פירוש על נגעים 2:8

בהרת. גרמוני (an intensely white bright spot appears faint on the skin of a Germanus – Teuton) – the most white. And the intensely bright spot that sparkles like snow appears on him faint as a result of the great whiteness that is on his skin, and they release him.

Introduction Our mishnah deals with the problem that the color of negaim appear differently depending upon the skin color of the person being examined. This could undermine the objectivity of the examination

והכהה – appears. בכושי עזה ([the faint spot] appears bright on a Cushite) – as a result of the fact that his skin is black. And they lock up/isolate the leper [pending examination by a Kohen]. For we follow after how his skin appears.

The bright spot in a German appears as dull white, and the dull white spot in an Ethiopian appears as bright white. A "bright spot" is impure, but on a pale German (I assume this means anyone from northern Europe) it will look dull. This would mean that he will be declared pure, even though he should not be. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a dull spot, which should not be impure, will look bright on an Ethiopian's skin. This will cause him to be isolated and then, if it remains, to be declared impure. The question is how do we deal with this situation?

בית ישראל אני כפרתן – as a result of his love for them, he would say, “I am their atonement.” Meaning to say that all the punishment that is appropriate to come upon them I accept upon myself in order to atone for them. For they are “intermediate” and placed in the middle and do not lean to one of the two extreme ends.

Rabbi Ishmael says: the children of Israel (may I be atonement for them!) are like boxwood, neither black nor white but of an intermediate shade. Rabbi Ishmael says that we use the skin of Israelites, which is dark but not black, as the barometer. This is because the laws of negaim were stated with regard to Israelites. As an aside, Rabbi Ishmael offers to take upon himself vicarious atonement for Israel's sins.

לא לבנים ולא שחורים – but rather like boxwood/ebony which is neither white nor black (but of an intermediate color). [The word] אשכרוע, is a species of cedar, BOSHU in the foreign language. (Isaiah 41:19): “[I will plant cedars in the wilderness, acacias and myrtles and oleasters; I will set cypresses in the desert,] box trees and elms as well,” אשכרוע –boxwood. And Rabbi Yishmael holds that he would declare one [person] pure, he would declare all of them pure, and just as he would defile one [person], he would defile all of them. And Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva share the same approach.

Rabbi Akiva says: painters have materials with which they portray figures in black, in white, and in an intermediate shade; let, therefore a paint of an intermediate shade be brought and applied around the outside of the nega, and it will then appear as on skin of intermediate shade. Rabbi Akiva says that we actually paint the person's skin, at least around the nega. This way we can get an unbiased portrait of what shade the nega really is.

ציירין – artists that paint shapes for beauty.

Rabbi Judah says: in determining the colors of negaim the law is to be lenient and not stringent; let,therefore, the negaim of the German be inspected on the color of his own body so that the law is lenient, and let that of the Ethiopian be inspected as if it were on the intermediate shade so that the law is also lenient. Rabbi Judah says that we always rule leniently. Therefore, if the spot looks dull on the German, he is pure. And if it looks bright on the Ethiopian, we estimate how it would look on a person of average skin color.

כבינוני – an intermediate paint/color

The sages say: both are to be treated as if the nega was on the intermediate shade. The sages disagree and say that all negaim are judged based on an average background. This opinion seems to agree with Rabbi Akiva.

מראות נגעים להקל (the appearance/colors of plagues are meant to produce a lenient decision) -And the reason of Rabbi Yehuda is explained in Torat Kohanim/Sifra. One verse states (Leviticus 13:2): “And it develops into a scaly affection on the skin of his body”/ "והיה בעור-בשרו לנגע צרעת" and another verse states (Leviticus 13:3): “The priest shall examine the affection on the skin of his body”/"וראה הכהן את-הנגע בעור-הבשר" (i.e., note that one verse states "בעור בשרו" and the next verse states "בעור הבשר"), we found that appearances of plagues are meant to produce lenient decisions but not to produce stringent/rigorous ones. How so? Let the German/Teuton be examined with his skin (which is faint) to be lenient, he fulfills [the verse]: "בעור בשרו"/ “on the skin of his body" (Leviticus 13:2) and the Cushite [be examined] as an intermediate to be lenient, is found that he fulfills [the verse]:"בעור הבשר" / “on the skin of his body.”

