Check out this Pesach activity sheet. We use these educational materials in camp, and wanted to pass it along to you in advance of the Chag.

In our parsha, the Torah presents the Torat haMetzora, the laws of the person with Tzaraat, in value-free terms, without any ethical background, reference to sin causing the onset of tzaraat, or instruction that the metzora pray or repent. The cure, similarly, does not hinge on the patient's conduct.

Elswehere in Tanach, though, tzara'at does clearly serve as a divine punishment for wrongdoing. Miriam is stricken with tzara'at for speaking against Moshe (Bemidbar 12); Geichazi is punished for his greed and false oath to Elisha (Melakhim II 5); and Uziyahu is punished with tzara'at for offering incense in the Temple in defiance of the kohanim (Divrei Ha-yamim II 26:16-21)

Chazal focus on this element of sin. Rabbi Yossi teaches us that lashon hara causes tzaraat, Reish Lakish associates the word itself with the words motzi shem ra, and Rav Shmuel bar Nachmeni lists seven sins that cause tzaraat: lashon hara, murder, false oaths, immorality, arrogance, theft, and stinginess (TB Arachin 15).

Ramban goes a bit further in suggesting that the function of tzaraat is less punishment that awakening-in his reading the Torah is presenting an incrementally more and more severe call to rehabilitation. Hashem sends tzaraat as a wondrous sign to the sons of Israel to warn them against evil speech. In the first stage, after a Jew engages in frivolous and evil speech, the walls of his home become discolored. If he repents, good and he returns to purity. But if he continues his wrongdoing, the linens of his home then show the signs of it. And if even after they are burned he continues to sin, his skin itself becomes discolored. He contracts tzaraat and he must be separated and publicly isolated to demonstrate the severity of his son. At the point that we get the message from Hashem and repent, we are able to end the cycle and return to purity!

At Moshava Malibu, our tzevet teaches our chanichim the importance of healthy relationships and how to interact with one another. Whether it is during sports competitions, meal times, or different shiurim and peulot, we stress the importance of Torah, Avodah, and just as important Derekh Eretz!

Looking forward to an amazing summer!