PERFECT BALANCE
In this week’s Parsha, Tazria Metzorah, we find how severe the sin of lashon hara is. Lashon
hara is the sin of speaking gossip which at it’s lowest level damages a person’s reputation in
the eyes of at least one person. When one spoke lashon hara he contracted tzaraas, a severe
skin disease the resembled leprosy. This disease did not find its cause in a physical disorder
but rather a spiritual disorder. It rendered the speaker tamei, spiritually impure and he was required to live outside the community. If anyone wished to visit him he was required to inform them that they should keep their distance.