And this is the explanation of the word "מצורע", which is connected to someone who brings out a bad name for someone else,
Our sages say that the word "מצורע" is short for three words: "מוציא שם רע" (literally, one who brings out a bad name), since the punishment of Tzaraas (someone with Tzaraas is called a Metzora-מצורע ) is specifically related to someone who says slander about another or brings out a bad name for someone by gossiping about his wrongdoings etc. The maamar will explain the reason that Tzaraas is related specifically to bringing about a bad name.
The idea of a name is that it is only needed for someone else to relate to that person; when a person is by himself he doesn’t need a name. Thus, a name is similar to garments, which are needed to relate to the outside world. This is the idea of the garments of the soul - thought, speech, and deed - which are the means through which a person expresses himself. A bad name means unholy garments of thought, speech and deed, but especially in speech, since this is the main way that a person expresses himself to someone else (since thought is only for the person himself and action is too limited to express himself to another person fully).
And, like it is written in the Eitz Chayim, that “Leah” and “Rachel” are called “Name,”
Which corresponds to what our Sages say, that “The entire Torah is the ‘Names’ of Hashem,” which is the aspect of “the Good Name.”
As explained above, that “Leah” and “Rachel” refer to the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and from this statement of our Sages, we see that the entire Torah is compared to Hashem’s Name, meaning the essential mode of expression of Hashem. Just like a person’s name is used to relate to someone else, and this relationship is established through the garments of thought, speech, and deed so too, the letters of the Torah and the actions of the mitzvos are the means by which Hashem Himself creates a relationship with us. This is the idea of the “Good Name,” the letters and actions that convey the revelation of Hashem to us.
The Bad Name and Its Spiritual Consequence
Now, the Alter Rebbe will explain the idea of the “Bad Name” (which is connected to the word "מצורע"):
And someone who speaks slander – which is the opposite of the “Good” letters and vessels of holiness, causes that also above in the spiritual worlds in place of the “Good Name,” which are the letters and vessels of holiness, there comes, in their place, the letters which are called “the Bad Name.”
Meaning, that the aspect of that “Name” and those letters of the one who speaks slander, this is the source of the lifeforce of evil, which this is like it says in Eitz Chayim, that from the Tzaraas (the letters of unholiness (the “Bad Name”)) is drawn forth the lifeforce for other forms of unholiness.
When a person says bad things about another, he is creating unholy letters, which are themselves called, “the Bad Name,” since they are the opposite of the letters of holiness found in the Torah, which are called “the Good Name.” These unholy letters are the source of the life of evil and unholiness in the world, which is the idea of Tzaraas.
This is why the word מצורע is the same idea as "מוציא שם רע", one who brings out a bad name.
