2022/5782
Isolation is a powerful but dangerous tool. After sinning in one of many different ways, most notably by speaking Lashon Hara, one is afflicted with a blemish known as Tzara’at. Once declared Tamei by the Kohen, the Metzora is sent out of all three camps of Bnei Yisrael and are left in isolation. When in isolation, the Metzora is almost parallel to a mourner. The Rambam (Tumat Metzora 10:6) writes that a Metzora should cover his hair, wrap his face, tear his clothes and refrain from greeting passersby.
Despite the powerful attachment between the Metzora and the Avel there is one striking difference: Talmud Torah. When in the house of an Avel, one is prohibited to learn Torah. However, the Rambam (Tumat Metzora 10:6) writes that a Metzora should learn and delve into any aspect of Torah. Furthermore, the Metzora must sit in isolation, while the Avel receives continuous visitors. What is the root of these distinctions? Why are the Metzora and the Avel so similar, yet so different?
Rav Yonason Sacks (personal interaction) explains that although the expressions of the two are similar, the reasons behind the expressions are drastically different. Rav Sacks says that the Avel experiences a familial loss and requires comforting from the Tzibbur. Therefore, the Avel specifically does not sit in isolation rather has constant visitors. On the other hand, due to the gravity of his loss and the sadness he is experiencing, it is incomprehensible that he should be learning the gladdening Torah. Therefore, an Avel spends his days being comforted by his community, not by learning Torah.
Similarly, the Metzora is also mourning a loss. However, the loss he is mourning is himself. In fact, the Gemara (Nedarim 64b) states that a Metzora is considered like a dead person. Why is it that the Metzora is considered dead? The Metzora destroyed his connection to the community by speaking negatively about others. Thus, the Metzora must sit in isolation. He must realize the consequences of what he did and how he destroyed interpersonal relationships in his community. The Metzora caused a break in the community, and thus he is cut off from them. So, how does the Metzora rejoin the community?
The answer lies in the power of Talmud Torah. Rav Sacks explains that when the Metzora learns Torah and connects to something bigger than he, he recognizes the power of the community. He recognizes that he is connected to something much more than just himself. When learning Torah purely for the sake of Hashem, one acknowledges the centrality of Hashem and the role he plays within Hashem’s children.