📜 Daily Chumash & Rashi Parshas Tazria Metzora – Sheiyni: The laws of Tzaraas on a burn or head or beard (Monday 26th Nissan)

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Sheiyni when connected to Metzora

  1. Tzaraas on a burn:
    • If a skin lesion of reddish and whitish color appears on a burn, it is to be shown to the Kohen. If it appears lower than the skin and has white hair, it is Tzaraas that has grown on the burn. He is to be declared impure by the Kohen. If it does not have these signs, the Kohen is to segregate him for seven days. The Kohen is to view him on the seventh day and if the lesion spreads then he is impure. If the lesion does not spread, it is not Tzaraas but rather a skin ailment on the burn and he is pure.
  1. Tzaraas on the head or beard:
    • If a skin lesion appears on the head or beard, it is to be shown to the Kohen. If it appears lower than the skin and has yellow hair it is a Nesek Tzaraas that has grown on the head or beard. He is to be declared impure by the Kohen.
    • No yellow hair: If it does not have these signs but also does not have black hair, the Kohen is to segregate him for seven days. The Kohen is to view him on the seventh day and if the lesion does not appear lower than the skin and has not spread and the hair is not yellow then the surrounding area of the Nesek is to be shaven and he is to be segregated for a further period of seven days. The Kohen is to view him on the seventh day and if the lesion does not spread and it does not appear lower than the skin, the Kohen is to deem him pure. He is to launder his clothing and he is pure. If the lesion spreads after his purity, he is deemed impure even if it does not have a yellow hair. If it grows a black hair he is to be deemed pure.
  1. White spots:
    • If a man or woman has white spots on their skin, it is to be shown to the Kohen and he or she is to be deemed pure.

📘 Rashi Q&A — Vayikra 13:24–39

 

13:24 — Burn (Michvat Esh)

Q1. What does “מִחְיַת הַמִּכְוָה” mean according to Rashi?

A: The healed area of a burn, where the skin has healed and turned white mixed with red or uniformly white.

 

Q2. Why does the Torah repeat laws for burns if they resemble inflammations?

A: To teach that lesions of burns and inflammations do not combine to form a minimum measure (gris).

 

13:25 — Defiling Signs in a Burn

Q3. Which signs render a burn‑lesion tzara’at?

A:

  • White hairs appearing within it
  • Appearance deeper than the skin

 

13:26–27 — Quarantine and Spread

Q4. When is the person quarantined for a burn‑lesion?

A: When there are no white hairs and the lesion is not deeper, but darker.

 

Q5. What happens if the lesion spreads during quarantine?

A: He is pronounced ritually defiled.

 

13:28 — Scar of a Burn

Q6. What does it mean if the lesion did not spread and became darker?

A: It is the scar tissue of the burn, not tzara’at.

 

13:29 — Lesions of the Head or Beard

Q7. Why does Scripture distinguish the head and beard?

A: Because in areas of hair growth, gold hairs are the sign of defilement, not white hairs.

 

 

13:30 — Netek

Q8. What does “שֵׂעָר צָהֹב” mean?

A: Golden hairs, meaning black hairs that turned gold.

 

Q9. What is a “נֶתֶק”?

A: The name of tzara’at affecting areas where hair grows (head or beard).

 

13:31 — Black Hair in Netek

Q10. What does “וְשֵׂעָר שָׁחֹר אֵין־בּוֹ” teach?

A: If black hair is present, it is a sign of purity, and no quarantine is needed.

 

13:32 — Second Examination

Q11. What is inferred if the netek spread or gold hairs appeared?

A: He becomes ritually defiled.

 

13:33 — Shaving Around the Netek

Q12. What does “וְהִתְגַּלָּח” require?

A: Shaving around the netek.

 

Q13. Why must the netek itself not be shaved?

A: To leave two rows of hair as markers, so any spread will be noticeable.

 

13:34 — Declared Pure

Q14. When is the person declared rid of defilement?

A: When the netek did not spread and is not deeper, after the second quarantine.

 

Q15. Why must he immerse his garments?

A: Because quarantine rendered him temporarily defiled.

 

13:35 — Spread After Purification

Q16. What does “אַחֲרֵי טָהֳרָתוֹ” add?

A: The rule applies even if spread occurs after purification.

 

Q17. Why does Scripture use the doubled verb “פָּשֹׂה יִפְשֶׂה”?

A: To include spread after the first or second quarantine as well.

 

13:36 — No Need to Look for Gold Hair

Q18. Why need the priest not search for gold hair once the netek spread?

A: Because spreading alone establishes defilement.

 

13:37 — Black Hair Returns

Q19. What does black hair indicate in a healed netek?

A: Healing and ritual purity.

 

Q20. Why does Scripture say “וְשֵׂעָר” without a color qualifier?

A: To include any color other than gold, such as yellow or red, as signs of purity.

 

Q21. What does “טָהוֹר הוּא וְטִֽהֲרוֹ הַכֹּהֵן” teach?

A: Only a correct priestly declaration removes defilement; an incorrect declaration does not.

 

13:38–39 — Bohak (Lack of Pigmentation)

Q22. What are “בְּהָרוֹת” in these verses?

A: White spots on the skin.

 

Q23. What does “כֵּהוֹת לְבָנֹת” mean?

A: Dull white, not bright.

 

Q24. What is “בֹּהַק” according to Rashi?

A: A harmless lack of pigmentation, like freckles, not tzara’at.

 

Q25. What is the ruling for bohak?

A: He is not ritually defiled.

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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