human being. Such an illness
borders on the miraculous. Why does the Torah say that a house
may be afflicted with leprosy? It means that a Jewish home is different
from other homes; it has life and spirit attached to it. When the people
who live in these homes are sinful, the very bricks of the home reflect
that sinfulness. The Rabbis tell us that leprosy is a sign of evil and sin;
therefore, it is natural that house would manifest leprosy as a sign of
its inhabitants evil. Now we can understand why the rabbis say it is good
news when a house is stricken with leprosy. If one can notice the disease
before it spreads, he has a chance to cure it. When the disease goes 
unnoticed, the real trouble ensues.
Since in today’s world we don’t have the warning of leprosy attached to our
houses, let us hope we can pick up other signs and warnings in order to be 
able to remedy whatever difficulties caused by our own sinfulness. 

The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible
Dwight L Moody
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