Derasha 105 on Vayikra 13:8

TT #105 · Parshas Tazria · Aliyah 2 · Passuk 8

The Complete Passuk

וְרָאָה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּֽשְׂתָ֥ה הַמִּסְפַּ֖חַת בָּע֑וֹר וְטִמְּא֥וֹ הַכֹּהֵ֖ן צָרַ֥עַת הִֽוא׃

English: The kohen shall look [at it]. And, behold! the mispachath has spread on the skin. The kohen shall pronounce him unclean. It is tzara'ath.

Chabad.org — Chumash, English translation + Rashi for Vayikra 13:8

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Sifra (Toras Kohanim) for the qualifying appearances required for spreading to render a person impure.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text — Sifra
פשתה המספחת. הרי זה בא ללמד על הפשיון שלא יטמא אלא בד׳ מראות ובמראות שהאום מטמא

English: A spreading lesion renders a person impure only if the new area has one of the four qualifying appearances, and only in an appearance that could itself render the person impure as the original lesion.

Type of Learning

Textual derivation

What Is Learned

Spread establishes impurity only when it occurs in one of the qualifying appearances; a change outside the prescribed appearance categories does not suffice by itself.