## Tur HaArokh, Leviticus

###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:2:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:2:1)

**זאת תהיה תורת המצורע וגו' והובא אל הכהן.**כתב הרמב"ן תחלה אומר שזאת היא תורת טהרתו שיובא אל הכהן שאין לו טהרה לעולם אלא על פיו ואחרי כן פי' שהכהן יצא אליו חוץ למחנה והוא לא יבא אליו אע"פ שנתרפא. ובת"כ דורש והובא אל הכהן שלא ישהה פי' שמיד כשיתרפא יובא על כרחו אל הכהן:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
זאת תהיה תורת המצורע...והובא אל הכהן, “This shall be the law concerning the *Metzora*, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the Torah introduces our chapter with the words: “this is the manner in which a *Metzora* purifies himself, he will be brought to the priest.” This is to emphasise that anyone who has been afflicted with *tzoraat* cannot ever regain his standing in the community, i.e. become purified, without the assistance of the priest. Having established this premise, the Torah then describes the priest as leaving the boundaries of the camp, i.e. the habitat of normal Jews, in order to start the process of purifying the person who had been struck with this dread disease. The important part of the Torah’s message is that the victim of *tzoraat* who has now been cured does not have to come to the priest, but the priest comes toward him to welcome him back into the fold.
 *Torat Kohanim* states that the recently cured victim of *tzoraat* is brought to the outskirts of the camp to face the priest in order to facilitate the priest’s welcoming him back to the fold.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:3:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:3:1)

**ויצא הכהן אל מחוץ למחנה.**דורש בת"כ דוקא כהן שהוא לפנים מן החומה יוצא חוץ למחנה לטהרו ואין כהן מצורע שהוא חוץ למחנה מטהר מצורע אחר:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויצא הכהן אל מחוץ למחנה. “The priest shall go forth to the outside of the camp.” *Torat Kohanim* comments that only a priest who was inside the camp could do this, not a priest, who, being himself a victim of *tzoraat*, and hence also outside the camp. Such a priest cannot participate in the purification rites of another *metzora.*


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:4:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:4:1)

