Tazria-Metzora
Leviticus 12:1–15:33 

By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith 

Parshat Tazria-Metzora is often seen as one of the more challenging portions in the Torah. It deals with skin conditions, ritual purity, and the mysterious ailment known as tzara’at – often mistranslated as leprosy but better understood as a physical manifestation of a sort of spiritual imbalance. At its core, this double portion is about transformation, healing, and the sacred process of reentering the community. 

When someone is afflicted with tzara’at, they are temporarily removed from the camp – set apart and isolated but not abandoned. The Torah tells us that one of the Kohanim (priests) would visit the afflicted individual, evaluate there situation, and ultimately guide them on the path back into connection. This exile is not for punishment – it is a sacred pause, a healing journey, and a reintegration with blessing.  

In Jewish mysticism, tzara’at is linked to the spiritual energy of speech. The Talmud connects it with lashon hara – harmful or hurtful words. Mystically, we understand the power of speech to shape our reality. The world was created through Divine utterance – “Let there be light” – and we too, created b’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine image, are gifted with the sacred power of words. When we misuse that gift, something in the spiritual fabric tears. And healing requires more than just medicine – it requires reflection, teshuvah, and reweaving the soul’s threads back into the community. 

How fitting that this portion is often read around Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut. 

Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, is a solemn time when the entire nation pauses to remember those who have fallen in defense of the Jewish state. It is a national tzara’at – a moment of sacred stillness and separation. On this day, Israel feels the grief of over 24,000 lives lost – soldiers, victims of terror, sons and daughters, parents, friends. It is a wound still healing. 

But the day does not end in despair. As night falls, we transition into Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. It is not a clean break – it is a delicate pivot. We carry the memory into the joy. Just as the person recovering from tzara’at must bring offerings, immerse in water, and rededicate themselves to life, so too does Israel move from remembrance into renewed commitment to life, freedom, and Jewish sovereignty. 

This shift from mourning to celebration is not accidental – it is deeply Jewish. It is what we’ve done for centuries: turning tears into prayers, prayers into strength, and strength into rebuilding. 

There’s a mystical teaching from the Zohar that says: “There is no light that does not emerge from darkness.” In other words, the deepest joy often comes not by ignoring pain, but by walking through it, naming it, and choosing hope anyway. That is what the Israelites did when they returned to the camp. That is what we do on Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut. And that is what every Jewish soul is invited to do when navigating loss, healing, and renewal. 

So what does this mean for us today?  

We may not be afflicted with tzara’at, but we all know what it feels like to be isolated – emotionally, spiritually, or even physically. We’ve been through pandemics, political rifts, and personal struggles. And we all know what it feels like to yearn to come back – to community, to wholeness, to meaning.  

Parshat Tazria-Metzora reminds us that healing is sacred. That grief and joy are not opposites – they are companions. And that even in our most broken moments, the path to reintegration is possible – through reflection, through ritual, through community. 

And as we honor the memory of Israel’s fallen and celebrate her rebirth, we remember that the Jewish story is not one of endless exile, but of return. Not of despair, but of resilience. Not of silence, but of the sacred power of voice. 

May we use our voices to speak words of peace. May we honor the memory of those who sacrificed so much for a Jewish homeland. And may we, like the one healed from tzara’at, walk the path from isolation to belonging with gratitude, hope, and holiness.