The Plague of Leprousy on the houses-a true insight to our holy enterprise that we have undertaken in our days to rebuild Erertz Yisrael.

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזָּ֑ה וְנָתַתִּי֙ נֶ֣גַע צָרַ֔עַת בְּבֵ֖ית אֶ֥רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶֽם׃

When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague upon a house in the land you possess,

וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִגִּ֥יד לַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר כְּנֶ֕גַע נִרְאָ֥ה לִ֖י בַּבָּֽיִת׃

the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared upon my house.”

Rashi:

ונתתי נגע צרעת. בְּשׂוֹרָה הִיא לָהֶם שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים בָּאִים עֲלֵיהֶם; לְפִי שֶׁהִטְמִינוּ אֱמוֹרִיִּים מַטְמוֹנִיּוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב בְּקִירוֹת בָּתֵּיהֶם כָּל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְֹרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְעַל יְדֵי הַנֶּגַע נוֹתֵץ הַבַּיִת וּמוֹצְאָן (ויקרא רבה י"ז):

ונתתי נגע צרעת [WHEN YOU COME TO THE LAND …]I WILL PUT THE PLAGUE OF THE LEPROSY — This was an announcement to them that these plagues would come upon them (Sifra, Metzora, Section 5 4; Horayot 10a), because the Amorites concealed treasures of gold in the walls of their houses during the whole 40 years the Israelites were in the wilderness in order that these might not possess them when they conquered Palestine, and in consequence of the plague they would pull down the house and discover them (Leviticus Rabbah 17:6).

Kli Yakar(and many others)

וי"א שטעם נגעי הבתים, לפי שהאמוריים בנו בתיהם לשם ע"ז ע"כ הקב"ה מביא נגעים על הבתים כדי לנתוץ אותם ובזה נ"ל ליישב מדרש האומר כנגע נראה לי בבית זו ע"ז (ילק"ש מצורע תקסג) ודרש כל פר' זו על בהמ"ק שנחרב בעבור הע"ז שהעמידו שם כו', וכי יעלה על הדעת לומר שבעל מדרש זה דעתו להוציא כל הפר' מפשוטו ולפרשה על חורבן בהמ"ק אלא ודאי שגם דעתו ליתן טעם לנגעי בית, בעבור שהאמוריים בנו אותם לשם ע"ז וע"כ הוא בא לידי נתיצה, ומכאן למד לומר שגם בהמ"ק אשר בו העמיד מנשה הצלם בא לידי נתיצה בעון זה וכל הפרטים שנאמרו כאן נמצאו גם בחורבן הבית, כמ"ש כאן ובא אשר לו הבית, כך בחורבן בהמ"ק בא אשר לו הבית זה הקב"ה, וכמ"ש כאן והגיד לכהן כך יגיד הקב"ה לירמיה מן הכהנים אשר בענתות, וכמ"ש כאן כנגע נראה לי כך יאמר גם הקב"ה. ובדרך זה מבואר כל המדרש והפסוקים כולם כפשוטם.

ד

ואין להקשות על טעם זה, א"כ למה לא יבואו הנגעים על הבתים מיד בבואם לארץ, בשלמא לטעמא דמטמוניות שמא אין כל בעל הבית זוכה לאותו מטמון תשובה לדבר שגם בביעור ע"ז מגלגלין זכות על ידי זכאי, ודווקא אם ידור בבית איזו איש הגון מצד מעשיו אין נכון שידור הוא בבית שיש בו נדנוד ע"ז. ונוכל לומר שפסוק זה בשורה טובה לישראל כמ"ש(איכה ד יא) כלה ה' את חמתו ויצת אש בציון, וטובה זו היא שמכלה חמתו בעצים ואבנים ואינו נוגע בגופות, כך בשורה זו בנגעי הבתים זה"ש כנגע נראה לי בבית בכף הדמיון כעין הנגע הראוי לבא עלי נראה לי בבית

The Kli Yakar says something extraordinary:

Hashem is bringing Tzaraat on houses in Israel because the dwellers there built their houses for the sake of an idol. Once a house became afflicted it had to be knocked down thereby removing the presence of idolatry in the land of Israel. The Midrash compares the ‘bayit ‘ mentioned here to the Temple which was also knocked down because of idolatry. Does the Midrashic rabbi wish to take the whole pasuk away from its literal meaning completely here?

The Kli Yakar says no. The Midrash is explaining the reason for the plagues on the houses, not following Rashi, who mentions the money hidden there. The Midrash says that just as the houses were destroyed as they were dedicated to idolatry, so too the Temple which became defiled with idolatry, as in the time of Menashe, and he adds that the blessing here is that the wrath of Hashem was put onto the bricks and mortar(and not the Jews) so that the Jewish people would survive. This explains the wording: כְּנֶ֕גַע נִרְאָ֥ה לִ֖י בַּבָּֽיִת

 The man realizes that the plague/punishment was really meant to come upon him directly, but it was through the kindness of Hashem that the plague came upon the house instead.

The 2 approaches here represent to me the whole history of our return to Israel in the last 70 years. For many who were motivated by Zionist zeal but not necessarily religious fervor, the building of Eretz Yisrael was done to create ‘treasures’ in the land, such as new yishuvim and kibbutzim to beautify the land and make it bloom again.These builders were praised by Rav Kook zal, who saw the merit in their efforts.

However for many there is a deeper message in building Eretz Yisrael. The act of building becomes a way to purify the land from its dormant state and bring into Israel all the kedusha of the holiness which the Jew has gathered from every country of his exile(this idea should be our response to those who question the new yishuvim over the ‘green line’, which are predominantly religious). The Zohar explains that after the churban our task has been to find the ‘nitzozot’/sparks of holiness spread out around the world as a result of our dispersion, and bring them back to Israel. This rebuilding of the physical land becomes a rebuilding of the holiness and Divine presence in Israel which was felt there every day in earlier times and which we are experiencing all over again in our days.

The Rabbis say that when they looked at Eretz Yisrael they saw jewels and treasures in every stone of the land. This is the higher level of building, as explained by the Kli Yakar and many others.

One final thought. We remember at this time the thousands who have given their lives for Eretz Yisrael.  A  yeshiva bachur learning at Kol Torah(in Bayit Vegan Jerusalem) went to Rabbi SZ Auerbach zal and asked permission to visit the graves of Tzadikim in the North of Israel. Rav Auerbach replied that he did not need to leave the yeshiva for a few days, as across the road is Har Herzl where 20000 kedoshim are buried and one can visit many Tzadikim there.

Rav Auerbach zal understood that giving one’s life for the sake of Eretz Yisrael is an act of building the holiness of Israel, as explained above. Let us hope that we have built/created enough ‘bricks’ through these korbanot that we won’t need to see any more tragedy and we will experience the true holiness of Eretz Hakodesh, which we are so near to seeing, with the coming of Mashiach BBO.

Rabbi Ian Shaffer                 Cherry Hill NJ/SCW            Iyar 5778