Adam: The First Man to Speak Evil

The Torah uses the word  אדם (Adam, man, mankind) instead of the more common word איש (ish, man), to identify the leper.

“When a man (adam)  shall have a rising in his body’s skin, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons, the priests…”
Leviticus 13:2

While “adam” can and does mean “man,” (and has a connection to the word “red”), it hearkens back to Adam HaRishon, the First Man, who sinned in the Garden of Eden. Adam’s sin caused a shock wave effect of spiritual leprosy throughout creation, causing untold suffering in the world. When Adam was confronted about his sin by God, he immediately points at the woman, and says, “the woman YOU gave to be with me gave it to me.” Instead of owning up to his disobedience, he shifts the blame onto Eve (and God!), and speaks lashon hara, the evil tongue, malicious slander or gossip. The cause of tzara’at is ascribed to lashon hara, and the one who experiences tzara’at is called a metzora (leper). In Aramaic, the word for leper is “chivra,” which literally means “white”.

Brief Background about “adam”
“Adam” means man. It also means dust of the earth. Using different vowel points, “adam” becomes “edom”. (Remember Hebrew does not have vowels. The vowels are implied.) “Edom” means red. In Genesis 25, Esau is given the name “Edom” 

27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a civilized man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 When Jacob had cooked a stew one day, Esau came in from the field and he was exhausted; 30 and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a mouthful of that red stuff there, for I am exhausted.” Therefore he was called Edom by name. 31 But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” 33 And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore an oath to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:27-34)

“Edom” means red. Esau wanted the “red stuff” to eat. Esau was red and hairy when he was born. “Edom” also means dirt or earth. It is a play on words that Esau is a “man of the field” (verse 27).

Sacrifice for the Leper
The book of Leviticus describes the sacrifice of the metzora,
“This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall go forth out of the camp. The priest shall examine him, and behold, if the plague of leprosy is healed in the leper, then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. The priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.”
Leviticus 14:2-7

What is the meaning of this sacrifice?
The following elements are:
Two Living Clean Birds
Cedar Wood
Scarlet
Hyssop
Earthen Vessel
Living (Running) Water
The message to the metzora is clear. His lashon hara will be atoned for by sacrificing the animal who “chatterers” throughout creation. On a deeper level, the clean tzippor (bird), is identified as either a Tor (turtledove) or a Yonah (dove). Both the “Tor” and the “Yonah” are names for the Mashiach. The word ‘tzippor’ (bird) has the gematria of ‘zehu Mashiach’ (this one is Messiah):
צפר = זהו משיח = 370

Two animals sacrificed
For the sacrifice of the metzora, one bird is to be killed while the other one is to be set free. This same sacrifice happens on Yom Kippur. Two identical goats are brought together, one is killed, and the other released. 

 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. 6 Then Aaron shall offer the bull as the sin offering, which is for himself, so that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 7 He shall then take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a [l]sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:5-10)

The exact same scenario played out with Yeshua and a man named “Yeshua bar Abba”, popularly known as Barabbas. One was killed while the other one was set free.

15 Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the [f]people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was because of envy that they had handed Him over.

19 And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. 21 And the governor [i]said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all *said, “Crucify Him!” 23 But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”
24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; you yourselves shall see.” 25 And all the people replied, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27:19-26)

Bird sacrificed: Blood and Water
As the bird is sacrificed, its blood joins the water flowing from the jar of clay. The human body is likened to a jar of clay, and God is the Potter.
But now, Lord, You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter,
And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

When Jesus was crucified, we are told that water and blood came forth from His body.

31 Now then, since it was the day of preparation, to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the Sabbath ([r]for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews requested of Pilate that their legs be broken, and the bodies be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other who was crucified with Him; 33 but after they came to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 Yet one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:31-34)


Hyssop
In the Torah, the hyssop and cedar create a connecting thread between the Sacrifice of the Leper, the Red Heifer, and the blood of the Lamb for Passover. The Midrash Rabbah says,
“The hyssop, for instance, appears to man to be of no worth, yet its power is great in the eyes of God, who put it on a level with cedar in numerous cases,-in the purification of the leper, and the burning of the Red Heifer; and in Egypt too He commanded a precept to be performed with hyssop, as it says: AND YOU SHALL TAKE A BUNCH OF HYSSOP. Of Solomon, also, does it say: “And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springs out of the wall” (I Kings 5:13)- to teach you that the small and the great are equal in the sight of God. He performs miracles with the smallest things, and through the hyssop which is the most lowly of trees, did He redeem Israel.”
Exodus Rabbah 17:2, Soncino Press Edition

It is fascinating that the Gospel of John mentions “hyssop” at the execution stake of the Messiah. It may be possible that the stake itself was made of cedar wood.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, *said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:28-30)

Like the cedar and the hyssop, the scarlet yarn formed a part of the korbanot of the Red Heifer, and the goats of Yom Kippur.

Messiah himself was cloaked in a garment of scarlet.
So Pilate then took Jesus and had Him flogged. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a scarlet cloak on Him; 3 and they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapped Him in the face again and again. (John 19:1-3)