{"id":15753,"date":"2026-05-29T14:19:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/?p=15753"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:19:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:19:31","slug":"why-is-tzaraat-the-punishment-for-lashon-hara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-is-tzaraat-the-punishment-for-lashon-hara\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Tzara&#8217;at the Punishment for Lashon Hara?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Torah tells us that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parshat-metzora-the-life-preservative\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parshat-metzora-the-life-preservative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one who speaks <em>lashon hara<\/em> (evil speech) is smitten with <em>tzara\u2019at<\/em> (leprosy)<\/a> on his body and expelled from the city. But since Hashem acts \u201c<em>middah keneged middah<\/em> (measure for measure),\u201d shouldn\u2019t the punishment for a sin committed through speech be an affliction of the mouth?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lashon Hara and The Impact of Division<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary evil of <em>lashon hara<\/em> is not the forbidden speech itself, but the damaging effect it has. The Jewish people are supposed to live together with love and unity, and when people speak negatively of one another, they create resentment, animosity, and division, undermining that unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why the punishment of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parshas-tazria-mount-everest-of-sins\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parshas-tazria-mount-everest-of-sins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tzara&#8217;at<\/a><\/em>, with its resulting banishment from the city, is so fitting. Just as one who spoke lashon hara created strife and alienated people from each other, he too is forced to live like a hermit, removed from civilization. Cut off from the relationships and camaraderie he once enjoyed, he is forced to confront the damage he caused and learn how to live with others before he can be cured and return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is also why <em>tzara&#8217;at <\/em>does not specifically target the mouth\u2014to make clear that the focus is not the act of speaking itself, but the impact it has on others. In fact, as the Chafetz Chaim explains, <em>lashon hara<\/em> is not confined to speech; any form of communication that causes harm, including writing or even a facial expression, is forbidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Speech &#8211; The True Measure of Humanity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But there is a deeper meaning behind this punishment as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What truly distinguishes man from animal is his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/improve-your-speech-part-one\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/improve-your-speech-part-one\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">power of speech<\/a>. While man possesses a <em>neshamah <\/em>(soul)<em> <\/em>far loftier than any creature, it is speech that gives that <em>neshamah <\/em>its most visible expression. When man was created, the pasuk tells us (Bereishit <a href=\"https:\/\/library.alhatorah.org\/?r1=Bereshit_2:7&amp;s1=1&amp;l1=he,en\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/library.alhatorah.org\/?r1=Bereshit_2:7&amp;s1=1&amp;l1=he,en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2:7<\/a>): Hashem blew into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a <em>nefesh chayah<\/em>\u2014a live being. Targum Onkelos translates <em>nefesh chayah<\/em> not merely as \u201ca live being\u201d but as<em> ruach memalela<\/em>\u2014a speaking spirit. Thus, it is speech that differentiates man from animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A person who speaks <em>lashon hara<\/em> has not merely sinned with his mouth\u2014he has corrupted the defining faculty that sets him apart from animals. In doing so, he has descended even lower than an animal, which lacks speech but does not abuse it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tzara&#8217;at &#8211; A Stripping of Dignity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tzara&#8217;at <\/em>reflects this idea, as one afflicted with <em>tzara&#8217;at <\/em>is removed from civilized society and sent to live among animals. <em>Tzara&#8217;at <\/em>can also afflict a person\u2019s clothing or even his home, and if he does not mend his ways, his clothing is burned and his home torn down. The message is clear: when a person degrades himself and behaves like an animal, he loses the basic elements of human life that distinguish man from animal\u2014his clothing, his home, and his place in society\u2014until he does <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/the-fabulous-gift-of-teshuvah\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/the-fabulous-gift-of-teshuvah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">teshuvah<\/a> <\/em>(repents) and earns his way back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In Short<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The main evil of <em>lashon hara<\/em> is the division and strife it creates between people. The sinner is therefore removed from society, experiencing the same separation he caused. He also corrupted the uniquely human power of speech, lowering himself to the level of an animal, causing him to lose the basic elements of human life: clothing, a home, and his place in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter tm-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/application\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Transform your conversations and protect your speech. Partner with a TorahMate to study the laws of lashon hara and master the power of positive communication.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Written by Rabbi Aaron Shapiro<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">Have another question to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ask a rabbi<\/a>? You can ask Rabbi Mintz your own question by joining&nbsp;Ask the Rabbi Live on Tuesdays at 9PM ET. You can also submit your questions to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:asktherabbi@oorah.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asktherabbi@oorah.org<\/a>, or head to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/<\/a> to watch the latest Q&amp;As.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz The Torah tells us that one who speaks lashon hara (evil speech) is smitten with tzara\u2019at (leprosy) on his body and expelled from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[598,696,702,8,701,29,9],"tags":[252],"class_list":["post-15753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-the-rabbi","category-jewish-family","category-jewish-philosophy","category-judaism-101","category-mitzvot","category-vayikra","category-weekly-torah-portion","tag-ask-the-rabbi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why is Tzara&#039;at the Punishment for Lashon Hara? - Jewish Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why is tzara&#039;at the specific lashon hara punishment? 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