Tazria


Tazria, Thazria, Thazri'a, Sazria, or Ki Tazria is the 27th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah deals with ritual impurity. It constitutes The parashah is made up of 3,667 Hebrew letters, 1,010 Hebrew words, 67 verses, and 128 lines in a Torah Scroll.
Jews read it the 27th or 28th Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in April or, rarely, in late March or early May. The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In leap years, parashah Tazria is read separately. In common years, parashah Tazria is combined with the next parashah, Metzora, to help achieve the number of weekly readings needed.

Readings

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or, aliyot.

First reading — Leviticus 12:1–13:5

In the first reading, God told Moses to tell the Israelites that when a woman at childbirth bore a boy, she was to be unclean 7 days and then remain in a state of blood purification for 33 days, while if she bore a girl, she was to be unclean 14 days and then remain in a state of blood purification for 66 days. Upon completing her period of purification, she was to bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering, and the priest was to offer them as sacrifices to make expiation on her behalf. If she could not afford a sheep, she was to take two turtle doves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. God told Moses and Aaron that when a person had a swelling, rash, discoloration, scaly affection, inflammation, or burn, it was to be reported to the priest, who was to examine it to determine whether the person was clean or unclean.

Second reading — Leviticus 13:6–17

In the second reading, the priest was to examine the person again the seventh day to determine whether the person was clean or unclean. The reading goes on to describe the features of skin disease.

Third reading — Leviticus 13:18–23

The third reading further describes features of skin disease.

Fourth reading — Leviticus 13:24–28

The fourth reading further describes features of skin disease.

Fifth reading — Leviticus 13:29–39

The fifth reading describes features of skin disease on the head or beard.

Sixth reading — Leviticus 13:40–54

The sixth reading continued the discussion of skin disease on the head or beard. Unclean persons were to rend their clothes, leave their head bare, cover over their upper lips, call out, "Unclean! Unclean!" and dwell outside the camp. When a streaky green or red eruptive affection occurred in wool, linen, or animal skin, it was to be shown to the priest, who was to examine to determine whether it was clean or unclean. If unclean, it was to be burned.

Seventh reading — Leviticus 13:55–59

In the seventh reading, if the affection disappeared from the article upon washing, it was to be shut up seven days, washed again, and be clean.

In inner-biblical interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:

Leviticus chapter 12

associates childbirth with uncleanness. In the Hebrew Bible, uncleanness has a variety of associations. ; ; and and associate it with death. And perhaps similarly, associates it with skin disease. associates it with various sexuality-related events. And ; and associate it with contact with the worship of alien gods.
While required a new mother to bring a burnt-offering and a sin-offering, and Psalm make clear that having children is a blessing from God; and 1 Samuel characterize childlessness as a misfortune; and and threaten childlessness as a punishment.

Leviticus chapter 13

The Hebrew Bible reports skin disease and a person affected by skin disease at several places, often translated as "leprosy" and "a leper." In to help Moses to convince others that God had sent him, God instructed Moses to put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, his hand was "leprous, as white as snow." In the Torah sets out regulations for skin disease and a person affected by skin disease. In after Miriam spoke against Moses, God's cloud removed from the Tent of Meeting and "Miriam was leprous, as white as snow." In Moses warned the Israelites in the case of skin disease diligently to observe all that the priests would teach them, remembering what God did to Miriam. In 2 Kings part of the haftarah for parashah Tazria, the prophet Elisha cures Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, who was a "leper". In part of the haftarah for parashah Metzora, the story is told of four "leprous men" at the gate during the Arameans' siege of Samaria. And in 2 Chronicles after King Uzziah tried to burn incense in the Temple in Jerusalem, "leprosy broke forth on his forehead".

In early nonrabbinic interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:

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taught that the skin disease in signified voluntary depravity.

