This week we read two Torah portions: Tazria and Metzora. Both deal with the miraculous disease called tzaraat (often mistranslated as leprosy). Maimonides explains that this disease appeared when a person spoke lashon hara—evil tongue—about another person.
The process was that first white stains would appear on the person's clothing; if they continued their negative behavior, the stains would transfer to their body. Then the Torah explains the process of purifying the stain.
What does the concept of tzaraat mean today? Furthermore, does the Torah only have teachings for those who do not observe mitzvot? That is, we can understand that there is a teaching for those who speak lashon hara (evil speech), and the Torah rejects that behavior, but what does the concept of tzaraat teach someone who is careful with their words?
Our sages explain that the spiritual source of tzaraat is the lack of chokhmah—wisdom. The soul has ten potentials that derive from the ten Sefirot—heavenly spheres. The first of these potentials is called Chokhmah.
It is in this potential that total surrender to God is expressed. The reason for this is that in Chokhmah the soul perceives God in the form of a vision, as our sages say, that the wise of each generation are the eyes of that generation, or as the verse says: "The wise, their eyes are in their head," meaning there is an essential connection between the concept of wisdom and vision.
Therefore, being a level of vision of God, it is a level where there is no room for anything other than God's Will. At lower levels, where divine revelation is less, there is an option for something else, even if it is one's own will, but there is already room for the expression of something beyond the Divine Will. With this, we understand that tzaraat, the lack of that level where God is revealed in the form of "seeing" Him, immediately brings negative consequences, even at the highest levels of service to God.
In simpler terms, tzaraat is the result of a person's relationship with God being limited by their own understanding. Instead of being an unconditional and all-encompassing relationship, instead of a total surrender to God, the relationship is conditional and limited.
Each person, regardless of their level of religiosity and observance of mitzvot, can find areas in their life where their devotion to God is not complete, where God's presence is not fully all-encompassing (because they don't allow it, so to speak). This triggers behaviors contrary to the Torah, such as anger, arrogance, greed, and so on. Each person must conduct a deep personal analysis to identify where they are "pushing God away" from their life and open the doors to Him.