זה וזה כבינוני – The German/Teuton and the Cushite are seen as intermediate, which is [the opinion] of Rabbi Akiva.

אין רואין את הנגעים בשחרית ובין הערבים וכו' – that we derive it from Scripture, as it is written (Leviticus 13:12): “wherever the priest can see”/"לכל-מראה עיני הכהן" – what the Kohen who is lacking in his eye-sight that he cannot see the plagues, even a day which is lacking its light, we don’t see in him he plagues.

Negaim may not be inspected in the early morning or in the evening, nor in a house, nor on a cloudy day, because then the dull white appears like bright white; nor may they be inspected at noon, because then the bright white appears like dull white. If the nega is inspected in weak light or in too strong light it will be difficult to assess its true color.

רבי יהודה אומר בד' בה' כו' – and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda.

When are they to be inspected? During the third, fourth, fifth, eighth or ninth hour, the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Judah ruled: during the fourth, fifth, eighth or ninth hour. Therefore it must be inspected in either the early part of the day or the later part of the day, but not at dawn or dusk. The day was divided into twelve hours. Roughly speaking, Rabbi Meir would say that the nega must be examined during the third, fourth and fifth hours of the day, and then later, from the eighth and ninth hours. Rabbi Judah says three is too early.

אין פותחין לו חלונות – as it is written (Leviticus 14:35): “Something like a plague has appeared [upon my house]”/"כנגע נראה לי [בבית]" – to me but not to my light (i.e., the Lord’s light), from here they (i.e., the Sages) said: In a dark house, they don’t open for him the windows.

A priest who is blind in one eye or the light of whose eyes is dim should not inspect negaim; for it says, "Wherever the priest's eyes can see" (Leviticus 13:12). The priest must have two fully functioning eyes in order to examine negaim.

In a dark house one may not open up windows in order to inspect his nega. A "dark house" is a house that doesn't have any windows. One should not open up new windows in such a house in order to examine a nega. However, Albeck notes that if a house already has windows, they may be opened to examine the nega.

כעודר וכמוסק (in the position of one hoeing and taking olives down) – it is the manner of one who hoes who pauses his feet and it is the manner one taking olives down who lifts his arms (to examine the arm-pit). עודר/hoes, digs in the ground. מוסק/gleans his olives.

Introduction Our mishnah deals with how a person is to be positioned when examined for a nega, such that his modesty is [at least to a certain extent] preserved. The verse we used in yesterday's mishnah "wherever the priest's eyes can see" also serves as the basis for today's mishnah. The priest's eyes should not examine parts of the body that should not be seen due to modesty. The exact parts will differ for men and women.

כעורכת (who works the dough) – the bread when she pauses her feet.

What is [the posture] of examining negaim?
A man is inspected in the posture of one that hoes or one that gathers olives. If the nega is in between a man's legs, when being inspected he must stand as one who is hoeing would stand. He spreads his legs a bit and the priest can see the nega. But the priest doesn't have to look at the parts between his legs that he can't see when one is hoeing. I'm assuming that he is wearing some sort of cloak, but clearly not pants. The other private part that is dealt with here is under the armpits. The person would lift up his arms as if he is picking olives, and any part that still can't be seen need not be inspected.

וכמניקה את בנה – regarding the matter of under her breast, for what it appears at that time is not considered the covered parts of the body/posteriors.

And a woman [is inspected in the posture] of one who is arranging dough and one who nurses her child, and one that weaves at an upright loom if the nega was in the right armpit. If a woman has a nega in between her legs, she is inspected while in the posture of a woman who is arranging dough to go into the oven. This seems to require a very minimal amount of leg-spreading. If the nega is under her breast, any flesh that can be seen while nursing must be examined. I suppose that this implies that a woman would only uncover part of her breasts in order to nurse. When it comes to a nega found under the arm, if it is on her right arm, whatever part of her arm that she exposes while weaving on a loom is inspected by the priest. The rest is considered private.

