## Sefer HaChinukh Mitzvah 172

###### Sefer HaChinukh 172:1
[Sefer HaChinukh 172:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/172:1)

**מִצְוַת עִנְיַן נִגְעֵי בְּגָדִים** – לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּנִגְעֵי בְּגָדִים כַּמִּשְׁפָּט הַכָּתוּב בַּפָּרָשָׁה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יג מו) וְהַבֶּגֶד כִּי יִהְיֶה בוֹ נֶגַע וְגוֹ'. וּמִצְוָה זוֹ כּוֹלֶלֶת כָּל דִּינֵי צָרַעַת בְּגָדִים אֵיךְ יִטַּמְּאוּ וְאֵיךְ לֹא יִטַּמְּאוּ, וּמָה מֵהֶם צָרִיךְ הֶסְגֵּר אוֹ קְרִיעָה אוֹ שְׂרֵפָה וּרְחִיצָה וְטָהֳרָה.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
**The commandment of the matter of ailments of clothing:** To act with ailments of clothing like the statute written in the section of the Torah, as it is stated (Leviticus 13:47), “And the garment that has an ailment in it, etc.” And this commandment includes all of the laws of the *tsaraat* of clothing: how they become impure and how they do not become impure; which ones of them require quarantine, or tearing or burning, or washing and purification.


###### Sefer HaChinukh 172:2
[Sefer HaChinukh 172:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/172:2)

מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. שֶׁרָצָה הָאֵל בְּטוּבוֹ הַגָּדוֹל לְיַסְּרֵנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ (דברים ח ה). כִּי זֶה הָעִנְיָן אֵינֶנּוּ בְּטֶבַע, אֲבָל מוֹפֵת הוּא בָּאֻמָּה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה לְמַעַן יִלְמְדוּ וְיִקְחוּ מוּסָר בְּהִשְׁתַּנּוּת הַכֵּלִים הַמְּיֻחָדִים לְתַשְׁמִישָׁם, וְהֵם הַבְּגָדִים שֶׁל צֶמֶר וּפִשְׁתִּים, כִּי בָּהֶם רֹב תַּשְׁמִישׁ בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְיָשׁוּבוּ מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה טֶרֶם תִּזְרַח הַצָּרַעַת גַּם בְּגוּפָם.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
It is from the roots of the commandment that God wanted in His great goodness to chasten us, ‘like a man chasten his child.’ As this matter is not natural, but [rather] a sign with the holy people, in order that they learn and take rebuke in the changing of the items that are particularly for their use — and they are clothes of wool and flax, as most usage of people is with them — and they repent through this from their evil way, before the *tsaraat* breaks out also in their bodies.


###### Sefer HaChinukh 172:3
[Sefer HaChinukh 172:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/172:3)

מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ספרא תזריע יג א) שֶׁאֵין מִטַּמֵּא בַּנְּגָעִים אֶלָּא בִּגְדֵי צֶמֶר וּפִשְׁתִּים בִּלְבַד וְשִׁעוּר טֻמְאָתָן כִּגְרִיס כַּשִּׁעוּר בָּאָדָם. וּשְׁלשָׁה סִימָנֵי טֻמְאָה יֵשׁ בָּהֶם (נגעים ג ז) יְרַקְרַק, אֲדַמְדַּם, פִּשְׂיוֹן. פֵּרוּשׁ יְרַקְרַק יָרֹק שֶׁבַּיְּרֻקִּין כִּכְנַף הַטַּוָּס. וַאֲדַמְדַּם אָדֹם שֶׁבָּאֲדֻמִּים כְּמוֹ הַזְּהוֹרִית. וְדִינֵי הַפִּשְׂיוֹן (שם יא ז) וְדִין יָרֹק שֶׁפָּשָׂה אָדֹם, אוֹ אָדֹם שֶׁפָּשָׂה יָרֹק, וְדִין כָּל כְּלִי הָרָאוּי לְהִתְטַמֵּא שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם יא) שֶׁהוּא מִטַּמֵּא בַּנְּגָעִים אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִטַּמֵּא בְּמִדְרַס הַזָּב, כְּמוֹ קְלָעִים שֶׁל סְפִינָה וְהַפָּרֹכֶת (וּשְׂבָכִים) [וְשָׁבִיס] שֶׁל שְׂבָכָה וּמִטְפְּחוֹת סוֹפְרִים וְהָאַבְנֵט וּרְצוּעוֹת מִנְעָל וְסַנְדָּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶן רֹחַב כִּגְרִיס וְכָל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר שְׁאָר הַכֵּלִים כְּגוֹן כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בִּטְהָרוֹת. וְהָרֹב מֵהֶן בְּמַסֶּכֶת נְגָעִים [הלכות טומאת צרעת פי"ב].

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sifra, Tazria, Parashat Nega’im, Chapter 13:1) that only clothes of wool and flax alone become impure with aliments; and the measure of their impurity is a split bean, like the measure in a person. And there are three signs of impurity with them (Mishnah Negaim 3:7): deep green; deep red; and spreading — the understanding of deep green is green among the greens, like the wing of a peacock; and of deep red is red among the reds, like crimson fabric. And the laws of spreading (Mishnah Negaim 11:7); the law of green that spread red or red that spread green; the law that all [cloths] are fitting to become impure — as they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Negaim 11:11) that it becomes impure with ailments, even though it does not become impure as the base (*midras*) of a *zav* — like sails of a ship, a partition, the decorative piece of a hairnet, scribes’ handkerchiefs, a belt, the laces of a shoe or of a sandal that has the width of a split bean, and similar to them, and there is no need to say other [cloths] like bedspreads and pillows; and the rest of its details are elucidated in [the Order] of *Tahorot*, and most of them are in Tracate *Negaim*. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Defilement by Leprosy 12.)


###### Sefer HaChinukh 172:4
[Sefer HaChinukh 172:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/172:4)

וְנוֹהֶגֶת בְּבִגְדֵי זְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת. וְהָעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ וְלֹא הִתְנַהֵג בְּעִנְיָן זֶה כַּדִּין הַכָּתוּב בַּפָּרָשָׁה, בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
And [it] is practiced with the clothes of males and females. And one who transgresses it and does not act in this matter like the law that is written in [this] section of the Torah has violated a positive commandment.