Jeremiah Warns Jerusalem and Tzaraat Strikes the Unrepentant

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Metzora 9:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

Another interpretation of (Lev. 13:59): "This shall be the law of the leper." It speaks of Israel when they were in Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was saying to them, "Repent!" but they did not repent. And what did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He afflicted them with leprosy, as it is said (Isa. 3:17), "Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab (ve-sippach) the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion." And "scab" (sippach) can mean nothing but leprosy, as it is said (Lev. 13:2), "a swelling or a scab (sappachat)…."

Themes

RepentanceJerusalem

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924)Pearl for Gate of JerusalemThe Talmud (Bava Batra 75a) records a breathtaking vision of the future Jerusalem: its gates would be made of single pearls, each pearl so enormous that it coulPesikta RabbatiSound the Shofar in Zion and the Beauty of JerusalemThe day will come when a shofar is blown not for warning but for homecoming. The prophet Joel pictured it: a great horn sounding from Zion, and the whole world Midrash Tanchuma Buber, VaeraPharaoh Mocks Israel as Lazy and the Earth Has a Woman's BodyWhen Pharaoh ground his teeth at Moses and spat the word "lazy, lazy!" at Israel, he meant it as scorn. But Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon overturned the insultBen SiraThe Man Who Curses His Parents Sins GreatlyBen Sira, a sage whose wisdom echoes through the ages, certainly thought so. He dives straight into the heart of familial honor, and it's a message that still rBen SiraA Simple Ancient Remedy for a Guilty ConscienceWe all do sometimes. But what if I told you there's a simple, ancient piece of wisdom that could help lighten that load? The Book of Ben Sira, a treasure trove Ben SiraBen Sira's Warning Against Self-DeceptionIt's precisely those moments that the wisdom of Ben Sira addresses with such piercing clarity. This ancient text, part of the Apocrypha, pulls no punches when i