**שתי צפרים.**על שם כצפור נודדת מקנה כן איש נודד ממקומו דכתיב בי' בדד ישב מחוץ למחנה. כתב הרמב"ן בעלי הפשט אומרים כי כל עוף נקרא צפור כדכתיב צפור שמים ודגי הים. כל צפור כל כנף וכן כתיב ואת הצפור לא בתר על תורים ובני יונה. והנכון ששם צפור כולל לעופות הקטנים המשכימים בבוקר לצפצף ולשורר מלשון ארמי ציפורא וכן ישוב ויצפור פי' ישכים בבוקר. ואמר עליהם צפור שמים כי הם לרובם יגביהו לעוף בשמים וכל צפור כל כנף שני מינים כל הקטנים וכל הגדולים וכן יקרא קן צפור לפניך הם הקטנים לומר שאפי' בקטניהם יחוס. והנראה מדברי רבותינו שכל עופות טהורים נקראים צפרים אבל מצותו של מצורע בצפור דרור ואינו אלא למצוה אבל בדיעבד כולן כשרים ולכך הוצרך למעט טמאות בתורת כהנים לפוסלן אפי' בדיעבד. ומיהו מדתנן במסכתא נגעים מביא שתי צפרים דרור ותניא עוד שתי צפרים מצותן שיהו שוה במראה ובקומה וכו' עד אע"פ שאינו שווין כשרים ולא קתני עוף דרור אע"פ שאינם דרור כשרים ש"מ שאפי' בדיעבד פסולים והוצרך למעט טמאות מפני שיש אף בטמאות מינים שהם דרור. א"נ פי' למעט טמאות לך פי' אסורות כגון טריפה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
שתי צפרים, “two birds;” the expression צפור [as distinct from עוף, Ed.] may be related to both Proverbs 27,8, and Psalms 102,8 where the צפור is described as wandering, i.e. being a loner, isolated. The analogy with the quarantined victim of *tzoraat* is evident.
 Nachmanides writes that the scholars concerned primarily with the plain meaning of the text claim that every עוף is automatically also referred to as צפור. Their proof is Psalms 8,9 צפור שמים ודגי הים, “the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea.” The correct interpretation of the choice of the word צפור by the Torah here is that the term צפור includes also the very small birds, the ones who awaken us in the early morning with their chirping. The Aramaic word for the Hebrew word צפצוף describing such chirping is צפורא. The reason the psalmist adds the word שמים, sky, to the word צפור is that in the main the birds use their wings to fly towards the sky. The word כל does not always mean “all, or each,” but usually means “most.” When, at the covenant between the pieces in Genesis chapter 15, Avraham divided the various animals he offered as a symbol of that covenant, the Torah mentions ואת הצפור לא בתר, meaning that he did not cut up either the pigeon or the turtle dove. The expression כל צפור כל כנף refers to two separate species of birds, i.e. both the big ones and the small ones. When the Torah, in Deuteronomy 22,6 speaks of someone encountering a קן צפור, a bird’s nest, this refers to a nest housing small birds, the Torah warning that even such small creatures we must treat with consideration.
 It appears to me that our sages considered every pure bird, i.e. the ones we may eat (in the appropriate circumstances) as described as צפור. However, in connection with the sacrifice of the *tzarua* who has been healed and purified, he is to bring one of the birds that can be truly described as צפור דרור, ”a free flying bird,” not a chicken, or a duck, which are domesticated and cannot use their wings in a manner reflecting true freedom of movement. This requirement is not absolute, but when available these free flying birds, i.e. pigeon or turtle dove are preferable, though other birds not described in the Torah as of the 24 kinds of birds of prey might be admissible, seeing the Torah does not speak of עוף דרור. Seeing that the *Mishnah* in tractate *Negaiim* 14,1 mentions צפור דרור instead of תור או גוזל, the bird-offerings normally presented on the altar, it might have appeared that other birds are acceptable. Seeing that the text of the Torah leaves room for doubt, the *Torat Kohanim* had to add that the requirement is absolute, and no other bird can be substituted. The fact is however, that the word דרור in the *Mishnah* may simply exclude ritually unclean birds that also fit the description of עוף דרור. Moreover, it may also mean that even though these two birds are not alike in size and in appearance as is preferable, as indicated by the word שתי instead of שתים, as among the unclean birds there are also some that fit the description of their being small and free flying the Torah meant to exclude those. [Some commentators of the *Mishnah* do not understand the word דרור as free flying, unrestricted, but they apply it to birds that have learned to escape capture by man both inside the house and outside of it. Ed.]
 It is also possible that the expression שתי צפרים is intended to exclude birds that are ritually impure from being offered as a sacrifice.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:4:2
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:4:2)

**ועץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזוב.**כתב ר' אברהם הנה המצורע ותורת הבית המנוגע וטהרת המת קרובים והנה הם כדמות פסח מצרים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ועץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזוב, “cedar-wood, crimson thread, and hyssop.” Ibn Ezra writes that the items the Torah requires as part of the purification rites of the *metzura* indicate the conceptual linkage between someone whose house is afflicted with a parallel affliction, with the ritual impurity conferred by dead bodies of near relatives and even with the Passover sacrifice offered in Egypt prior to the Exodus. [Emerging from the state of being afflicted with *tzoraat* is as cataclysmic as the redemption (on a national scale) of the Jewish people from Egypt. Ed.]


