By Gaby Marantz

Ahoj hnutí!

This week's double parasha Tazria-Meztora is brought to you from the much-too-cold-to-be-April center of the Czech Republic. Greetings from Prague; hope you're all warmer than I am.

The bulk of these two parshiot discusses tzara'at, some sort of affliction traditionally translated as "leprosy", that can affect the skin, clothing, and houses of people who engage in "forbidden gossip" (as opposed to permitted gossip?). Summaries can be found here and here. The story indicating that the tzara'at is punishment for lashon hara actually comes from parashat Bahaltocha, when Miriam says some bad stuff to Aharon about Moshe regarding his relationship with Tzipora, and as a result she gets this tzara'at thing.

These parashiot are difficult for me, particularly the end of Metzora which enumerates some rules regarding male ejaculation and female menstruation. I am choosing to refrain from an über feministy rant about how the stuff there is a representation of fucked up patriarchal power and relevant today because it's an example of women's health and bodies being demonized and controlled by men. I am refraining from the related rant about the problems that arise from labeling any sex-related stuff as impure. I'm mentioning these things because I think they're important and shouldn't be ignored.

Mostly, however, I want to talk about tzara'at and how it relates to spiritual purity and lashon hara (negative, but true gossip). What is fitting about a verbal transgression being punished with something so physical as a blemish, not only one one's skin, but also on one's clothes and in one's house? It's sort of odd, right; the two don't seem particularly related.

I think this quote, of disputed origin, that I remember being on a poster in one of my English classes in high school, at least begins to bridge the gap:

Watch your thoughts, they become your words;

watch your words, they become your actions;

watch your actions, they become your habits;

watch your habits, they become your character;

watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

I particularly like this quote because it focuses on the rippling effects of speech on the speaker. It's easier to see how my insulting someone else might hurt them - they've just been insulted - but it also hurts me.

Words are physical things, with far reaching effects, way beyond some sound waves bouncing around their immediate environment. Speech acts are interesting because they are simultaneously verbal and linguistic in nature and also physical acts. Sometimes, though, the physicality and lasting impact of words is easy to forget, so the punishment for lashon hara is twofold: spiritual impurity that manifests as a skin disease to remind us how much power our words have over both domains.

I like that tzara'at not only afflicts a person's body but also their home. It says something important about what contributes to an environment. A safe, positive space isn't only created by big, comfy rooms with happy colors and no sharp objects; it is most importantly created by the attitudes and interactions of those who frequent it.

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