“This shall be the law of the leper [torat hametsora] ….” (Vayikra, 14:2) It is written (Yirmiyah, 15:19), “If you take forth the precious from the vile, then you shall be as my mouth …” The formulation “you shall be as My mouth” hints at words of Torah, as it is written (Divrei haYamim 1, 16:12), “the judgments of His mouth” or (Mishlei 2:6) “out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” This is “if you bring forth the precious from the vile,” for if one clarifies the deficiency within him, to bring out of it something precious, then “you will be as My mouth,” for that which comes forth from his mouth will be filled with words of Torah. This is hinted at in the verse “this shall be the law of the leper [torat hametsora].” “This” hints at as one would say “this” itself (singling out the deficiency), which at first seemed as if it has no connection to the Torah; “this” itself will afterwards be clarified that it came from the Torah. This is because the source of leprosy is from the sin of lashon hara (not guarding one’s speaking evil of another), on account of the inability of a man to stop his breath, and consequently he says too much.17The Isbitser says precisely “stop,” which is ma’atsor in Hebrew, comprised of the same letters as metsora, leprosy. The rectification of this on the day of his purification does not come about in a natural way, for according to nature it would have been necessary to stop his breath and limit his speech. On this it says, “this shall be,” meaning in this specific way and not according to nature. Rather, he should take care that the very power of speech that was previously used to say things that were not connected to Torah will now be used to its full power to speak words of Torah and the goodness of discourse in the Divine Law. This is, “and he shall be brought unto the Cohen,” that by means of Divine service the power of his speech will be transformed to speak words of Torah. This can be understood through of the Midrash (Vayikra Rabba, 16:2), with “the tale of a certain merchant [rochel] who would go from town to town and say, ‘who wants the drug of life? Who wants the drug of life?’ When Rabbi Yannai heard him he answered, ‘I want the drug of life!’ whereupon he [apparently the merchant] took out a book of Tehilim and showed him the verse, ‘who is the man who desires life … guard your tongue from evil …’” The question is, what new insight into Torah did this merchant have that merited Rabbi Yannai’s praising him, and why did the Midrash specifically call the merchant by the term rochel (meaning also rechilut, tale bearing, or gossip)? It seems that this man has the particular deficiency in his power of speech and in anger. Then after, when he saw that he could not mix in with society because of his deficiency, he then managed to come upon his lack, complete it, and then transformed this particular power into words of Torah. Then he would pass from town to town with a greatly benevolent eye in order to enter into all he would meet and thus clarify this verse for them. For indeed the power of speech that had initially caused him harm, stemmed from the root of anger within him, as it is written (Mishlei, 21:23), “guard your mouth and tongue, guard your soul from strife.” So afterwards he would run with a good eye and proclaim this verse, “Guard your tongue from evil!” Therefore he is called a rochel, for this particular verse was revealed to him the lack that prevented him from mixing in with society.18He took his very handicap of spreading gossip, and used its power to spread Torah. Thus he saw that there is no room for this attribute even in our everyday dealings in the ways of the world, so therefore he is called a rochel, merchant, related to rechilut, gossip.
