It was the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that translated

Tsarat, the condition whose identification and cleansing occupies much of Tazria and Mazzera

as leprra, giving rise to a long tradition of identifying it with leprosy.

That tradition is now widely acknowledged to be incorrect. Firstly,

the condition described in the Torah simply doesn't fit the symptoms of leprosy. Second,

the Torah applies it not only to various skin conditions, but also to mildew on clothes and the

walls of houses, which certainly rules out any known disease.

The Rambam put it best.

Tsarad, he says, is a comprehensive term covering a number of dissimilar conditions.

Thus whiteness in a person's skin is called sarahd.

The falling off of some of his hair on the head or the chin is called

Surat. A change of colour in garments or in houses is called Sarat. So, seeking to identify

the nature of this phenomenon that covers so many different conditions, the sages sought for

clues elsewhere in the Torah and they found them readily available. Miriam was smitten

by Zarrad for speaking badly about her brother Moses and the Torah later gave special emphasis

to the event, seeing it as a warning for all future generations. Be careful with regard to

the plague of Zerat. Remember what the Lord your God did to

Miriam along the way after you came out from Egypt. It was, in other words, not a normal phenomenon,

but a specific divine punishment for what Miriam did. Speak Lashon-Hara, evil speech.

The rabbis drew attention to a verbal similarity between

Mitzurah, person afflicted with Tsarat and Motsie Shemra, someone guilty of slander. And the

Rambam, on the basis of rabbinic traditions, gives a brilliant account why Tsarayat afflicted both inanimate objects

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