כעורגת בעומדים לשחי ([a woman is placed] in the position of a weaker at an upright loom – for the sake of examining the pit of the right arm) – that she raises her right hand and reveals the duct of her arm-pit.

Rabbi Judah says: also in the posture of one that spins flax if it was within the left armpit. Rabbi Judah says that when it comes to the left armpit, whatever she exposes when spinning flax is inspected. We should note that the mishnah ascribes to men and women work that each typically performed. Men typically worked in the field and women typically baked bread, took care of their children and made clothing. Their posture when examined is determined by their typical posture at work.

כטווה בפשתן (that she spins flax) – for is the manner of a person who spins [flax] to raise her left hand and she reveals the duct of her arm-pit. What it does not appear in this, is that it is considered the posterior/the covered parts of the body. And it is written (Leviticus 13:12): “wherever the priest can see”/"לכל-מראה איני הכהן", excluding the posterior/covered parts of the body.

Just as [is the posture] for examining for the nega, so too [is the posture] for shaving hair. A metzora (one who had a nega) must shave his/her body when completing the period of impurity (see Leviticus 14:9). The parts of the body that must be shaved are the same as those that are inspected in the first place. In other words, private parts need not be shaved (sigh of relief!).

לתגלחתו – on the day of his purity. And he needs to shave, as it is written (Leviticus 14:9): “[On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair - ] of head, beard and eyebrows,” just as these are the places of the entrance of hair and appears, even every place hat is the entrance of hair and appears, except for the covered parts of the body/posteriors.

רבי מאיר אומר אף לא נגעי קרוביו – there is an analogy made between plagues and quarrels, as it is written (Deuteronomy 21:5: “[The priests, sons of Levi, shall come forward; for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and pronounce blessing in the name of the LORD,] and every lawsuit and case of assault is subject to their ruling”/"ועל-פיהם יהיה כל-ריב וכל-נגע" . Just as lawsuits are not with relatives, so also plagues are not with relatives. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.

Introduction Today's mishnah teaches that a person is not allowed to rule on a situation that effects his own status or possessions.

חוץ מנדרי עצמו – as it is written (Numbers 30:3): “he shall not break his pledge.” He cannot remit/pardon but others can pardon him.

All negaim may be examined by a person, except his own. Rabbi Meir ruled: not even the negaim of his relatives. According to the first opinion, a priest can examine all negaim except his own. Rabbi Meir adds that he may also not inspect his relatives' negaim. Since being determined to have a nega would entail becoming impure for a potentially long period of time, allowing one to rule on his own negaim or those of his family would create a serious conflict of interest.

אף לא נדרי אשתו שבינה לבין אחרים – as for example, vows which are not of afflictions of the soul and matters that are not between him (i.e., the husband) and her, that they required the investigation of a Sage, for lest he be lenient concerning his wife and not examine her well, and specifically on his own for he is not able to release [someone from a vow] and even if he is singular specialist [in Jewish law], but he combines/joins in a group of three commoners, for since there is a panel of three, they are not suspected lest they don’t examine/cross-examine well.

All vows may be released by a person, except his own. Rabbi Judah says: not even those vows of his wife that affect relationships between her and others. A sage has the ability to release others from their vows. However, he cannot release his own vows. Rabbi Judah says that he can't release his wife's vows either, unless they are concerning matters that would affect their relationship. This is a topic that is discussed at length in Tractate Nedarim.

כל הבכורות אדם רואה – if they are able to eat them with their blemishes.

All firstlings may be examined by a person, except his own firstlings. First-born animals are examined to see if they have a blemish. If they do, they may be slaughtered and eaten as if they were non-sacred animals. One may not examine his own first-born animals because this is an obvious conflict of interest.