In classical rabbinic interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:

Leviticus chapter 12

Rabbi Simlai noted that just as God created humans after creating cattle, beasts, and birds, the law concerning human impurity in follows that concerning cattle, beasts, and birds in
Reading “If a woman conceives,” Rabbi Levi said three things: It is only natural that if a person has given into another’s keeping an ounce of silver in private, and the latter returns a pound of gold in public, the former will surely be grateful to the latter; and so is it with God. Human beings entrust to God a drop of fluid in privacy, and God openly returns to them completed and perfected human beings. Rabbi Levi said a second thing: It is natural that, if a person is confined without attention to a chamber, and someone comes and kindles a light for the person there, the former should feel gratitude towards the latter. So too is it with God. When the embryo is in its mother’s womb, God causes a light to shine for it there with which it can see from one end of the world to the other. Rabbi Levi said a third thing: It is natural that, if a person is confined without attention to a chamber, and someone comes and releases the person and takes the person out from there, the former should feel gratitude to the latter. Even so when the embryo is in its mother’s womb, God comes and releases it and brings it forth into the world.
Rabbi Ammi taught in the name of Rabbi Johanan that even though Rabbi Simeon ruled that a dissolved fetus expelled by a woman was not unclean, Rabbi Simeon nonetheless agreed that the woman was ritually unclean as a woman who bore a child. An old man explained to Rabbi Ammi that Rabbi Johanan reasoned from the words of "If a woman conceived seed and bore." Those words imply that even if a woman bore something like "conceived seed", she was nonetheless unclean by reason of childbirth.
Rabbi Johanan interpreted the words "in the day" in to teach that one must perform circumcision even on the Sabbath.
The Gemara read the command of to require an uncircumcised adult man to become circumcised, and the Gemara read the command of to require the father to circumcise his infant child.
The Mishnah taught that circumcision should not be performed until the sun has risen, but counts it as done if done after dawn has appeared. The Gemara explained that the reason for the rule could be found in the words of "And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised". A Baraita interpreted to teach that the whole eighth day is valid for circumcision, but deduced from Abraham's rising "early in the morning" to perform his obligations in that the zealous perform circumcisions early in the morning.
The disciples of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai asked him why ordained that after childbirth a woman had to bring a sacrifice. He replied that when she bore her child, she swore impetuously in the pain of childbirth that she would never again have intercourse with her husband. The Torah, therefore, ordained that she had to bring a sacrifice, as she would probably violate that oath. Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai that because she fluttered in her heart, she had to bring a fluttering sacrifice, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons. The disciples asked Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai why permitted contact between the father and mother after 7 days when the mother bore a boy, but permitted contact after 14 days when she bore a girl. He replied that since everyone around the mother would rejoice upon the birth of a boy, she would regret her oath to shun her husband after just 7 days, but since people around her would not rejoice on the birth of a girl, she would take twice as long. And Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai taught that ordained circumcision on the eighth day so that the parents could join their guests in a celebratory mood on that day.
and provided that people of lesser means could bring less-expensive offerings. The Mishnah taught that one who sacrificed much and one who sacrificed little attained equal merit, so long as they directed their hearts to Heaven. Rabbi Zera taught that provided a Scriptural proof for this when it says, "Sweet is the sleep of a serving man, whether he eat little or much." Rav Adda bar Ahavah taught that provided a Scriptural proof for this when it says, "When goods increase, they are increased who eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof." Rabbi Simeon ben Azzai taught that Scripture says of a large ox, "An offering made by fire of a sweet savor"; of a small bird, "An offering made by fire of a sweet savor"; and of a meal-offering, "An offering made by fire of a sweet savor." Rabbi Simeon ben Azzai thus taught that Scripture uses the same expression each time to teach that it is the same whether people offered much or little, so long as they directed their hearts to Heaven. And Rabbi Isaac asked why the meal-offering was distinguished in that uses the word "soul" to refer to the donor of a meal-offering, instead of the usual "man" used in connection with other sacrifices. Rabbi Isaac taught that uses the word "soul" because God noted that the one who usually brought a meal-offering was a poor man, and God accounted it as if the poor man had offered his own soul.
Rabbi Simeon noted that Scripture always lists turtledoves before pigeons, and imagined that one might thus think that Scripture prefers turtledoves over pigeons. But Rabbi Simeon quoted the instructions of "a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin-offering", to teach that Scripture accepted both equally.
Rabbi Eleazar ben Hisma taught that even the apparently arcane laws of bird offerings in and the beginning of menstrual cycles in are essential laws.
Tractate Kinnim in the Mishnah interpreted the laws of pairs of sacrificial pigeons and doves in and and
Interpreting the beginning of menstrual cycles, as in the Mishnah ruled that if a woman loses track of her menstrual cycle, there is no return to the beginning of the niddah count in fewer than seven, nor more than seventeen days.
The Mishnah taught that a sin-offering of a bird preceded a burnt-offering of a bird; and the priest also dedicated them in that order. Rabbi Eliezer taught that wherever an offerer substituted for an animal sin-offering the offering of two birds, the priest sacrificed the bird sin-offering before the bird burnt-offering. But in the case of a woman after childbirth discussed in , the bird burnt-offering took precedence over the bird sin-offering. Wherever the offering came on account of sin, the sin-offering took precedence. But here the burnt-offering took precedence. And wherever both birds came instead of one animal sin-offering, the sin-offering took precedence. But here they did not both come on account of a sin-offering, the burnt-offering took precedence. Rava taught that merely accorded the bird burnt-offering precedence in the mentioning.
called for "two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons: the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering". Rav Hisda taught that the designation of one of the birds to become the burnt-offering and the other to become the sin-offering was made either by the owner or by the priest's action. Rabbi Shimi bar Ashi explained that the words of "she shall take... the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering", indicated that the mother could have made the designation when taking the birds, and the words of "the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering", and of "the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering", indicated that the priest could have made the designation when offering them up.

