פָּרָשַׁת מְצֹרָע

Parshat Metzora continues the laws of tzaraat, the spiritual affliction the kohen (priest) examines (not leprosy), with the way back to taharah (purity), then tzaraat on houses, and the tumah (ritual impurity) of discharges from the body. The kohen goes out of the camp to the healed metzora. One bird is slaughtered over spring water, the man is sprinkled seven times with the live bird, cedar wood, scarlet wool and hyssop, and the live bird is sent away over the open field. He shaves and immerses, waits seven days outside his tent, and shaves and immerses again. On the eighth day he brings an asham (guilt offering), a chatat (sin offering) and an olah (burnt offering) with a meal offering and a log of oil; blood and oil are placed on his right ear, thumb and big toe, and the kohen atones for him.

In the land of Kenaan, tzaraat may appear on the walls of a house. The house is emptied so that its contents do not become tamei (impure), and shut for seven days. If the mark spreads, its stones are replaced; if it returns, the house is torn down; if it is healed, the house is purified with the same birds, cedar, scarlet wool and hyssop.

Perek 15 gives the laws of the zav (a man with a seminal discharge), the emission of seed, the niddah (a woman in her menstrual period) and the zavah (a woman with a flow outside her time). What each makes tamei, and how each returns to taharah. The reason is given at the end, to keep Bnei Yisrael (the children of Israel) separate from their tumah, so that they do not make tamei the Mishkan of Hashem that is among them. In most years Parshat Metzora is read together with Tazria as a double parsha.