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The Book of Leviticus – ‫חומש ויקרא‬

Torah Portion Tazria

The Torah portion of Tazria discusses all kinds of afflictions (diseases) that
affect the people, and how the priests treat these diseases, as is written:

"A person who shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it shall become in the skin of his flesh the affliction
of leprosy, he shall be brought to Aharon the priest, or to one of his
sons the priests." (13:2)

Our Sages said that the afflictions infect people because of gossip, and offered a
number of examples and parables.
R' Shimon Bar Yochai said:
They ask the snake: Why do you bite one place in the body and your venom
spreads throughout the entire body?
The snake answers: Are you talking to me?
Tell him, who is a perpetual gossiper – who is found in Rome and kills with his
tongue people who are in Syria!

The tongue is compared to an arrow:
If a person wants to kill someone with a sword, the other can beg and ask for
mercy and the person can change his mind and not kill. But the arrow – after
they shoot it, it is impossible to bring it back. So too with gossip…

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