There is also a second reason why the letters of thought, speech and action come from the Intellect of the Father, which is Chochma. Whatever is expressed and descends lower must have a higher source. For example, when a wall falls down, the stones at the top land the furthest from the base of the wall. So too in a person, the ability to express oneself outside of himself (with the letters of speech and thought etc.) come from a higher place in the soul than his ability to understand something. (The letters are actually separate from the knowledge and have a different source. As we see that the same idea can be expressed in many different ways with different letters. This shows that the idea is separate from the actual letters.) We see this in the fact that an animal and, le’havdil, a small child, are both able to understand what occurs around them, but are both unable to speak. The reason is that this higher part of the soul, known as Chochma, is not revealed in either of them. However, when the child’s mind develops, this part of his soul becomes revealed. So too in the G-dly soul, the letters of the Torah and the Mitzvos come from a higher place in the person than the understanding and knowledge itself, which is Bina. The letters come from Chochma, the Intellect of the Father.
The Spiritual Meaning of Tzaraas
And therefore, because of the removal of (lit. the ascent of) the “Intellect of the Father” – which this is the idea of Tzaraas, which is translated in Aramaic 'סְגִּירוּ ' which means blocked off or removed [i.e., that the “Intellect of the Father” is blocked off or removed from being revealed] – from this, results that the aspects of “Rachel” and “Leah” are not properly and completely formed, and in place of them come the different types of Tzaraas, the type called "שאת", which corresponds to and comes in place of “Leah” and the types called "ספחת" and "בהרת", corresponding to and coming in the place of “Rachel.”
The translation of the word צרעת - Tzaraas in Targum Unkelos is 'סְגִּירוּ ', which means blocked off or removed. In the spiritual sense, this means that the revelation of the “Intellect of the Father” is blocked off from being revealed within the person. The result of this is that a type of Tzaraas called "שאת" forms, replacing the holy letters of thought, known as “Leah.” The same applies to the holy words and letters, the two aspects of Rachel, which are replaced by the two types of Tzaraas called "ספחת" and "בהרת". As explained above, the two aspects of “Leah” and “Rachel,” which are the garments of thought, speech, and deed in Torah and Mitzvos, are directly connected to the “Intellect of the Father,” which is Chochma. Chochma is the soul-power that provides one with a strong sense of responsibility, which thus drives one to fulfill the Mitzvos in this world, as explained at length. Therefore, when this Intellect of the Father is blocked, these aspects of “Rachel” and “Leah” are also removed, resulting in the various forms of Tzaraas.
The simple meaning in the verse is that the person who has Tzaraas is blocked off and removed from everyone else by having to live separately from everyone else and/or outside of the city etc. But in the spiritual sense, it means that the revelation of the Intellect of the Father is blocked off from being revealed in his soul.