זֹאת תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע. כְּתִיב (ירמיה ט"ו,י"ט) "וְאִם תּוֹצִיא יָקָר מִזּוֹלֵל כְּפִי תִהְיֶה" כוּ', עִנְיַן לְשׁוֹן "כְּפִי תִהְיֶה" רוֹמֵז עַל ד"ת כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברי הימים א' ט"ז,י"ב) "מִשְׁפְּטֵי פִיהוּ", "מִפִּיו דַּעַת" כוּ', וְזֶהוּ "אִם תּוֹצִיא יָקָר מִזּוֹלֵל", שֶׁאִם יְבָרֵר הָאָדָם הַחֶסְרוֹן הַנִּמְצָא בּוֹ לְהוֹצִיא מִזֶּה דָּבָר יָקָר, אָז "כְּפִי תִהְיֶה", שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִפִּיו מְלֵאִים ד"ת, וְזֶה רֶמֶז הַכָּתוּב "זֹאת תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע", "זֹאת" מוֹרָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָדָם אוֹמֵר, זֹאת עַצְמָהּ שֶׁנִּדְמֶה תְּחִלָּה שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שַׁיָּיכוּת לְדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה זֹאת עַצְמָהּ יִתְבָּרֵר אַחַר כָּךְ שֶׁהוּא מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה. כִּי צָרַעַת הוּא בַּעֲוֹן לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, וְהַחֶסְרוֹן הוּא אֲשֶׁר אֵין מַעֲצוֹר לְרוּחַ הָאָדָם וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה מַרְבֶּה דְּבָרִים. וְהַתִּקּוּן לָזֶה "בְּיוֹם טָהֳרָתוֹ" לֹא כְּפִי דֶּרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, כִּי עַל פִּי דֶּרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע הָיָה מֵהַצֹּרֶךְ לַעֲצוֹר רוּחוֹ וּלְמַעֵט כֹּחַ דִּבּוּרוֹ, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר "זֹאת תִּהְיֶה", הַיְינוּ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶׂה כְּפִי דֶּרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, רַק שֶׁיִּרְאֶה שֶׁאוֹתוֹ כֹּחַ הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁהָיָה מְבִיאוֹ עַד כָּאן לִדְבָרִים שֶׁלֹּא כַּתּוֹרָה, וְעַכְשָׁיו יִרְאֶה לְהַרְבּוֹת בְּכֹחוֹ זֶה לְדַבֵּר בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה וּפַטְפְּטַיָּא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא טָבִין. וְזֶהוּ "וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן" שֶׁעַל יְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה יַהֲפֹךְ כֹּחַ פִּיו לְדַבֵּר בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה. וְזֶה שֶׁאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה פרשה ט"ז,ב') מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרוֹכֵל אֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה מְחַזֵּר בַּעֲיָרוֹת וְקָרָא, מַאן בָּעֵי סַמֵּי דְחַיֵּי, מַאן בָּעֵי סַמֵּי דְחַיֵּי, חָזַר רַבִּי יַנַּאי אַבַּתְרֵיהּ וְאָמַר אֲנָא בָּעֵי סַמֵּי דְחַיֵּי, אַפֵּיק סֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים וְהֶרְאָה לוֹ פָּסוּק "מִי הָאִישׁ הֶחָפֵץ חַיִּים כוּ' נְצוֹר לְשׁוֹנְךָ מֵרָע" כוּ'. הָעִנְיָן בָּזֶה מַה חִדֵּשׁ הָרוֹכֵל הַזֶּה שֶׁכָּךְ קִלְּסוֹ רַבִּי יַנַּאי, וְלָמָּה נִתְכַּנָּה בַּמִּדְרָשׁ בְּשֵׁם רוֹכֵל. כִּי זֶה הָאָדָם הָיָה לוֹ חֶסְרוֹן בְּכֹחַ הַדִּבּוּר וְכַעַס, וְאַחַר כָּךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לְהִתְעָרֵב בֵּין הַבְּרִיּוֹת עַל יְדֵי חֶסְרוֹנוֹ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּא עַל חֶסְרוֹנוֹ וְזָכָה לְהַשְׁלָמָה הָיָה לוֹ זֶה הַכֹּחַ עַצְמוֹ בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה, וְהָיָה מְחַזֵּר בַּעֲיָרוֹת בְּטוֹבַת עַיִן מְאוֹד לְהַכְנִיס זֹאת בְּתוֹךְ כָּל הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר נִתְבָּרֵר לָהֶם הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה, כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת כֹּחַ הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁגָּרַם לוֹ לְרָעָתוֹ תְּחִלָּה, הָיָה מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ הַכַּעַס שֶׁהָיָה נִמְצָא בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (משלי כ"א,כ"ג) "שׁוֹמֵר פִּיו וּלְשׁוֹנוֹ שׁוֹמֵר מִצָּרוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ", וְאַחַר כָּךְ רָץ בְּטוֹבַת עַיִן וְקָרָא הַפָּסוּק "נְצוֹר לְשׁוֹנְךָ מֵרָע", וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִקְרָא רוֹכֵל כִּי הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה נִתְגַּלָּה לוֹ לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה צַר לוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לְהִתְעָרֵב בֵּין הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וְרָאָה כִּי אַף גַּם בְּדִבְרֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה אֵין שׁוּם מָקוֹם לַמִּדָּה הַזֹּאת בְּדֶרֶךְ הָעוֹלָם לְכָךְ יִקָּרֵא רוֹכֵל.
