Non-Kohen Performing a Temple Service

ויקרא יג ,מד: אִישׁ־צָרוּע הוּא טָמֵא הוּא

Baal HaTurim: The noun טָמֵא appears twice in Tanach: once here and once in Vayikra 20,3,לְמ ע ן ט מֵא אֶת־מִקְדָשִׁי in order to contaminate My Sanctuary. This connection alludes to the concept that a non-Kohen who performs a Temple service will be afflicted with Tzaraas. Thus, if a non-Kohen entered the Temple to perform a service, the Kohen would declare him tameh. So it is written regarding King Uzziah (Divrei HaYamim II 26,19) , “and he had a censor in his hand to burn incense (i.e. he usurped the service of the Kohen)...the tzaraas shone on his forehead.

This punishment of Tzaraas does not appear in any of the lists of transgressions that are punished by Tzaraas, which indicates that this transgression is different.

Perhaps all the other transgressions have a cleansing process implying they are curable. However, this transgression of performing the Temple service (reserved for a Kohen) has no cure. Accordingly King Uzziah remained a Metzora for the rest of his life.

Ten Afflictions of Tzaraas

ויקרא יג,נט: זֹאת תּוֹר ת נֶג ע־צָר ע ת

Baal HaTurim: There are ten passages which speak of Tzaraas afflictions, including of a person’s body, of garments, and of houses. This implies that if a person keeps the Ten Commandments, one would be saved from these ten afflictions.

There are six afflictions regarding the body of a person:

1. an affliction of a person’s body which erupts from the person’s skin of the flesh (13,1-18)
2. an affliction which is within the healthy, live flesh (13, 9-17)
3. an affliction which spreads from a scarring of the inflammation (13, 18-23)
4. an affliction which is the result of a burn from a fire (13, 24-28)
5. an affliction on the scalp or in the beard (13, 29-37)
6. an affliction of posterior or frontal baldness (13, 40-46)

Another four afflictions regarding one’s property:

1. an affliction of a woolen garment or a linen garment
2. an affliction of a woolen warp or the woof
3. an affliction of leather or leather utensils (13, 47-59)
4. an affliction of the walls of a house (14, 33-57)