Leviticus chapter 13

Reading a Midrash taught that in 18 verses, Scripture places Moses and Aaron on an equal footing, and thus there are 18 benedictions in the Amidah.
Tractate Negaim in the Mishnah and Tosefta interpreted the laws of skin disease in
A Midrash compared the discussion of skin diseases beginning at to the case of a noble lady who, upon entering the king's palace, was terrified by the whips that she saw hanging about. But the king told her: "Do not fear; these are meant for the slaves, but you are here to eat, drink, and make merry." So, too, when the Israelites heard the section of Scripture dealing with leprous affections, they became afraid. But Moses told them: "These are meant for the wicked nations, but you are intended to eat, drink, and be joyful, as it is written in "Many are the sufferings of the wicked; but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy surrounds him."
Rabbi Johanan said in the name of Rabbi Joseph ben Zimra that anyone who bears evil tales will be visited by the plague of skin disease, as it is said in "Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I destroy." The Gemara read azmit to allude to, tzara'at, and cited how says "in perpetuity". And Resh Lakish interpreted the words of "This shall be the law of the person with skin disease," to mean, "This shall be the law for him who brings up an evil name." And the Gemara reported that in the Land of Israel they taught that slander kills three persons: the slanderer, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom the slander is told.
Similarly, Rabbi Haninah taught that skin disease came only from slander. The Rabbis found a proof for this from the case of Miriam, arguing that because she uttered slander against Moses, plagues attacked her. And the Rabbis read to support this when it says in connection with skin disease, "remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam".
Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Johanan that skin disease results from seven sins: slander, the shedding of blood, vain oath, incest, arrogance, robbery, and envy. The Gemara cited Scriptural bases for each of the associations: For slander, for bloodshed, for a vain oath, for incest, for arrogance, for robbery, ; and for envy,
Similarly, a Midrash taught that skin disease resulted from 10 sins: idol-worship, unchastity, bloodshed, the profanation of the Divine Name, blasphemy of the Divine Name, robbing the public, usurping a dignity to which one has no right, overweening pride, evil speech, and an evil eye. The Midrash cited as proofs: for idol-worship, the experience of the Israelites who said of the Golden Calf, "This is your god, O Israel", in and then were smitten with leprosy, as reported in where "Moses saw that the people had broken out ", indicating that leprosy had "broken out" among them; for unchastity, from the experience of the daughters of Zion of whom says, "the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and ogling eyes", and then says, "Therefore will the Lord smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion"; for bloodshed, from the experience of Joab, of whom says, "Let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper," for the profanation of the Divine Name, from the experience of Gehazi, of whom says, "But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said: ‘Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought; as the Lord lives, I will surely run after him, and take of him somewhat," and "somewhat" means "of the blemish" that Naaman had, and thus Gehazi was smitten with leprosy, as reports Elisha said to Gehazi, "The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave to you"; for blaspheming the Divine Name, from the experience of Goliath, of whom says, "And the Philistine cursed David by his God", and the says, "This day will the Lord deliver you", and the term "deliver" is used here in the same sense as uses it with regard to leprosy, when it is says, "And the priest shall shut him up "; for robbing the public, from the experience of Shebna, who derived illicit personal benefit from property of the Sanctuary, and of whom says, "the Lord... will wrap you round and round", and "wrap" must refer to a leper, of whom says, "And he shall wrap himself over the upper lip"; for usurping a dignity to which one has no right, from the experience of Uzziah, of whom says, "And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death"; for overweening pride, from the same example of Uzziah, of whom says, "But when he became strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly and he trespassed against the Lord his God"; for evil speech, from the experience of Miriam, of whom says, "And Miriam... spoke against Moses", and then says, "when the cloud was removed from over the Tent, behold Miriam was leprous"; and for an evil eye, from the person described in which can be read, "And he that keeps his house to himself shall come to the priest, saying: There seems to me to be a plague in the house," and thus describes one who is not willing to permit any other to have any benefit from the house.
