Parshat Tazria-Metzora 5786 - "נגע צרעת"

This week’s Parsha is פרשת תזריע-מצורע, the second double פרשה of the year. Large portions of these פרשיות are dedicated to צרעת, a white lesion-like affliction on the body. This condition is described at the beginning of תזריע where the Torah states: “אדם כי־יהיה בעור־בשרו שאת או־ספחת או בהרת והיה בעור־בשרו לנגע צרעת והובא אל־אהרן הכהן או אל־אחד מבניו הכהנים - when a man has in the skin of his flesh a se’et, or a sapachat or a baheret and it will be in the skin of his flesh plague of tzara‘at, he shall go to Aharon the Kohen or to one from his sons, the Kohanim.” The Torah here introduces three different forms of צרעת, and goes into detail on the process of affirming the authenticity of this affliction. It then describes cases of uncertainty and what one should do with a positive and negative diagnosis. However, one can easily walk away from this פרשה and still wonder, what is צרעת about, really? Is it an ancient disease or a divine sign? What causes it? Why are there 3 different forms of it? And, today, in a time without this affliction, how is it, and its lessons still relevant?