Parshat Tazria-Metzora: Living your religion
by Rabbi Lobel

(Leviticus; chapter 13, verse 2 - 3) "When a man should have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his flesh the plague of Tzoraas (leprosy) than he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests. And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of his flesh; and if the hair in the plague be turned white, and the appearance of the plague be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is the plague of Tzoraas; and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him Tamei (unclean)."

It is clear that the Kohanim (priests) were given single authority in judging the status of one stricken with Tzoraas. It was they who determined if the individual was Tamei and needed to be quarantined.

The Medrash Tanchuma (Tazria 6) relates an incident regarding this matter. It was when a specific Kohen (priest), an expert regarding the matters of Tzoraas, was looking to leave the land of Israel for purposes of earning a livelihood. The priest told his wife that due to the fact that the masses rely on his expertise, it would be difficult to depart. The priest suggested that he teach his wife the proper laws and she would replace him. He started by explaining how an individual's hair, which can be stricken with Tzoraas, is judged. The priest explained that with every single hair G-d also created a source (Maayan) of where the hair receives its nourishment. If the source is dry, not giving nourishment to the hair, that means the hair and the person were stricken with Tzoraas.

Upon completion of the lesson, the wife replied to her husband, the priest, "If for every hair created by G-d has its own source of nourishment, so it can function, certainly G-d will provide a proper living for a man who has many hairs, components, and, most importantly, children relying on their father for sustenance, a source so they can receive proper nourishment." This logical response did not allow the wife to permit her husband to leave Israel and look for livelihood.

It appears the priest's wife needed to prove that G-d is the source of all sustenance in order prevent her husband from leaving. Why was this necessary to prove? Is it not the foundation of Jewish knowledge that G-d "gives nourishment to all living for his kindness endures forever" (Psalms 136)?

Obviously, such a learned priest knew that G-d is the source of all sustenance. But he needed his wife to bridge what he "knew" to what he "felt." Through a simple logical proof, he understood, on an emotional level, that G-d would provide for him and his family.