📜 Daily Chumash & Rashi Parshas Tazria Metzoa – Chamishi: The laws of Tzaraas on a house

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Shishi when connected to Tazria

1.      The laws of Tzaraas on a house:

·         Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron saying that when they come to Eretz Canaan, Hashem will place Tzaraas in houses. One who has Tzaraas in his house is to approach the Kohen and tell him that there is a Tzaraas like lesion in his house. The Kohen is to have the entire house cleared of all its belongings prior to him coming to examine the lesion. This is done to prevent the belongings from becoming impure.

·         The examination: If the lesion on the wall is green or red and it is lower than the rest of the wall then the following is done: The Kohen leaves the house and seals it for seven days. The Kohen is to return on the seventh day and see if the lesion has spread.

·         The Tzaraas spread-The purification process-stage 1: If the lesion spread, the Kohen is to have the stones of the wall that have the lesion, removed and taken outside the camp, to an impure place. The area around the lesion is to have a layer of its material removed and have that material thrown outside of the camp, to an impure place. New stones are to be placed into the wall, and the peeled area of the wall is to be filled in.

·         If the Tzaras returns: If the Tzaraas returns after this, then the house is impure. The entire house is to be destroyed and all of its material is to be removed outside of the camp. [The examination to check whether the Tzaraas returned takes place seven days after the purification process.] Whoever enters the house during this time becomes impure.

·         If the Tzaras does not return-Purification process-stage 2: If the Tzaraas does not return, then the house is to be purified. Two birds, cedar wood and crimson wool string are taken. One bird is to be slaughtered and have its blood poured into an earthenware vessel that is filled with water. The cedar wood, a wool string, and hyssop are to be bound and dipped into the water and blood. The bird is also to be dipped into the vessel. The above items are then to be sprinkled seven times onto the house. The bird is then to be let free to outside of the city.

 

·         This concludes the laws of all the types of Tzaraas.

 

2.      The Zav impurity:

·         Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron telling them to speak to Bnei Yisrael regarding the laws of Zav. A man who has a flow of semen like fluid is to be declared impure.

·         Contact with the Zav: Whatever bed he lies on and whatever seat he sits on becomes impure. One who touches his bed becomes impure until the night. Whoever sits on his seat becomes impure until the night. Whoever touches the skin of the Zav is impure until the night. If the Zav spits on a person he is impure until the night. Whatever ride the Zav rides on becomes impure and whoever touches it is impure. Whoever the Zav touches becomes impure. An earthenware vessel that is touched by the Zav becomes impure and is to be destroyed. A wood vessel is to be immersed in water.

·         Purification process of Zav: The Zav is to count seven days and immerse his clothing and body in water. On the eighth day he is to take two birds and bring them to the Ohel Moed to the Kohen. The Kohen is to offer one as a Chatas and one as an Olah. 

📘 Rashi Q&A — Vayikra 14:33–57

 

14:34 — Tzara’at on Houses

Q1. What is the significance of “וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת” according to Rashi?

A: It is actually good news, because the Amorites hid treasures of gold in the walls, which would be uncovered when the house is demolished.

 

14:35 — Reporting the Lesion

Q2. Why must the homeowner say “כְּנֶגַע נִרְאָה לִי”?

A: Even if he is certain, he must not state definitively, but speak cautiously: “something like a lesion.”

 

14:36 — Clearing the House

Q3. Why must the house be cleared before the priest examines it?

A: Because before priestly involvement, laws of ritual defilement do not yet apply.

 

Q4. What items is the Torah primarily concerned about here?

A: Earthenware vessels, since they cannot be purified in a mikveh.

 

 

14:37 — Signs of Defilement

Q5. What does “שְׁקַעֲרוּרֹת” mean?

A: Stains that appear sunken.

 

14:40 — Removing Stones

Q6. What does “וְחִלְּצוּ” mean?

A: Removing the stones, as Onkelos translates וִישַׁלְּפוּ.

 

Q7. Why must the stones be taken to a defiled place?

A: Because the stones render their location ritually defiled.

 

14:41 — Scraping the House

Q8. What does “יִקְצִיעַ” mean?

A: Scraping, i.e., peeling away plaster.

 

Q9. What is removed during scraping?

A: Plaster around the edges of the lesion.

