By: Rabbi Ralph Tawil

This week’s Torah portions deal with topics that are foreign to contemporary experience—"sara’at" of the body, clothing and house. ["Sara’at" is usually translated "leprosy." Yet, I prefer to use the Hebrew, as the present day disease of leprosy differs from the Torah’s sara’at.] Nevertheless, there is an important point that can be learned from the way the Torah describes the procedure of ridding the house of leprosy. The Torah is concerned about not causing any undue loss to the house's owner. Let us broaden this point into a value that has meaning for us today. Namely, that we should be concerned not to cause any undue loss to our neighbor’s property or, by extension, to public property.

Background: First you must acquaint yourself and your children with the basic aspects of "sara’at habayit" ("house leprosy"). When Bne Yisrael entered the land, there were houses that were afflicted with reddish or greenish blotches. These had the appearances of the skin disease, sara’at. The final determination whether those blotches were in fact "sara’at habayit" could only be made by the Kohen. He would come and quarantine the house and notice if the blotches increased in size, or not. If they had increased, he would order the plaster of the house to be scraped and the blotched stones removed. After another period of quarantine, if the blotches returned or increased in size the house was to be destroyed and its materials removed from inhabited areas. Anybody who came into the house would have to undergo purification. Anything in the house would also have to undergo purification, if they could. If they were the kind of vessels that could not be purified (for example clay vessels), they would have to be destroyed. If the blotches did not return, a special rite of purification was performed on the house. [Make it clear to your children that these laws, as most of the laws of "tum’ah" (ritual impurity) do not apply to our situation today.]

The kohen goes to great lengths before ordering the destruction of the house. In addition to these, another interesting detail illustrates the Torah’s concern for Israel’s property. Let us see how the Torah describes the initial procedure relating to "sara’at habayit."

Text: Vayikra 14:33-38

Discussion: Before the kohen enters the house for the first time, what does he say? (To remove all the things from the house) Why does he say it? (So that they would not become tameh and possibly unusable.) Why do you think that the Torah commanded that this be done (the Torah does not want people to lose money unnecessarily.)

The Midrash (Osar Hamidrashim, Eisenstein, p. 536) lists this example as one of four places that the Torah is concerned about Israel’s money. In addition, R. Yosse expressed the same idea in the following way:

Ask your children what they think that this means. (That just as you are very careful about your own possessions and money, so you should be careful with someone else’s possessions and money.)

Examples: Ask your children to think of examples of how this applies to them. (This is the best way to teach, to have your students give the answers and the applications to their lives.)

These are some examples:

If you notice your friend’s toys outside in his yard and it is beginning to rain, bring them in. If you borrow a friend’s book, take good care of it. Don’t ever damage something that does not belong to you.

This applies not only to friend’s property, but also to public property. Take good care of books or other items that you borrow from the public library. Do not write on or break public property. That includes the desks and books in school. Keep parks and playgrounds clean and beautiful. Don’t damage or write on anything in the playground. Do not pick the planted flowers in public parks and gardens. Don’t litter.

We should show concern for other people’s property as well as our own. We do not want to cause damage or loss to another or to the public.