The Narcissistic Metzora
The Torah’s discussion of the Metzora, often translated as a leper, is one of the most perplexing sections of the Torah for modern readers. A person who develops a mark on their skin is declared impure and must live in isolation, separated from the community and publicly announcing their impurity. Rabbinic tradition explains that this affliction, known as Tzara’at, is a punishment for lashon hara—speaking negatively about others. Yet several aspects of the Metzora’s purification process raise questions about this explanation. In particular, the Metzora must bring both a Chatat and an Asham offering, even though the sin associated with Tzara’at appears to be clearly identified.
This essay argues that while lashon hara is traditionally associated with Tzara’at, it may not be the root cause of the affliction. Drawing on the interpretation of the medieval commentator Isaac Abarbanel, I will suggest that the deeper spiritual problem underlying Tzara’at is arrogance or narcissism. Harmful speech is therefore not the primary sin but rather a symptom of an inflated sense of self. By examining the symbolism of the Metzora’s purification ritual, the story of Naaman in Book of Kings, and the episode of Miriam in Book of Numbers, we can see that arrogance often lies beneath the act of lashon hara. From this perspective, the rituals of the Metzora are designed not merely to correct speech, but to humble a person who has elevated themselves above others.
The Sacrifice of the Metzora
When it comes to the purification of the Metzora, allowing him or her back to the confines of the Mishkan, there is a requirement to bring two sacrifices: One of them is a Chata’at and one of them is an Asham.
The Abarbanel explains of the Asham sacrifice that he brings:
Because the sin of the Metzora is known to him that he did unwittingly he brings a Chatat, and if it is unclear to him if he sinned or not, he needs to bring an Asham, because the purpose of this sacrifice is that it is “hanging” -i.e. If he did indeed sin, he would need to bring the sacrifice.
This is quite puzzling. The correlation between Tzara’at and Lashon Hara has been clearly lineated for us in the Torah. Why should the Metzora then need to bring a sacrifice which indicates that he didn’t know what his sin was in the first place?
The Abarbanel’s view of the Metzora
There is a very specific process which the Metzora has to undergo to achieve purity, allowing him back into his home and connection with other people. Amongst the materials that he needs is wood from a cedar tree and hyssop. The Abarbanel explains as follows:
Our sages have explained that Tzaraat occurs as a result of pride and arrogance, as it says in the book of days (II, 23) concerning King Uzia. Because the Metzora believed himself to be so important…he thought of himself as important and tall as the height of cedars, he brought a piece of cedar wood His cure is to lower himself like the hyssop which is the lowliest of weeds.
The Metzora has a narcissistic personality. He believes himself above and more important than anyone else, like the cedar is taller than any other. It is this overweening arrogance which caused his illness. A perfect example of this is the narrative of Naaman related in the book of Kings.
Tzara’at in the Prophets
The narrative of Naaman is found in the second book of Kings, Chapter 5. There it states:
(1) Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was an important man to his lord and high in his favor, for through him GOD had granted victory to Aram. But the man, though a great warrior, was a leper. (2) Once, when the Arameans were out raiding, they carried off a young girl from the land of Israel, and she became an attendant to Naaman’s wife. (3) She said to her mistress, “I wish Master could come before the prophet in Samaria; he would cure him of his leprosy.” ….
Naaman is clearly an important person, well known, and famed because of his valour of arms.
When Naaman appears in front of Elisha, he does not do so on his own. He comes with a retinue with his “horses and chariots”. The Abarbanel here explains that he does so in order to impress Elisha, and in this way Elisha would try harder to cure him of his affliction.
Elisha seems unimpressed by this wealth and grandeur. He sends a messenger who tells Naaman that if he wishes to be cured, all he needs to do is immerse himself in the river Jordan seven times.
Naaman’s response is one of fury. The narrative states:
Naaman was angered and walked away. “I thought,” he said, “he would surely come out to me, and would stand and invoke the LORD his God by name, and would wave his hand toward the spot, and cure the affected part.
What has put Naaman out to the extent that he walked away from Elisha? Abarbanel explains that Naaman believed that because he was known to be an important person, Elisha should have come out of his tent to greet him personally. Instead, Elisha sent a servant to deal with Naaman. Furthermore, he believed that Elisha should have stood in front of him the whole time, as commoners would stand in front of a king or ruler. Elisha does nothing of the sort.
It is understandable that Naaman thought that he deserved to be treated with the highest respect. Why then, did Elisha not respect him in this way? There is a law that one should stand in front of a king, because of the honour which is afforded to kings. While Naaman was not a king, he was certainly a person of serious importance. Why did Elisha not come to deal with him personally? Why did he not give him the honour due to a man of serious power?