 

14:43 — Recurrence of the Lesion

Q10. What does “הִקְצוֹת” convey grammatically?

A: A passive infinitive, meaning “after being scraped.”

 

Q11. What does “וְאִם־יָשׁוּב הַנֶּגַע” teach about timing?

A: “Returning” means after a week, not immediately.

 

14:44 — Onerous Tzara’at

Q12. What is learned by comparing house‑lesions to garment‑lesions?

A: A reappearing lesion is defiled even if it did not spread.

 

Q13. Why does Scripture still mention “spread” here?

A: To teach about a lesion that remained unchanged one week and spread the next.

 

14:45 — Demolition

Q14. When is a house demolished?

A: Only if the lesion reappears after stones were removed and the house replastered.

 

14:46–47 — Entering the Quarantined House

Q15. Who becomes defiled by entering the quarantined house?

A: Anyone entering becomes defiled until nightfall.

 

Q16. Do their garments become defiled automatically?

A: No, unless he tarried long enough (time to eat half a loaf).

 

Q17. Why are “eating” and “lying down” specified?

A: To define the minimum timespan requiring immersion of garments.

 

14:48 — House Declared Pure

Q18. When is a house pronounced rid of defilement?

A: Only when the lesion healed after removal, scraping, and replastering.

 

14:49–53 — Purification Ritual

Q19. What items are used to purify the house?

A: Same as the metzora: two birds, cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet wool, and spring water.

 

14:57 — Purpose of the Laws

Q20. What does “לְהוֹרֹת” mean at the end of the chapter?

A: To teach the priest when to declare defilement and when to declare purity.

 

📘 Rashi Q&A — Vayikra 15:1–15

 

15:2 — Abnormal Discharge (Zav)

Q21. From where must the discharge originate to cause defilement?

A: From a specific part of the body, not anywhere.

 

Q22. How is a zav compared to a zavah?

A: The same bodily source causes both lesser and greater defilement.

 

15:2 — Nature of the Discharge

Q23. What does “זוֹבוֹ טָמֵא” teach?

A: The discharge itself can impart ritual defilement.

 

Q24. What does abnormal discharge look like?

A: Thin, loose, like the white of a spoiled egg.

 

15:3 — Two or Three Discharges

Q25. What does “רָר” mean?

A: Flowing freely, like spittle.

 

Q26. What does “הֶחְתִּים” mean?

A: Thick discharge that blocks the opening.

Q27. How many discharges cause defilement alone?

A: Two discharges.

 

Q28. What does a third discharge obligate?

A: Bringing a sacrifice.

 

15:4 — Bed and Seat

Q29. What qualifies as a defiled bed or seat?

A: Only objects designated for lying or sitting, not incidental use.

 

15:5–6 — Severity of Defilement

Q30. Why is reclining more severe than touching?

A: A bed becomes a primary source, defiling garments as well.

 

Q31. Does sitting defile even without touch?

A: Yes, even through stacked objects.

 

15:7–8 — Touch and Spit

Q32. What happens if one touches the zav’s flesh?

A: He must immerse himself and his garments.

 

Q33. Why does spit defile even if carried?

A: Because spit imparts defilement by carrying.

 

15:9–10 — Riding Objects

Q34. What riding objects become defiled?

A: Anything used for riding, even parts not sat upon.

 

Q35. How is riding different from reclining?

A: Touching riding equipment does not defile garments.

 

15:11 — Unwashed Hands

Q36. Why does Scripture mention “hands not washed”?

A: To show that full immersion, not hand‑washing, removes defilement.

 

Q37. What do we learn about immersion from this wording?

A: Hidden body parts need not be touched by water.

 

 

 

15:12 — Vessels

Q38. What happens to earthenware vessels touched by a zav?

A: They must be shattered.

 

Q39. Why doesn’t exterior touch always defile them?

A: Because defilement occurs through movement, not mere contact.

 

15:13 — Cleansing

Q40. When does purification begin?

A: When the discharge ceases.

 

Q41. What does “seven days” require?

A: Seven consecutive clean days.

 

15:14–15 — Sacrifices

Q42. What offerings does the zav bring?

A: Two birds: one sin‑offering and one ascent‑offering.

 

Q43. What is the purpose of these offerings?

A: To effect atonement for his discharge before God.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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