Similarly, Rabbi Judah the Levite, son of Rabbi Shalom, inferred that skin disease comes because of eleven sins: for cursing the Divine Name, for immorality, for bloodshed, for ascribing to another a fault that is not in him, for haughtiness, for encroaching upon other people's domains, for a lying tongue, for theft, for swearing falsely, for profanation of the name of Heaven, and for idolatry. Rabbi Isaac added: for ill-will. And our Rabbis said: for despising the words of the Torah.
Reading "My ordinances shall you do, and My statutes shall you keep", the Sifra distinguished "ordinances" from "statutes". The term "ordinances", taught the Sifra, refers to rules that even had they not been written in the Torah, it would have been entirely logical to write them, like laws pertaining to theft, sexual immorality, idolatry, blasphemy and murder. The term "statutes", taught the Sifra, refers to those rules that the impulse to do evil and the nations of the world try to undermine, like eating pork, wearing wool-linen mixtures, release from levirate marriage, purification of a person affected by skin disease, and the goat sent off into the wilderness. In regard to these, taught the Sifra, the Torah says simply that God legislated them and we have no right to raise doubts about them.
It was taught in a Baraita that four types of people are accounted as though they were dead: a poor person, a person affected by skin disease, a blind person, and one who is childless. A poor person is accounted as dead, for says, "for all the men are dead who sought your life". A person affected by skin disease is accounted as dead, for says, "And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses... let her not be as one dead." The blind are accounted as dead, for says, "He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old". And one who is childless is accounted as dead, for in Rachel said, "Give me children, or else I am dead".
In the priest's examination of skin disease mandated by , and , the Mishnah taught that a priest could examine anyone else's symptoms, but not his own. And Rabbi Meir taught that the priest could not examine his relatives. The Mishnah taught that anyone could inspect skin disease, but only a priest could declare it unclean or clean. The Mishnah taught that the priests delayed examining a bridegroom — as well as his house and his garment — until after his seven days of rejoicing, and delayed examining anyone until after a holy day.
The Gemara taught that the early scholars were called soferim because they used to count all the letters of the Torah. They used to say the vav in gachon, , in marks the half-way point of the letters in the Torah. They used to say the words darosh darash, , in mark the half-way point of the words in the Torah. And they used to say marks the half-way point of the verses in the Torah. Rav Joseph asked whether the vav in gachon, , in belonged to the first half or the second half of the Torah. The scholars replied that they could bring a Torah Scroll and count, for Rabbah bar bar Hanah said on a similar occasion that they did not stir from where they were until a Torah Scroll was brought and they counted. Rav Joseph replied that they were thoroughly versed in the proper defective and full spellings of words, but they were not. Similarly, Rav Joseph asked whether belongs to the first half or the second half of verses. Abaye replied that for verses, at least, we can bring a Scroll and count them. But Rav Joseph replied that even with verses, they could no longer be certain. For when Rav Aha bar Adda came, he said that in the West, they divided into three verses. Nonetheless, the Rabbis taught in a Baraita that there are 5,888 verses in the Torah. in hu, , in the middle two words are el yesod,
Rava recounted a Baraita that taught that the rule of regarding one with skin disease, "the hair of his head shall be loose", also applied to a High Priest. The status of a High Priest throughout the year corresponded with that of any other person on a festival. For the Mishnah said that the High Priest could bring sacrifices on the altar even before he had buried his dead, but he could not eat sacrificial meat. From this restriction of a High Priest, the Gemara inferred that the High Priest would deport himself as a person with skin disease during a festival. And the Gemara continued to teach that a mourner is forbidden to cut his hair, because since ordained for the sons of Aaron: "Let not the hair of your heads go loose", we infer that cutting hair is forbidden for everybody else, as well.
