Why God Strikes the House Before the Body in Metzora

Another interpretation: "When you come into the land" etc. (Leviticus 14:34). What has the land sinned that it should be stricken? Rather, on account of the sin of human beings the land is stricken, as it is said, "A fruitful land into a salt marsh, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it" (Psalms 107:34). For what reason do sufferings come into the world? On account of human beings, so that they may see and consider and say: Whoever has sinned is stricken, and whoever has not sinned is not stricken. And why are the timbers and the stones and the walls stricken? So that the owners may see and repent. And likewise you find that when Israel sinned and the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to exile them, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I exile them first, now they will become a disgrace and a shame to all the nations. What did He do? He brought Sennacherib the wicked upon all the nations and exiled them, as it is said, "And my hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples" (Isaiah 10:14), and it is written, "And I have removed the borders of peoples" etc. (Isaiah 10:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let Israel see that I have exiled the nations of the world, and let them repent and fear at My judgments, as it is said, "I have cut off nations; their corner-towers are desolate" etc.; "I said, Surely you will fear Me" etc. (Zephaniah 3:6-7). Since they did not repent, immediately they were exiled. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, warns them and strikes their houses first, so that they may repent, as it is said, "And I put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession" (Leviticus 14:34). If he turns back, well and good; but if not, he is stricken in his body, as it is said, "Any man who has a discharge from his flesh" etc. (Leviticus 15:2). (Therefore the stones are stricken first.) If he repents, well and good; but if not, his garments are stricken, as it is said, "And the garment, when there is in it a plague of leprosy" (Leviticus 13:47). And if he does not turn back, he is stricken in his body, as it is said, "And a man whose head sheds its hair" (Leviticus 13:40). And there is still, in the shedding of the hair of the head, an actual doubt, doubtfully unclean and doubtfully clean. If he turns back, well and good; but if not, he is stricken with boils, as it is said, "[And the flesh,] when there is in it a boil [and it is healed]" (Leviticus 13:18). If he turns back, well and good; but if not, he is stricken with five scourges (that is, blows): rising, scab, bright spot, scall, and plague. And all this, why? Because he did not turn back. {The Holy One, blessed be He,} [Scripture] said, "Judgments are prepared for scoffers, [and blows for the back of fools]" (Proverbs 19:29). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Before I created the human being I prepared for him all of these. A parable: like a wicked slave who was being sold. His master went to buy him, and he knew about him that he was a wicked slave, so he took with him chains and scourges, that if he should offend he might chastise him with them. When he offended, he brought the chains and chained him, he brought the scourges and beat him. The slave said to him: Did you not know that I am a wicked slave? Why did you buy me? He said to him: Because I knew that you are a wicked slave, I prepared for you chains and scourges, that if you should offend, I might chastise you with them. So too the Holy One, blessed be His name: before He created the human being, He prepared for him sufferings, because He knows that "the inclination of the human heart is evil [from its youth]" (Genesis 8:21). Therefore He prepared for him all of these, as it is said, "Judgments are prepared for scoffers, [and blows for the back of fools]" (Proverbs 19:29).