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:5:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:5:1)

**אל כלי חרס.**לומר שישפיל עצמו כחרס הנשבר:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
אל כלי חרס, “into an earthen vessel.” Allegorically speaking, the person preparing to rejoin society is to humble himself, like broken earthenware.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:5:2
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:5:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:5:2)

**על מים חיים.**שכן היתה טהרת נעמן בירדן שהוא מים חיים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
על מים חיים, “over spring water;” just as Naaman, the Assyrian general who had to bathe himself in the river Jordan.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:7:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:7:1)

**על פני השדה.**מקום שמשם לא ישוב סימן שלא תדבק בו עוד הצרעת:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
על פני השדה,”upon the open field.” Uninhabited places where symptoms of that disease cannot be found so that the person that has been cured will not per chance be re-infected with the disease. (Ibn Ezra)


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:10:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:10:1)

**יקח שני כבשים תמימים וכבשה אחת.**כתב הרמב"ן לא פי' הפסוק מה יעשה בשני כבשים ובכבשה אלא שאמר בכבש אחד שיקריב אותו לאשם ואמר שיעשה החטאת ואחר ישחט את העולה וסמך על מה שפי' בפרשת ויקרא שכל חטאת תהיה נקבה ועולה זכר א"כ בידוע שהכבש השני יעשה עולה והכבשה תהיה חטאת ולכך לא האריך בכאן:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
יקח שני כבשים תמימים וכבשה אחת, “he is to take two unblemished sheep and one ewe;” Nachmanides points out that the Torah did not state what is to be done with these three animals except to say that one of the male sheep mentioned is to serve as a guilt-offering, the priest having heaved it before *Hashem.* In verse 19 the Torah does state that the *metzura* is to offer his sin offering and his burnt offering, without referring to a specific animal. Seeing that we had learned in *Parshat Vayikra* that every sin offering, if consisting of the species sheep, consists of a feminine species, it is clear that the ewe is to serve as the sin-offering and the remaining male sheep as the burnt offering. (Ibn Ezra)


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:18:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:18:1)

**יתן על ראש המטהר וכפר עליו הכהן לפני ה'.**הכפרה הזאת היא בדם האשם ובשמן והנה אמר הכתוב באשם וכפר וחזר ואמר בחטאת וכפר על המטהר מטומאתו ואמר עוד בעולה ובמנחה וכפר עליה הכהן וטהר לא ידענו מה ענין הכפרות הללו ואולי האשם יכפר על מעלו אשר מעל קודם נגעו והחטאת על חטאו אשר חטא בימי הנגע אולי בצערו נתן תפלה לאלקים לכך כתיב בה וכפר על המטהר מטומאתו והעולה והמנחה יהיה לו כופר נפשו שיזכה ליטהר ולשוב אל אהלו ולכן אמר וכפר עליו הכהן וטהר. ויתכן עוד כי וכפר עליו הכהן וטהר חוזר לכל הנעשה בו כי גם הצפרים באים לכפרה ולטהרה שגם בנגעי הבית כתיב וכפר על הבית וטהר:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
יתן על ראש המטהר וכפר עליו הכהן לפני ה', “he shall place upon the head of the person being purified, and the priest shall provide him atonement before *Hashem.”* The vehicle effecting the atonement is the blood of the guilt offering as well as the oil that the priest sprinkles in the direction of the Holy of Holies.
 The peculiarity in the procedures being described here is the fact that the expression וכפר, “he shall provide atonement,” is repeated so many times; after the guilt offering which apparently provided this atonement, the same expression is used in connection with the sin offering, and then again in connection with the burnt offering, and even again in connection with the gift offering, the מנחה. As a result of this we are quite confused as to the nature of this “atonement.”
 Perhaps the guilt offering affords forgiveness, atonement, for the trespass the person in question had committed before he had become afflicted with the *tzoraat*. The sin offering may afford atonement for sins committed while the person was in a state of *tzoraat*. Possibly, due to his pain, he addressed his prayers then to the attribute of *Elokim* instead of to the attribute of *Hashem*, the only one to whom prayers may be addressed. This may be the reason that the Torah adds the word מטומאתו when speaking of this specific atonement.
 The burnt offering and the gift offering may be the “real” ransom of his soul, permitting him to rejoin society. This is why the Torah may have added the words: “and the priest will provide atonement for him, and he will emerge purified.”
 It is also possible that this last line of וכפר עליו הכהן וטהר, “and the priest will provide atonement for him and he will emerge purified,” refers to all the foregoing collectively, seeing that also the bird-offerings had as their purpose atonement as we know from their description in connection with plague-like symbols on the walls of someone’s house. (14,53)