Rabbi Abbahu, as well as Rabbi Uzziel the grandson of Rabbi Uzziel the Great, taught that requires that the person afflicted with skin disease "cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!'" to warn passers-by to keep away. But the Gemara cited a Baraita that taught that requires that the person "cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!'" so that the person's distress would become known to many people, so that many could pray for mercy on the afflicted person's behalf. And the Gemara concluded that reads "Unclean" twice to teach that is intended to further both purposes, to keep passers-by away and to invite their prayers for mercy.
A Midrash taught that Divine Justice first attacks a person's substance and then the person's body. So when leprous plagues come upon a person, first they come upon the fabric of the person's house. If the person repents, then requires that only the affected stones need to be pulled out; if the person does not repent, then requires pulling down the house. Then the plagues come upon the person's clothes. If the person repents, then the clothes require washing; if not, they require burning. Then the plagues come upon the person's body. If the person repents, provides for purification; if not, then ordains that the person "shall dwell alone".
Similarly, the Tosefta reported that when a person would come to the priest, the priest would tell the person to engage in self-examination and turn from evil ways. The priest would continue that plagues come only from gossip, and skin disease from arrogance. But God would judge in mercy. The plague would come to the house, and if the homeowner repented, the house required only dismantling, but if the homeowner did not repent, the house required demolition. They would appear on clothing, and if the owner repented, the clothing required only tearing, but if the owner did not repent, the clothing required burning. They would appear on the person's body, and if the person repented, well and good, but if the person did not repent, required that the person "shall dwell alone".
Rabbi Samuel bar Elnadab asked Rabbi Haninah what distinguished the person afflicted with skin disease that ordains that the person "shall dwell alone". The answer was that through gossip, the person afflicted with skin disease separated husband from wife, one neighbor from another, and therefore the Torah punished the person afflicted with skin disease measure for measure, ordaining that the person "shall dwell alone".
In a Baraita, Rabbi Jose related that a certain Elder from Jerusalem told him that 24 types of patients are afflicted with boils. The Gemara then related that Rabbi Joḥanan warned to be careful of the flies found on those afflicted with the disease ra’atan, as flies carried the disease. Rabbi Zeira would not sit in a spot where the wind blew from the direction of someone afflicted with ra’atan. Rabbi Elazar would not enter the tent of one afflicted with ra’atan, and Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi would not eat eggs from an alley in which someone afflicted with ra’atan lived. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, however, would attach himself to those afflicted with ra’atan and study Torah, saying this was justified by “The Torah is a loving hind and a graceful doe.” Rabbi Joshua reasoned that if Torah bestows grace on those who learn it, it could protect them from illness. When Rabbi Joshua ben Levi was on the verge of dying, the Gemara told, the Angel of Death was instructed to perform Rabbi Joshua’s bidding, as he was a righteous man and deserves to die in the manner he saw fit. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked the Angel of Death to show him his place in paradise, and the Angel agreed. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked the Angel to give him the knife that the Angel used to kill people, lest the Angel frighten him on the way, and the Angel gave it to him. When they arrived in paradise, the Angel lifted Rabbi Joshua so that he could see his place in paradise, and Rabbi Joshua jumped to the other side, escaping into paradise. Elijah the Prophet then told those in paradise to make way for Rabbi Joshua.
The Gemara told that Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked Elijah when the Messiah would come, and Elijah told Rabbi Joshua ben Levi that he could find the Messiah sitting at the entrance of the city of Rome among the poor who suffer from illnesses.