A closer look at the story can provide us with an answer to this question. G-d had made Naaman the hero of Aram, because it was he that shot Ahab (the king of Israel) according to the Abarbenel and won the war against Israel. Naaman takes this victory as a personal victory as his victory, boosting his ego, making him arrogant. His arrogance is further expressed through his anger that Elisha does not meet him personally, instead sending a messenger. Elisha, knowing that the source of Naaman’s Tzaraat is his arrogance, does not go out to meet him, or personally attend to him, because he knows that doing that action will just serve to inflate Naaman’s already inflated sense of self. His actions serve as a personification of the hyssop, the lowest of the trees. It is only when Naaman listens to his servants, who convince him to immerse himself in the Jordan river does the process of recovery begin. Once he is cured, Naaman says:
Returning with his entire retinue to the agent of God, he stood before him and exclaimed, “Now I know that there is no God in the whole world except in Israel! So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Naaman admits that he is not in control, but rather it is G-d. His arrogance is lifted, and he is once again healthy.
Other Rationales for Tzaraat
While the reasoning of the Abarbanel works very well when it comes to Naaman. However it flies in the face of normative thinking around this spiritual disease.
Rashi at the beginning of Parashat Metzora, quoting the Talmud in Arachin (16b) says that a person contracted Tzara’at because her or she spoke badly about their fellow (lashon hara). It is for this reason that he would bring 2 live birds to the Kohen as part of his purification process - the birds twitter constantly, like people talking unguardedly to one another.
This interpretation is one which has been widely accepted, and finds support later on in the Torah when Miriam receives Tzaraat. Prior to this we are told:
(1) Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married: “He married a Cushite!” (2) They said, “Has GOD spoken only through Moses—and not through us as well?” GOD heard it (Numbers 12 1-2).
It is clear therefore that the Torah attributes speaking badly about others to be the source of Tzara’at.
Abarbanel's view fits neatly into the narrative of Naaman. However, it would seem that he has forgotten about Miriam, who spoke badly about Moshe. Why not choose a more obvious source to prove the spiritual cause of the disease?
A Closer Look at Miriam
If we look more closely at the Miriam narrative, we can get a better picture and understanding of the Abarbanel’s view. Miriam speaks to Aharon about Moshe’s marriage to a Kushite woman. She says
He married a Cushite!” (2) They said, “Has GOD spoken only through Moses—and not through us as well and GOD hears” (Numbers 12 1-2).
The Abarbanel explains their complaint:
In my opinion Moshe separated from his wife Tzipora. They claimed that perhaps he separated from her because he needed to be prepared for prophecy at all times. Because Moshe was by nature the most humble of all men, and had little need for intimate relations, he would not want to be close to his wife. Miriam complained about the disgrace that Moshe brought on his wife…if he separated from her for the needs of prophecy, that would not be necessary, because both Aharon and Miriam were prophets, and they still hear G-d’s voice.
G-d’s response comes immediately:
(6) “Hear these My words: When prophets of GOD arise among you, I make Myself known to them in a vision, I speak with them in a dream. (7) Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted throughout My household. (8) Mouth to mouth I speak to him, plainly and not in riddles, and he beholds G-d’s likeness, and why are you not afraid to speak about my servant Moshe?”
G-d’s response to Aharon and Miriam is that Moshe is qualitatively different from them. He has a far more intense prophecy than they are able to appreciate, and therefore the laws which apply to Moshe do not apply to them. One could easily argue that the reason that Miriam spoke badly about Moshe was because she believed herself to be exactly the same as the greatest of the prophets. That was hubris, and that hubris is the source of the reason that she felt the need to complain to Aharon. The lashon hara that she spoke had its roots in arrogance, and it is for that arrogance Miriam is stricken with Tzar’at.
The Narcissistic Metzora
Perhaps now we can come to a clearer understanding of why a Metzora would need to bring an Asham offering. A narcissistic personality might not have the ability to see his or her own narcissism. When one believes one is correct, and that one is superior to others in all ways, it is difficult to see a fault in oneself. The Torah gently rebukes Metzora by asking him to bring an Asham offering, suggesting that perhaps they made a mistake of which they were not aware. Perhaps they are not as perfect as they believe themselves to be. The Metzora cannot acknowledge it, so the Torah gives them a method of acknowledging that perhaps they had acted in an incorrect manner. That hint would give them an inkling that perhaps they do have faults, and those faults need to be remedied.