“This shall be the law of the leper [torat hametsora] ….” (Vayikra, 14:2)
It is written (Yirmiyah, 15:19), “If you take forth the precious from the vile, then you shall be as my mouth …” The formulation “you shall be as My mouth” hints at words of Torah, as it is written (Divrei haYamim 1, 16:12), “the judgments of His mouth” or (Mishlei 2:6) “out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” This is “if you bring forth the precious from the vile,” for if one clarifies the deficiency within him, to bring out of it something precious, then “you will be as My mouth,” for that which comes forth from his mouth will be filled with words of Torah.
This is hinted at in the verse “this shall be the law of the leper [torat hametsora].” “This” hints at as one would say “this” itself (singling out the deficiency), which at first seemed as if it has no connection to the Torah; “this” itself will afterwards be clarified that it came from the Torah. This is because the source of leprosy is from the sin of lashon hara (not guarding one’s speaking evil of another), on account of the inability of a man to stop his breath, and consequently he says too much.17The Isbitser says precisely “stop,” which is ma’atsor in Hebrew, comprised of the same letters as metsora, leprosy. The rectification of this on the day of his purification does not come about in a natural way, for according to nature it would have been necessary to stop his breath and limit his speech. On this it says, “this shall be,” meaning in this specific way and not according to nature. Rather, he should take care that the very power of speech that was previously used to say things that were not connected to Torah will now be used to its full power to speak words of Torah and the goodness of discourse in the Divine Law.
This is, “and he shall be brought unto the Cohen,” that by means of Divine service the power of his speech will be transformed to speak words of Torah. This can be understood through of the Midrash (Vayikra Rabba, 16:2), with “the tale of a certain merchant [rochel] who would go from town to town and say, ‘who wants the drug of life? Who wants the drug of life?’ When Rabbi Yannai heard him he answered, ‘I want the drug of life!’ whereupon he [apparently the merchant] took out a book of Tehilim and showed him the verse, ‘who is the man who desires life … guard your tongue from evil …’”
The question is, what new insight into Torah did this merchant have that merited Rabbi Yannai’s praising him, and why did the Midrash specifically call the merchant by the term rochel (meaning also rechilut, tale bearing, or gossip)?
It seems that this man has the particular deficiency in his power of speech and in anger. Then after, when he saw that he could not mix in with society because of his deficiency, he then managed to come upon his lack, complete it, and then transformed this particular power into words of Torah. Then he would pass from town to town with a greatly benevolent eye in order to enter into all he would meet and thus clarify this verse for them. For indeed the power of speech that had initially caused him harm, stemmed from the root of anger within him, as it is written (Mishlei, 21:23), “guard your mouth and tongue, guard your soul from strife.” So afterwards he would run with a good eye and proclaim this verse, “Guard your tongue from evil!” Therefore he is called a rochel, for this particular verse was revealed to him the lack that prevented him from mixing in with society.18He took his very handicap of spreading gossip, and used its power to spread Torah. Thus he saw that there is no room for this attribute even in our everyday dealings in the ways of the world, so therefore he is called a rochel, merchant, related to rechilut, gossip.