Torah Portion of the Week

Tazria-Metzora תזריע-מצורע

Leviticus 12:1–15:33

The double parsha of Tazria-Metzora forms a complete cycle of impurity and restoration — where Tazria diagnoses, Metzora heals. It begins with the laws of a woman's purification after childbirth, then devotes extensive detail to tzaraat, a skin affliction that is spiritual rather than medical, requiring priestly diagnosis. Various forms are examined: skin discolorations, afflictions of the scalp and beard, and tzaraat of garments. The afflicted person must dwell alone outside the camp. When healing comes, an elaborate purification ceremony unfolds — two birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop — followed by shaving, immersion, and offerings at the Tabernacle. The parsha also addresses tzaraat of houses in the Land of Israel, and concludes with the laws of bodily discharges that cause ritual impurity, closing with the warning that Israel must be separated from their impurity lest they defile the Tabernacle.