Commentary
| By Rabbi Jonathan Cohen (Rabbi of Michkan Torah, Greenbelt, MD) |
| Mishkan Torah is a member of both the Reconstructionist and Conservative movements |
| adapted from: http://www.mishkantorah.org/rabbi-jonathan-cohen/tazria-metzora |
The sages taught that tzara’at was not a physical disease, but a spiritual one. They believed that it was a punishment for saying bad or untrue things about others. They said that the Hebrew word for the person afflicted with tzara’at means “one who spreads slander.” The “treatment” or punishment for this was being placed in ‘time out’. During this time of isolation, the person had time to reflect on the damage done by his or her words.
Once the condition had been cured, the metzorah then offered a sacrifice including two birds: one to slaughter and one to set free.
Q: Why do you think one bird was slaughtered and one set free?