When a person has a swelling on the skin of the body, or a discoloration and it develop into a scaly affection on the skin of the body, it should be reported to Aaron the Kohen or to one of his sons, the Kohens. The Kohen will examine the infections on the skin of the body: when the Kohen sees it, he will pronounce the person impure. And if the Kohen sees that the rash has spread on the skin, the Kohen will pronounce that person impure; it is leprosy. This is the laws of a person who sins and Hashem sent a warning in the form of a skin discoloration. When the Beis Hamikdash stood, Hashem’s presence among His people was more apparent, the people were treated to unusual communication from Hashem. When one transgressed certain commandments - as the Gemarra Eirchin 16b says: Leprocy marks come and afflict a person for seven sinful matters: rxd oeyl lr For malicious speech, zekity lr mincfor bloodshed, `ey zreay lr for an oath taken in vain, ielib lr zeixr for forbidden relations, gexd zeqb lr for arrogance, lfbd lr for theft, oird zexv lre and for stinginess.– the perpetrator was afflicted with a physical manifestation of a spiritual malady. A discoloration of the skin called tsaraat struck the individual. The person then approached the Kohen who had to make a final determination. Should the Kohen decide that the skin disease was in fact spiritually originated, then he would declare the person a metzora and the confinement and atonement process would begin?
It was not the physical condition and its signs that made the final determination, it was the declaration of the Kohen that made the victim impure. The Mishna Negaim chapter 2:5 is of the opinion mi¦r ̈b§P©d l ̈M .Ÿ en §v©r i¥r§b¦P ¦n uEg ,d¤` Ÿ ex m ̈c ̈`All negaim may be examined by a person, except his own. And only a Kohen has the authority to give a verdict in the laws of Leprosy. Whereas even a great Torah scholar who is fluent in these laws, must go to a Kohen to deliver a verdict.The reason is that the Talmud says: “A person sees all flaws — except for his own.” Another Halacha is, that even a Kohen cannot rule on his afflictions, and must go get the opinion of another Kohen. The reason was to embarrass himself by having to show his affliction to another Kohen.
The words of the Mishna “All negaim may be examined by a person, except his own,” can be interpreted into a deeper meaning based on the Gemarra Kidushim 70b which says He who declares others unfit is himself unfit, and never speaks well of anyone; and Samuel said: With his own blemish he stigmatizes others as unfit.The heilige Baal Shem Tov says: One who criticizes others can be presumed to have that negative characteristic. The Tzaddik explain that Hashem shows a person the negative charachter of another to show how you are and since you despise that persons actions it is a sign from Hashem that you have to rectify yourself from those actions. In the words of the Mishna in Hebrew, this says: l ̈M uEg d¤` Ÿ ex m ̈c ̈` mi¦r ̈b§P©d all flaws that you see on others outside of yourself, Ÿ en §v©r i¥r§b¦P ¦n that is your own flaw being shown by Hashem.
There is a Posuk in Mishlei 29:12 l ̈M x¤w ̈y x©a §C l©r ai ¦y §w ©n l¥y Ÿ n (ai hk ilyn) mi¦r ̈y §x ei ̈z §x ̈y §n A ruler who hearkens to false words, all his servants are wicked. However, a deeper insight is explained:When a ruler who acts with falsehood and is corrupt, he suspects that all his servants are corrupt as he is. When someone sees another person corrupt he is actually looking in the mirror and sees an image of himself, but he thinks that he is looking at another person. The same is when you dislike a person. You would feel that all that person is doing, is to hurt you, when in fact that the person has no such intention.
The Baal Shem Tov explains the Mishna "one may examine anyone's leprosy except one's own" as what one perceives as a negative act on others, this actually stems from his possessing the same fault.This is a powerful wakeup call to a Yid when he sees another Yid doing something wrong and he believes that a wrongful act has been done, then it’s a message from Hashem that you lack the same thing and since you see how disgusting it is, then you too have the same disgusting acts and do teshuva. This is why Hashem wanted the laws of Negaim to be brought to the Kohen,
A person sees another’s faults — even ones that are minute or questionable — very clearly, yet has a hard time admitting to oneself of any wrongdoing. The only solution is an outside opinion — someone who cares enough to tell you the truth for your own benefit. who would rebuke the person on his negative actions and everything that happens to a person is a message sent to him by Hashem. (Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
