Vayikra 13:40-46 ויקרא י״ג:מ׳-מ״ו

קרח הוא טהור הוא. טָהוֹר מִטֻּמְאַת נְתָקִין, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִדּוֹן בְּסִימָנֵי רֹאשׁ וְזָקָן שֶׁהֵם מְקוֹם שֵׂעָר, אֶלָּא בְסִימָנֵי נֶגַע עוֹר בָּשָׂר — (בְּשֵֹעָר לָבָן) וּמִחְיָה וּפִשְׂיוֹן (נגעים פ"י):

קרח הוא טהור הוא HE IS BALD, HE IS CLEAN — clean from the uncleanness of נתק (a scall in a hairy spot) (Sifra, Braita d'Rabbi Yishmael 15), for he is not subject to the law about the symptoms of the head or the beard, which are places where hair grows, but to that about the symptoms of a plague on the skin of the flesh — [white hair], healthy flesh or the spreading of the plague.

ואם מפאת פניו. מִשִּׁפּוּעַ קָדְקֹד כְּלַפֵּי פָנָיו קָרוּי גַּבַּחַת — וְאַף הַצְּדָעִין שֶׁמִּכָּאן וּמִכָּאן בִּכְלָל — וּמִשִּׁפּוּעַ קָדְקֹד כְּלַפֵּי אֲחוֹרָיו קָרוּי קָרַחַת:

ואם מפאת בניו AND IF FROM THE CORNER OF HIS FACE [THERE FALLS OFF THE HAIR OF HIS HEAD] — The area from the slope of one’s skull in the direction of the face is called גבחת (and that explains why the man suffering from such a malady is here called גבח) — and the temples on both sides are also included; and the area from the slope of one’s skull in the direction of the back of his head is termed קרחת (hence the term קרח in v. 40) (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 10 7).

נגע לבן אדמדם. פָּתוּךְ; מִנַּיִן שְׁאָר הַמַּרְאוֹת? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר נֶגַע:

נגע לבן אדמדם A RISING OF THE SORE REDDISH-WHITE — variegated (the term לבנה אדמדמת does not signify white and red each separately, but mingled: reddish-white). Whence may we learn that the plague is unclean too if it has the other colours (not variegated, but plain white shades of white which are the distinguishing characteristics of the plagues)? Because it states here: נגע, a plague (it describes it as a ‘‘plague” and therefore all colors applicable to a “plague” apply to it also).

כמראה צרעת עור בשר. כְּמַרְאֵה הַצָּרַעַת הָאָמוּר בְּפָרָשַׁת "עוֹר בָּשָׂר" — אָדָם כִּי יִהְיֶה בְעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ, וּמָה אָמוּר בּוֹ? שֶׁמְּטַמֵּא בְאַרְבַּע מַרְאוֹת, וְנִדּוֹן בִּשְׁנֵי שָׁבוּעוֹת; וְלֹא כְמַרְאֵה צָרַעַת הָאָמוּר בִּשְׁחִין וּמִכְוָה שֶׁהוּא נִדּוֹן בְּשָׁבוּעַ אֶחָד, וְלֹא כְמַרְאֵה נְתָקִין שֶׁל מְקוֹם שֵׂעָר, שֶׁאֵין מְטַמְּאִין בְּאַרְבַּע מַרְאוֹת — שְׂאֵת וְתוֹלַדְתָּהּ, בַּהֶרֶת וְתוֹלַדְתָּהּ:

כמראה צרעת עור בשר AS THE COLOUR OF LEPROSY IN THE SKIN OF THE FLESH — it is like the colour of the leprosy which is mentioned in the section dealing with the plague on the skin of the flesh (v. 2): “When a man hath in the skin of his flesh …”.What is stated about that? That it makes one unclean by reason of four shades of white, and that it is subject to the law of quarantine during two weeks. And it is not to be treated like the colour of the leprosy mentioned in the case of the boil (v 18) or burn (v. 24) which though also unclean by reason of four shades of white are, however, subject to the law of quarantine for one week only, (i. e if at the end of the week there is neither white hair, nor has it spread the priest at once declares him clean); nor must it be treated as the colour of נתקין on a spot where hair grows — which do not make a person unclean by cause of four colours: a שאת and its subspecies, and that of a בהרת and its subspecies.

בראשו נגעו. אֵין לִי אֶלָּא נְתָקִין, מִנַּיִן לְרַבּוֹת שְׁאָר הַמְנֻגָּעִים? תַּ"ל "טַמֵּא יְטַמְּאֶנּוּ", לְרַבּוֹת אֶת כֻּלָּן — עַל כֻּלָּן הוּא אוֹמֵר בְּגָדָיו יִהְיוּ פְרֻמִים וְגוֹ':

בראשו נגעו HIS PLAGUE IS ON HIS HEAD — I have only a statement that the following laws apply to the case of נתקין, plagues on hairy places! Whence may we learn that there are included the sufferers from all other kinds of leprous plagues? Because it states מא יטמאנו‎ט, “he shall in any case proclaim him unclean” (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 12 2)— thus including all of these: regarding all of these it says: “his garments shall be rent etc.”.

פרמים. קְרוּעִים:

פרומים signifies TORN.

פרוע. מְגֻדַּל שֵׂעָר:

פרוע means his head shall be over-grown with hair (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 13 6).

ועל שפם יעטה. כְּאָבֵל:

ועל שפם יעטה AND HE SHALL COVER HIS LIPS as one who mourns for the dead (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 13 7; cf. Onkelos).

שפם. שְׂעַר הַשְּׂפָתַיִם, גרנו"ן בְּלַעַז:

שפם denotes the hair on the lips; grenon in old French, (English = moustache).

וטמא טמא יקרא. מַשְׁמִיעַ שֶׁהוּא טָמֵא וְיִפְרְשׁוּ מִמֶּנּוּ (ספרא, מועד קטן ה'):

וטמא טמא יקרא AND HE SHALL CALL OUT, UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN — he must proclaim aloud that he is unclean, so that people may keep away from him (Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 13 7; Moed Katan 5a).

בדד ישב. שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ טְמֵאִים יוֹשְׁבִין עִמּוֹ; וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה מִשְּׁאָר טְמֵאִים לֵישֵׁב בָּדָד? הוֹאִיל וְהוּא הִבְדִּיל בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרָע בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּבֵין אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ, אַף הוּא יִבָּדֵל (ערכין ט"ז):

בדד ישב HE SHALL ABIDE SOLITARY — This means that people who are unclean from other causes than that of leprosy shall not abide with him (Pesachim 67a; cf. Sifra). Our Rabbis said: Why is he (the leper) treated differently from other unclean persons that he should abide solitary? They replied: Because he, by slanderous statements, (cf. Numbers 12:10) parted man and wife, or a man from his friend, he must be parted from everybody (Arakhin 16b).

מחוץ למחנה. חוּץ לְשָׁלוֹשׁ מַחֲנוֹת:

מחוץ למחנה WITHOUT THE CAMP — outside the three camps (see Rashi on Leviticus 4:12; cf. Sifra, Tazria Parashat Nega'im, Chapter 13 14 and Pesachim 67a).