This week's Parsha starts off by talking about the tumah (ritual impurity) that a woman receives after giving birth. We then follow this with the topic of tzara’at– a spiritual illness, which is commonly incorrectly translated as leprosy. This wasn’t a physical illness, rather a sign from Shamayim that serves as a wake-up call for the neshama.
Our Chachamim explain that tzara’at would befall a person who spoke Lashon HaRah. If one spoke Lashon HaRah, HaShem would send a white spot on his skin, not as punishment, but as a message for the person. Additionally, a person who had developed Tzara’at was sent outside the Machane, isolated from the community. Why? Because when we speak Lashon HaRah, we damage the unity of Am Yisrael. Since they separate Am Yisrael with their words, they too should feel a bit of that separation, only so that they should understand.
From here we can learn a very important lesson: words are powerful. They can be used to build a person or destroy them. Words can be used for Lashon HaRah or for Divrei Torah. Be’ezrat HaShem we will be Zocheh to be careful and mindful of our words.
Shabbat Shalom