In medieval Jewish interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources:

Leviticus chapter 12

taught that the laws of impurity serve many uses: They keep Jews at a distance from dirty and filthy objects. They guard the Sanctuary. They pay regard to an established custom. They lightened the burden. For these laws do not impede people affected with impurity in their ordinary occupations. For the distinction between pure and impure applies only with reference to the Sanctuary and the holy objects connected with it; it does not apply to other cases. Citing "She shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the Sanctuary," Maimonides noted that people who do not intend to enter the Sanctuary or touch any holy thing are not guilty of any sin if they remain unclean as long as they like, and eat, according to their pleasure, ordinary food that has been in contact with unclean things.

In modern interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:

Leviticus chapter 12

Dr. Elaine Goodfriend of California State University, Northridge, observed that and its focus on menstruating women had an enormous effect on Jewish women's lives. Goodfriend reported that "the view that women — via their normal, recurring bodily functions — generate a pollution antagonistic to holiness served as a justification for women's distance from the sacred throughout Jewish history." Goodfriend speculated the priesthood excluded women because of "fear that the sudden onset of menstruation would result in the clash of impurity and holiness, with presumed dire consequences." Goodfriend noted that these laws and associated customs affected both women's public religious life and private family life, as they and their husbands were prohibited from sex for extensive periods of time, affecting their fertility and married life in general.
Professor Shaye Cohen of Harvard University noted that the only element in common between the “ritual” or physical impurities of and the “dangerous” or sinful impurities of is intercourse with a menstruant.

Leviticus chapter 13

Professor Ephraim Speiser of the University of Pennsylvania in the mid 20th century wrote that the word “Torah” is based on a verbal stem signifying “to teach, guide,” and the like, and the derived noun can carry a variety of meanings, including in , and , specific rituals for what is sometimes called leprosy. Speiser argued that in context, the word cannot be mistaken for the title of the Pentateuch as a whole.

Commandments

According to Maimonides

Maimonides cited verses in this parashah for 3 positive and 1 negative commandments:
According to Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 5 positive and 2 negative commandments in the parashah:
Some Jews refer to the laws of bird offerings in and the laws of the menstrual cycle as they study the end of of Pirkei Avot on a Sabbath between Passover and Rosh Hashanah.
Some Jews refer to the guilt offerings for skin disease in as part of readings on the offerings after the Sabbath morning blessings.
Following the Shacharit morning prayer service, some Jews recite the Six Remembrances, among which is "Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam by the way as you came forth out of Egypt," recalling that God punished Miriam with, tzara'at.

The Weekly Maqam

In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardi Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parashah. For parashah Tazria, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Saba, the maqam that symbolizes a covenant. This is appropriate, because this parashah commences with the discussion of what to do when a baby boy is born. It also mentions the brit milah, a ritual that shows a covenant between man and God.

Haftarah

The haftarah for the parashah is

Summary

A man from Baal-shalishah brought the prophet Elisha bread of the First Fruits — 20 loaves of barley — and fresh grain in his sack to give to the people to eat. Elisha's servant asked Elisha how he could feed a hundred men with these rations, but Elisha told his servant to give the food to the people, for God said that they would eat and have food left over. So the servant set the food before the men, they ate, and they had food left over, just as God had said.
Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great warrior, but he was a leper. The girl who waited on Naaman's wife was an Israelite whom the Arameans had taken captive, and she told Naaman's wife that if Naaman went to Elisha in Samaria, then Elisha would cure Naaman of his leprosy. Naaman told his lord the king of Aram what the girl said, and the king of Aram sent Naaman on his way with a letter to the king of Israel. Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothes. Naaman brought the king of Israel the letter, which asked the king of Israel to cure Naaman of his leprosy. When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and complained that he was not God with power over life and death, but the king of Aram must have been seeking some pretext to attack Israel.
When Elisha heard, he invited the king to send Naaman to him, and so Naaman came to Elisha's house with his horses and his chariots. Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman to tell him to wash seven times in the Jordan River and be healed, but that angered Naaman, who expected Elisha to come out, call on the name of God, and wave his hands over Naaman. Naaman asked whether the Amanah and Pharpar rivers of Damascus were not better than any river in Israel, so that he might wash in them and be clean.
But Naaman's servants advised him that if Elisha had directed him to do some difficult thing he would have done it, so how much more should he do what Elisha directed when he said merely to wash and be clean. So Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, and his flesh came back like the flesh of a little child.
Naaman returned to Elisha, avowed that there is no God except in Israel, and asked Elisha to take a present, but Elisha declined. Naaman asked if he might take two mule loads of Israel's earth so that Naaman might make offerings to God, and he asked that God might pardon Naaman when had had to bow before the Aramean idol Rimmon when the king of Aram leaned on Naaman to bow before Rimmon. And Elisha told Naaman to go in peace.

