For this reason, first and foremost, the blemish must be viewed by a scholar, steeped in the Torah’s wisdom and “thoroughly versed in all the blemishes.” Furthermore, this scholar must have received training from his master. However, when it comes to the actual application of the ruling, that stage must be carried out by a kohen, a man of kindness. It is specifically he who has the sensitivity to appreciate the true severity of delivering such a harsh ruling to another Jew. Therefore, he will not forgo any effort and will thoroughly investigate and question the scholar regarding his assessment, following the motif implied by the verse, “the collective will judge... and the collective will save.”
To cite a related matter: As is well known, Chassidus interprets the popular adage, “There is none as wise as a man of experience” to mean that studying a subject with the knowledge that the process of analysis will result in a directive or a ruling to be applied in actual experience motivates a person to dig deeper and labor to reach the fundamental and true understanding of the matter.
Moreover, when a kohen, a man of kindness – after laboring in the investigation and analysis of the matter in all its depth – rules that the person is impure, we can be certain that this is the true ruling the Torah mandates. At the same time, we can also be certain that the kohen will invest all of his energies to see to it that, afterwards, the afflicted person will be able to be purified.
Correcting One’s Vision
There is a clear directive from the above, applicable in every era and place: When one sees that a fellow Jew has an undesirable quality, Heaven forbid, to the extent that he is in such a deplorable state that “he has taken himself outside of the collective” and thus, is unworthy of being together with the Jewish people, a hasty decision may not be made.
The Torah dictates that even a great scholar, learned in the entire Torah, whose analysis stemming from the wisdom of the Torah leads to the assessment that such a person must be distanced from others and sent “outside the camp where he lives,” may not immediately deliver such a judgment regarding another Jew. Before doing so, he must carefully examine himself regarding his own level of kindness and ahavas Yisrael, the love for one’s fellow Jew. If a person does not have the characteristic qualities of a kohen – i.e., he is lacking in genuine ahavas Yisrael – he does not have the right to issue such a ruling regarding another Jew. It is possible that his inclination to deliver such a ruling does not stem solely from analysis based on the Torah’s wisdom, but rather results from his own unrefined character traits.
The Torah rules that the blemish alone does not generate the state of impurity, but rather it is the ruling conveyed by the statement of the kohen, the man of kindness, “You are impure,” that causes the afflicted person to become impure. Thus, it follows that anyone who is not a kohen, a man of kindness, who issues a ruling that another Jew must be banished “outside the camp where he lives” is uttering a falsehood. As such, he himself can be considered an afflicted person, a metzora, one who is motzi shem ra, “one who slanders” his fellow, as our Sages interpret the verse, “These are the laws of the metzora,” as “These are the laws pertaining to one who maliciously gossips about [his fellow].” Firstly, the person issuing such a ruling is spreading lashon hara regarding a fellow Jew – for our Sages explain that malicious gossip can be termed lashon hara even when the person is telling the truth – an act for which one is liable to be punished with tzaraas blemishes. Moreover, in this instance, who can say he is telling the truth? Does he really know that person’s inner state? Quite possibly, a person who makes such a statement is motzi shem ra, “spreading slander,” i.e., “spreading falsehood... regarding his fellow.”
How should such a Torah scholar correct this fault? “He should dwell alone outside the camp where he lives,” remaining in such a state until he has habituated himself to look at another Jew with a favorable eye. Until then, he should remain apart from other Jews and not create strife with his malicious speech and slander. Only when he is healed from this blemish can he return and be restored to health.
It is by conducting ourselves with true ahavas Yisrael – showing unrestrained and gratuitous love – that we can nullify the exile, described as tzaraas, that was caused by unrestrained and baseless hatred. Then, as a natural consequence, the true and Ultimate Redemption led by Mashiach will come immediately; may it happen speedily in our days.
