וַיַּ֣ךְ גַּ֭פְנָם וּתְאֵנָתָ֑ם וַ֝יְשַׁבֵּ֗ר עֵ֣ץ גְּבוּלָֽם׃
Он поразил также их виноградные лозы и их смоковницы; И сломали деревья своими границами.
Rabbeinu Bahya
והבגד או השתי או הערב או כל כלי העור אשר תכבס וסר מהם הנגע, “but if the garment, or the warp or the woof or any leather utensil which has been washed and then the affliction left them, etc.” The Torah mentioned already in verses 56-57 that a garment on which a nega tzoraat had been identified and that stain had dimmed after washing the area afflicted, has to be ripped out. If however, the stain appears to grow, the whole garment has to be burned. If the stain has been removed through washing it, the garment must then be immersed in a ritual bath in order to regain its state of purity. This is the meaning of the additional words וכבס שני וטהר, “it must be washed a second time to become purified.” This “second” washing refers to immersion in a ritual bath.
Everything connected with the legislation of afflictions to garments or skin (or houses) is of a miraculous nature (Tanchuma Metzora 4). Let us illustrate the subject by means of a parable. An unsatisfactory slave had been sold by his master. When the new master buys him he is perfectly aware that the previous master had been dissatisfied with that slave and that this is why he wanted to divest himself of him. Seeing that this is so, the new master equipped himself with handcuffs in order to restrain the slave in case of need. Similarly, G’d. When G’d created man He was perfectly aware that man (the servant) would in due course commit sins, etc. G’d therefore arranged for means of afflictions to serve to straighten out man’s behaviour pattern. When G’d felt He needed to employ means of restraining man, He would first afflict man’s house. This is the meaning of Leviticus 14,34: “I shall afflict a house in the land of your inheritance with an affliction of tzoraat.” If, as a result of seeing the stones of his house afflicted, the person concerned becomes a penitent, all well and good; if not, G’d will smite his clothing as a second warning. This is the meaning of the words והבגד אשר יהיה בו נגע צרעת, “and the garment which will be afflicted with a nega tzoraat” (13,47). If the afflicted person now does teshuvah, all well and good; only if both of these warnings were ignored will G’d actually afflict the skin of the sinner. Even then He will only afflict a small area of skin initially. If after being quarantined and ostracised temporarily, such a person still does not learn his lesson then the affliction is allowed to spread, eventually resulting in his becoming for all intents and purposes an outcast. Apparently, the initial stages of personal afflictions are the loss of hair on a man’s head (13,40). This is still not a conclusive symptom and his isolation is only of a provisional nature. If that person persists in his asocial conduct, etc., he will be smitten with a skin affliction such as שאת או ספחת as mentioned in 13,2.
In their commentary on Ruth in Ruth Rabbah 2,10 the sages stated that the merciful Lord does not punish the sinner on his body in the first instance but first exacts retribution from his possessions. Only when such “hints” fail to have a sobering effect on the people concerned does He proceed to inflict harm on the body of the person. We observe such a phenomenon in the case of Job. G’d had told Satan initially to test Job’s piety only by depriving him of his material goods (Job 1,12). Subsequently, after he had stood that test saying: “the Lord gave the Lord took may the name of the Lord be praised,” did He give permission for Job to experience the loss of his children and, eventually, he was subjected to personal suffering on his body.
The same happened when G’d struck the Egyptians with the 10 plagues. In the first instance, when the river turned into blood, this was merely a financial blow to the people as they had to buy water from the Israelites or had to dig for it (Exodus 7,21-25). G’d afflicted their livestock next, and eventually He killed their firstborn.
The afflictions mentioned both in this portion and in the next follow a similar pattern although they are not recorded in the order in which they occur. First G’d afflicts a man’s house. If he becomes a penitent, taking the hint, the afflicted stones on his house have to be removed and replaced (14,40). If he fails to respond to the implied warning to become a penitent, the entire house will have to be razed to the ground (14,45). If this also fails to produce the desired result, G’d will afflict that sinner’s clothing (13,56). If this does not produce the desired result G’d will afflict the person of the sinner. Thus far the Midrash.
Everything connected with the legislation of afflictions to garments or skin (or houses) is of a miraculous nature (Tanchuma Metzora 4). Let us illustrate the subject by means of a parable. An unsatisfactory slave had been sold by his master. When the new master buys him he is perfectly aware that the previous master had been dissatisfied with that slave and that this is why he wanted to divest himself of him. Seeing that this is so, the new master equipped himself with handcuffs in order to restrain the slave in case of need. Similarly, G’d. When G’d created man He was perfectly aware that man (the servant) would in due course commit sins, etc. G’d therefore arranged for means of afflictions to serve to straighten out man’s behaviour pattern. When G’d felt He needed to employ means of restraining man, He would first afflict man’s house. This is the meaning of Leviticus 14,34: “I shall afflict a house in the land of your inheritance with an affliction of tzoraat.” If, as a result of seeing the stones of his house afflicted, the person concerned becomes a penitent, all well and good; if not, G’d will smite his clothing as a second warning. This is the meaning of the words והבגד אשר יהיה בו נגע צרעת, “and the garment which will be afflicted with a nega tzoraat” (13,47). If the afflicted person now does teshuvah, all well and good; only if both of these warnings were ignored will G’d actually afflict the skin of the sinner. Even then He will only afflict a small area of skin initially. If after being quarantined and ostracised temporarily, such a person still does not learn his lesson then the affliction is allowed to spread, eventually resulting in his becoming for all intents and purposes an outcast. Apparently, the initial stages of personal afflictions are the loss of hair on a man’s head (13,40). This is still not a conclusive symptom and his isolation is only of a provisional nature. If that person persists in his asocial conduct, etc., he will be smitten with a skin affliction such as שאת או ספחת as mentioned in 13,2.
In their commentary on Ruth in Ruth Rabbah 2,10 the sages stated that the merciful Lord does not punish the sinner on his body in the first instance but first exacts retribution from his possessions. Only when such “hints” fail to have a sobering effect on the people concerned does He proceed to inflict harm on the body of the person. We observe such a phenomenon in the case of Job. G’d had told Satan initially to test Job’s piety only by depriving him of his material goods (Job 1,12). Subsequently, after he had stood that test saying: “the Lord gave the Lord took may the name of the Lord be praised,” did He give permission for Job to experience the loss of his children and, eventually, he was subjected to personal suffering on his body.
The same happened when G’d struck the Egyptians with the 10 plagues. In the first instance, when the river turned into blood, this was merely a financial blow to the people as they had to buy water from the Israelites or had to dig for it (Exodus 7,21-25). G’d afflicted their livestock next, and eventually He killed their firstborn.
The afflictions mentioned both in this portion and in the next follow a similar pattern although they are not recorded in the order in which they occur. First G’d afflicts a man’s house. If he becomes a penitent, taking the hint, the afflicted stones on his house have to be removed and replaced (14,40). If he fails to respond to the implied warning to become a penitent, the entire house will have to be razed to the ground (14,45). If this also fails to produce the desired result, G’d will afflict that sinner’s clothing (13,56). If this does not produce the desired result G’d will afflict the person of the sinner. Thus far the Midrash.