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:34:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:34:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:34:1)

**ונתתי נגע צרעת וגו'.**פירש"י בשורה טובה היתה להם בשביל המטמוניות וכו'. וי"מ דלכך ראה נגע בבתים ובבגדים לפי שצוה לבער ע"ז ומשמשיה והיו שם בתים ובגדים שהיו משמשי ע"ז ויש שאינם יודעים שהיו משמשי ע"ז נתן הקב"ה בהם נגע כדי שינתצו וישרפו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ונתתי נגע צרעת, “I will place a *tzoraat* affliction, etc.” *Rashi, -*seizing on the word נתן meaning “giving,”- explains this verse as good news, saying that these symptoms alert the owner of the house to hidden treasure in that house buried by the previous owner.
 Other commentators believe that these symptoms both in houses and garments, alert the new owner that these items unbeknown to them used to be artifacts of idolatry and therefore had to be destroyed. Now that the owners had been alerted, they could fulfill the commandment to destroy the items in question.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:34:2
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:34:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:34:2)

**ונתתי נגע צרעת בבית ארץ אחוזתכם.**כתב הרמב"ן הכתוב מדבר כנגד כל ישראל והיה ראוי לומר דברו אל כל עדת בני ישראל אלא שהכתוב מקצר. אי נמי מדבר עמהם במקום כל ישראל. והטעם שאין כוונת הפרשה עתה רק ללמד להם כל דיני הצרעת ושילמדו אותם לכהנים ומשה לא הזהיר בהם עתה את ישראל אלא בבואם לארץ הזהירם בהם השמר בנגע הצרעת לשמור מאוד ולעשות ככל אשר יורו אתכם כאשר צויתים כי להם צוה תחלה במשפטים האלה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ונתתי נגע צרעת בבית ארץ אחוזתכם, “I will place a *tzoraat* in the house of the land of your possession.” Nachmanides writes that the verse is addressed to the entire people of Israel, and it should therefore have been told to the entire nation, i.e. we would have expected the Torah to continue in verse 33 with the words אל כל עדת ישראל, “to the whole community of Israel.” The Torah, for reasons we do not know, decided to abbreviate.
 Alternately, the point is that the Torah spoke to Moses and Aaron in their capacity as the representatives of the whole people. The reason why the Torah, at this time, informed only Moses and Aaron of the legislation pertaining to such afflictions, is that all the details would have to be taught to the priests. Moses thought it pointless to teach all these details now, and preferred to wait until the Israelites would be on the point of entering and conquering the land. In Deut. 24,8 Moses does indeed warn the Israelites to observe all the pertinent laws and to follow the instructions of the priests concerning them.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:43:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:43:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:43:1)

