{"id":63536,"date":"2019-09-25T17:56:22","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T14:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=63536"},"modified":"2023-04-23T13:46:58","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T10:46:58","slug":"the-lepers-save-themselves-and-then-everyone-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-lepers-save-themselves-and-then-everyone-else\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lepers Save Themselves, And Then Everyone Else"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[465,755,436,547],"acf":{"old_id":"63536","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":63323,"related_cahpter":"316","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"What does this say about how we should treat people outside our communities\u2019 gates?\u00a0","content":"

Tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/i>, generally translated as leprosy, is mentioned throughout the Tanach as a punishment for wrongdoing. Maimonides, in his Mishnah Torah (Book 10, 16:10), explained that <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/i> has multiple forms (skin whiteness, hair loss\u2026) and causes (gossip, murder\u2026). An intricate, three step process must be done to re-purify the afflicted. Famously, God punished Miriam with <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/i> after she slandered Moses\u2019 wife; she spent a week outside the Israelite camp, despite Moses\u2019 forgiveness and pleas to heal her (Numbers 12).<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this threatening presence, the Tanach mentions few <\/span>mitzora\u2019im<\/span><\/i>, afflicted individuals, and does not aim to humanize them. Chapter 7 follows this pattern. Superficially, this chapter tells a story of luck: four nameless <\/span>mitzora\u2019im<\/span><\/i> sit outside the city gate (see: Leviticus 13:46), hungry, due to a city-wide famine. Out of options, they decide to try their luck in the Aramean camp. There, they discover abandoned tents and food, drink, and loot for the taking. But, instead of keeping the bounty for themselves, as we might expect, the<\/span> mitzora\u2019im<\/span><\/i> inform the king of the abandoned camp and save the city from famine.<\/span><\/p>\n

While making this decision, the <\/span>mitzora\u2019im<\/span><\/i> say, \u201cIf we wait until the light of morning [to share this good news], we shall incur guilt\u201d (7:9). Rashi claims that \u2018incurring guilt\u2019 refers to being held guilty by the king. Conversely, the Torah calls it a sin to hold something from someone in need (Leviticus 4:13 and 19:13). Perhaps they wanted to avoid further punishment or perhaps they wanted to do the right thing. Regardless, these men seem upstanding, especially for people in temporary exile. There are many takeaways here: repentance aids morality, no one is entirely good or bad, some punishments are undeserved, some people are judged too quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is possible God showed remorse for inflicting undeserved punishment by allowing this course of events (also explaining Elisha\u2019s prediction). In the beginning, we meet men at risk of starvation who choose to save themselves, then to save the entire city. After this incident, we do not hear anything further about the <\/span>mitzora\u2019im<\/span><\/i> and their healing, re-acceptance, or rightfully-deserved reward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does that say about how we should treat people outside our communities\u2019 gates? It is easy to discount people bearing signs of wrongdoing; it is hard to accept that all people are capable of goodness. So, let us strive to see people more holistically, to see past their punishments and look towards their potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Leper camp outside Zion Gate, Jerusalem, 1860 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":63538,"id":63538,"title":"2kings7-Jerusalem Lepercamp","filename":"2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-lepers-save-themselves-and-then-everyone-else\/2kings7-jerusalem-lepercamp\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings7-jerusalem-lepercamp","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63536,"date":"2019-09-25 14:56:59","modified":"2021-01-18 21:37:29","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":848,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-283x300.jpg","medium-width":283,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-768x814.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":814,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":848,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":848,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":848,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":848,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-396x420.jpg","home_baner-width":396,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"The Lepers Save Themselves, And Then Everyone Else","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"What does this say about how we should treat people outside our communities\u2019 gates?\u00a0","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":63538,"id":63538,"title":"2kings7-Jerusalem Lepercamp","filename":"2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-lepers-save-themselves-and-then-everyone-else\/2kings7-jerusalem-lepercamp\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings7-jerusalem-lepercamp","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63536,"date":"2019-09-25 14:56:59","modified":"2021-01-18 21:37:29","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":848,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-283x300.jpg","medium-width":283,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-768x814.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":814,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":848,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":848,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":848,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":848,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-Jerusalem-Lepercamp-396x420.jpg","home_baner-width":396,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63536"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63536"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114288,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63536\/revisions\/114288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}