Connection to the parashah

Both the parashah and the haftarah report the treatment of skin disease, the parashah by the priests, and the haftarah by the prophet Elisha. Both the parashah and the haftarah frequently employ the term for skin disease.
A Midrash deduced from the characterization of Naaman as a "great man" in that Naaman was haughty on account of his being a great warrior, and as a result was smitten with leprosy.
And fundamentally, both the parashah and the haftarah view skin disease as related to the Divine sphere and an occasion for interaction with God.

The haftarah in classical rabbinic interpretation

The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael considered Naaman a more righteous convert than Jethro. Reading Jethro’s words in "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods," the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael reported that they said that there was not an idol in the world that Jethro failed to seek out and worship, for Jethro said "than all gods." The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael taught that Naaman, however, knew better than Jethro that there was no other god, for Naaman said in "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." The Babylonian Talmud, however, taught that Naaman was merely a resident alien who observed the seven Noahide commandments.

On Shabbat HaChodesh

When the parashah coincides with Shabbat HaChodesh, the haftarah is:
On Shabbat HaChodesh, Jews read in which God commands that "This month shall be the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year," and in which God issued the commandments of Passover. Similarly, the haftarah in discusses Passover. In both the special reading and the haftarah, God instructs the Israelites to apply blood to doorposts.

Parashah Tazria-Metzora

When parashah Tazria is combined with parashah Metzora and it is not a special Sabbath, the haftarah is the haftarah for parashah Metzora,

Summary

During the Arameans' siege of Samaria, four leprous men at the gate asked each other why they should die there of starvation, when they might go to the Arameans, who would either save them or leave them no worse than they were. When at twilight, they went to the Arameans' camp, there was no one there, for God had made the Arameans hear chariots, horses, and a great army, and fearing the Hittites and the Egyptians, they fled, leaving their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and their camp. The lepers went into a tent, ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold, and clothing from the tents and hid it.
Feeling qualms of guilt, they went to go tell the king of Samaria, and called to the porters of the city telling them what they had seen, and the porters told the king's household within. The king arose in the night, and told his servants that he suspected that the Arameans had hidden in the field, thinking that when the Samaritans came out, they would be able to get into the city. One of his servants suggested that some men take five of the horses that remained and go see, and they took two chariots with horses to go and see. They went after the Arameans as far as the Jordan River, and all the way was littered with garments and vessels that the Arameans had cast away in their haste, and the messengers returned and told the king. So the people went out and looted the Arameans' camp, so that the price of fine flour and two measures of barley each dropped to a shekel, as God had said it would. And the king appointed the captain on whom he leaned to take charge of the gate, and the people trampled him and killed him before he could taste of the flour, just as the man of God Elisha had said.

Connection to the double parashah

Both the double parashah and the haftarah deal with people stricken with skin disease. Both the parashah and the haftarah employ the term for the person affected by skin disease. In parashah Tazria, provides that the person with skin disease "shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his dwelling be," thus explaining why the four leprous men in the haftarah lived outside the gate.
Rabbi Johanan taught that the four leprous men at the gate in were none other than Elisha's former servant Gehazi and his three sons.
In parashah Metzora, when there "seems" to be a plague in the house, the priest must not jump to conclusions, but must examine the facts. Just before the opening of the haftarah, in the captain on whom the king leaned jumps to the conclusion that Elisha's prophecy could not come true, and the captain meets his punishment in and

On Shabbat Rosh Chodesh

When the combined parashah coincides with Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, the haftarah is

Biblical

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