Metzora
A person who is afflicted with tzara’at is called a metzora. Metzora can be broken down into two words: motzi and ra. These translate into to bring forth evil. So the person afflicted with tzara’at is called a metzora or one who brings forth evil.

The punishment for being afflicted with tzara’at was being placed outside the camp either permanently or temporarily.

In Leviticus 13, we read about the requirements for priest to determine if someone has tzara’at. In verse 3, we read about sores which are automatically considered leprous.

 3The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean. (Leviticus 13:3)

Once a person was declared unclean, his punishment was to be exiled outside the camp and to live in isolation. However, if the person had an affliction which was not immediately known if it was a leprous sore, he was placed outside the camp for seven days. After seven days, the sore would be re-examined. If it still was unclear if it was a leprous sore, the person would be placed outside the camp and re-examined in another seven days.

Verses 4-6 we read:
4But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate him who has the infection for seven days. 5The priest shall look at him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the infection has not changed and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days. 6The priest shall look at him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and the mark has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

As we read the text, one thing which should jump out at you is that the person after seven and 14 days may still have the scab or sore, but if it has not changed, then he is free to return back to the camp. If these sores were about infection control, this would make absolutely no sense to send someone who has not fully recovered back into the camp. Again, this is another example that tzara’at is not a medical condition but it is a physical affliction (if you will a mark) God has placed on someone for his/her behavior.


The first cases of tzara’at recorded in the Bible
Besides the strong correlation of metzora being broken down into the words motzi ra (to bring forth evil), the first two people recorded in the Bible to have tzara’at did so for speaking poorly.

Moses
Moses is at the burning bush speaking to God. Moses asks God what happens if the people do not believe him? Moses doubts God. God gives Moses three signs, one of which is a leprous hand.

1Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 2The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5“that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8“If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign. 9But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”(Exodus 4:1-9)

As we read farther in chapter 4, we read Moses did the signs for the people and they believed. God could have chosen any signs to show the people of Israel, but He gave the sign of a leprous hand. This could have been a signal to Moses that he should not doubt God and should watch his speech.

Miriam
In Numbers 12, both Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses. God is not happy. God turns Miriam into a leper.

1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2and they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard it. 3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 4Suddenly the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. 5Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, 6He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.
7Not so, with My servant Moses,
He is faithful in all My household;
8With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly, and not in dark sayings,
And he beholds the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

9So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. 10But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” 13Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” 14But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” 15So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again. (Numbers 12:1-15)


Miriam’s punishment for bad speech was being afflicted with leprosy. Moses intercedes and says the shortest prayer recorded in verse 13. God listens and removes the leprosy. Despite Miriam not being afflicted any more, she was still required to be isolated; she had to live outside the camp.

If God would not have listened to Moses and his prayer, Miriam’s leprosy could have been permanent. This means, Miriam would permanently have been outside the camp. She would have been cut off from her family and friends. She would have lived her life in exile.


Tzara’at Requirement
For someone, a piece of clothing or a building to be declared afflicted with tzara’at, it must be done so be a priest. No one else can say a person has tzara’at. The priest is the one who must render judgment, and his judgment is final.


The three types of tzara’at
It is often taught that the three different items which could be afflicted with tzara’at indicates three different levels of lashon hara. If a person has a skin affliction, he can hide it with clothing. The priest are not going around looking at each person to check for tzara’at. No, the person must go to the priest. Either he must voluntarily go or a family member, friend or someone in the congregation must see the blemish and insist the person be examined by the priest. It is easy for the tzara’at to go unnoticed and/or hidden for a long time.

If the skin affliction is hidden, it is taught the tzara’at will start afflicting the person’s clothing. This is more difficult to hide. If you see the spot, you can tear out the spot, wash it or wear a different garment. This is harder to do because garments were expensive and in short supply.

If a building as afflicted with tzara’at, this was a public spectacle. Before the priest went into the house to check fro tzara’at, the house must be emptied of its possessions.

33The Lord further spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a mark of leprosy on a house in the land of your possession, 35then the one who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘Something like a mark of leprosy has become visible to me in the house.’ 36The priest shall then command that they empty the house before the priest goes in to look at the mark, so that everything in the house need not become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to look at the house. (Leviticus 14:33-36)

Having to clean your home of all your possessions is very time consuming and embarrassing. Imagine having all your things on your front lawn fro the whole world to see. Everyone would know your house was suspected of having tzara’at. Furthermore, people would be suspicious of you and your household because something was causing the tzara’at.