Home

''This shall be the law of the Metzora...'' (Leviticus 14:2) A Metzora is an individual who is stricken with tzoraas, a leprosy-like ailment, because of spiritual misdeeds.

Many explain that tzoraas is usually brought upon an individual for speaking Loshon Hara -- slandering someone even when true facts are presented (Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora 1).

The Midrash Rabba (30 CE-200 CE; Vayikra Rabba 16:2) records an incident when Rebbe Yanai was sitting in his house and heard a peddler announcing throughout the neighboring towns of Tzippori (Northern Israel), ''Those who want the elixir of life come and I will sell it to them.'' Rebbe Yanai approached and asked if he may purchase it. The peddler refused Rebbe Yanai and told him that he does not need it. Rather, the peddler opened the book of Psalms (34:13-15) and quoted:

''Which man desires life and loves days of seeing good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.''

Rebbe Yanai exclaimed, ''All the days of my life I have been reading these verses and I did not know how the question of 'Which man desires life?' is answered, until a peddler explained it to me.''

Did Rebbe Yanai not comprehend the verse in Psalms? The Mahrzu (Rabbi Ze'ev Volf Einhorn -- 19th century Vilna, Lithuania) explains Rebbe Yanai did not understand why, of all the transgressions, Psalms considered refraining from Loshon Hara (slander) as the elixir for life. All of Torah is equally important and Torah itself is the elixir for life. Even that same verse then says: ''turn from evil and do good.'' This refers to the Torah as the absolute answer to what is evil and what is good.

Rebbe Yanai came to the realization that to pursue the elixir of life one must focus on his most severe ailment -- slander. It is the ailment that causes us internal strife, unhappiness, and is the root of our jealousy.

We can infer from the Mahrzu, even a tremendous scholar, like Rebbe Yanai, sometimes needs an event to fully internalize a lesson. Just as Rebbe Yanai was willing to leave the comfort of his home and pursue a man on the street who claimed to be selling an elixir for life, how much more so should he be willing to flee from slander when God, Himself, promises to reward him with life? Why slander? For the same reason it is the primary cause of tzoraas; slander is the most severe disease of them.

We see the lengths that people go to stay young and healthy. Yet, if a person truly desires life and happiness, he should be pouring his efforts into refraining from slander. It will not only bring peace amongst our friends, but also peace within ourselves.

Rabbi Chaim Lobel is the spiritual leader of Young Israel of Aberdeen, www.yiaberdeen.com.