**ואם ישוב הנגע ופרח בבית.**כתב הרמב"ן הנגע הזה שבא באבנים אחרות ובעפר אחר אינו הנגע הראשון ואינו דומה לפריחה האמורה באדם ולפשיון שהוא שב למקומו הראשון בטבעו כי פעמים רבים תסתתר הליחה תחת העור ותשוב אל פנימי הגוף ואחרי כן תשוב ותמשך אל העור ואל חיצוני אבל הענין הזה שאינו טבע אלא נגע ומכת אלקים שתהיה רוב רעה באה במקום ההוא ולכך לא אמר הכתוב ואם ישוב הנגע ופרח באבנים ההם אלא אפי' נולד במקום אחר מן הבית ואפי' ממראה אחר שאינו ממראה הראשון נדון כחוזר ופורח ואינו נדון כנגע חדש שנולד בתחלה וזה פי' בבית כי כל הבית יהיה דינו כן והטעם כי הרוח הרעה לא תסור מן הבית ההוא אלא תמיד תהיה בו באחת מהמקומות להבעית את בעליו. עוד יישב פי' המקראות לפי המדרש בענין שאין צריך להקדים פסוקים המאוחרים ועיין בפירושיו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ואם ישוב הנגע ופרח בבית, “and if the affliction returns and erupts in the house, etc.” According to Nachmanides the affliction the Torah speaks of here does not again show up on the same stones as previously, but the same kind of affliction now appears on other stones and other earthen parts of the same house. This is different from when skin afflictions either shrunk or expanded on an afflicted person. On those occasions the Torah described changes occurring in the original symptom of the affliction. In matters of skin irregularities it is not unusual for symptoms to temporarily subside, only to resurface even more pronouncedly at a later stage of the disease. The disease not only had not disappeared, but, by penetrating more deeply into the body below the skin it had taken a firmer hold on the afflicted person. This is why the Torah here does not write: ואם ישוב הנגע ופרח באבנים ההם, “and if the affliction resurfaces and spreads out on these stones, etc,” but it writes in such a way that we understand that even if now the affliction surfaces in a part of the house that had not been afflicted at first, etc. The word בבית means that the entire house is viewed as having been potentially at risk as soon as any part of it had shown symptoms of being afflicted with this *tzoraat.* The reason for all this, the need to totally tear down the house, is that the רוח הרעה, the harmful atmosphere that had been responsible for the affliction first erupting, will not disappear until all the stones, etc., have been completely removed. Otherwise, there will always remain the risk that the reconstructed house would suddenly erupt with the same symptoms as had led to the partial destruction of the original house.
 The *Midrash* explains how one can understand all the verses without having recourse to the principle that the Torah is not bound to write everything sequentially, in chronological order.


###### Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:53:1
[Tur HaArokh, Leviticus 14:53:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Leviticus/r/14:53:1)

**וכפר על הבית וטהר.**כתב הרמב"ן הכפרה הזו בצפור המשתלחת שתשא הצפור את כל עונותיו אל מחוץ לעיר אל פני השדה כענין הכפרה בשעיר המשתלח שאין עונש הנגע הנראה בביתו של אדם כעונש הנגע שבגופו להצריכו חטאת ואשם כי די לו כפרה הראשונה שיביא המצורע לטהרתו שהן הצפרים ועץ הארז והאזוב. וי"מ דכל כפרה דכתיבה במצורע בין באדם בין בבית וכן גבי יולדת וזב אינו לשון כפרת עון אלא לשון נקיון כמו לכפורי ידיה בהאי גברא דכפרה ממש לא שייך בהו אע"ג דנגעים באים על החטא מניגעיה איכפר ליה וכן יולדת אע"ג שהיא חוטאת מ"מ לפי הפשט אין קרבנה באה על חטא:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
וכפר על הבית וטהר, “he shall provide atonement for the house and it will become purified.” According to Nachmanides this atonement is effected through the bird that is released into the air outside the city into the field. This bird is perceived as carrying away all the sins of the person who has purchased it and gone through the ritual with the help of the priest. The procedure is analogous to the שעיר המשתלח, the “scapegoat” that we are familiar with from the Day of Atonement rituals, although that scapegoat is thrown to its death. The reason why this procedure differs from that of a person who experiences *tzoraat* on his skin, is that the penalty for the sins of a person whose house is afflicted with *tzoraat* is much less than that of the person whose skin has become afflicted. The sin of the persons whose house was afflicted was far less serious than that of the person afflicted with *tzoraat* on his skin. The latter had to bring also a sin offering and a guilt offering. The initial atonement procedure is sufficient to cleanse the owner of the afflicted house of his sin.
 Some commentators believe that every “atonement” mentioned in connection with any of three types of *tzoraat* afflicting house, garments, or skin as well as the “atonement” mentioned by the Torah in connection with the offering the Torah demands of a mother who has given birth recently, as well as the people afflicted with the disease known as *zav,* mentioned in the following chapter, is not a term for “forgiving a sin,” but is a term denoting the purification of the party concerned having been successfully completed. We find the term used in that sense in *Gittin* 56, where the words לכפורי ידיה בהאי גברא mean that “G’d wants to ‘clean’ His hands,” i.e. punish him for having been the instrument through whom Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Clearly, the meaning of the word there is not “atonement” in the normal sense of the word.