Tapping into Underlying Emotional and Spiritual Causes of Disease

 

Parashat Tazria Metzora
Tapping into Underlying Emotional and Spiritual Causes of Disease

Every Physical Ailment has an Underlying Spiritual and Emotional Root

In this week’s double parasha we learn about the spiritual disease of tzara’at, (commonly mistranslated as leprosy, but in fact more like the skin disease of psoriasis). In EmunaHealing we believe that every illness has an underlying emotional or spiritual cause. If, in treatment, we only treat the symptoms, but ignore the underlying cause of the disease, the illness will keep returning and manifest itself in other ways. Even in conventional medicine, it has been recognized that chronic stress is a major factor in causing various ailments such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression or anxiety, and skin problems, such as acne or eczema. During an EmunaHealing treatment, we ask Hashem to reveal the underlying roots of the various symptoms the person in treatment experiences. In my experience, the underlying roots of many physical ailments are not only stress but fear, trauma, anger, self-hatred, perfectionism, confusion, lack of commitment, guilt, criticality, judgment, bitterness, shame, lowliness... as well as negative energy, jealousy, ayin hara (evil eye), lack of simcha (joy), love, self-acceptance, clarity, etc. The disease of tzara’at described in this week’s Torah portion is the strongest proof that it is only possible to thoroughly heal the sick by treating the psychological and spiritual root of the illness. Rabbi Yochanan says: tzara’at comes due to seven matters, (there are seven possible causes of this disease): 1. forbidden sexual intercourse; 2. arrogance; 3. robbery; 4. bloodshed; 5. an oath taken in vain; 6. lashon hara, (evil speech); and stinginess (literally a narrow eye) (Babylonian Talmud, Keritot 26a). 

The Kohen and Spiritual Healer rather than the Physician Treats the Metzora

Two chapters of the Book of Vayikra are devoted to the halachot of dealing with a person afflicted with tzara’at. Of the seven causes of this disease, the sin of evil speech is foremost. The Hebrew term, metzora (someone afflicted with tzara’at), is an acronym for motze shem ra – ‘spreading a bad name. It refers to a spreader of slander or one who brings about harm through speech. The metzora would be isolated from the community for an indefinite period. This consequence would heighten the slander’s awareness of the divisive effects of harmful speech.

ספר ויקרא פרק יג פסוק ט נֶגַע צָרַעַת כִּי תִהְיֶה בְּאָדָם וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן:

(י) וְרָאָה הַכֹּהֵן וְהִנֵּה שְׂאֵת לְבָנָה בָּעוֹר וְהִיא הָפְכָה שֵׂעָר לָבָן וּמִחְיַת בָּשָׂר חַי בַּשְׂאֵת:

(יא) צָרַעַת נוֹשֶׁנֶת הִוא בְּעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ וְטִמְּאוֹ הַכֹּהֵן לֹא יַסְגִּרֶנּוּ כִּי טָמֵא הוּא:

(יב) וְאִם פָּרוֹחַ תִּפְרַח הַצָּרַעַת בָּעוֹר וְכִסְּתָה הַצָּרַעַת אֵת כָּל עוֹר הַנֶּגַע מֵרֹאשׁוֹ וְעַד רַגְלָיו לְכָל מַרְאֵה עֵינֵי הַכֹּהֵן:

(יג) וְרָאָה הַכֹּהֵן וְהִנֵּה כִסְּתָה הַצָּרַעַת אֶת כָּל בְּשָׂרוֹ וְטִהַר אֶת הַנָּגַע כֻּלּוֹ הָפַךְ לָבָן טָהוֹר הוּא:

“If a person has a lesion of tzara’at, he shall be brought to the kohen. The kohen shall look [at it]. If, behold! there is a white se’eit (lesion) on the skin, and either it has turned the hair white, or there is healthy, live flesh in the se’eit, it is old tzara’at on the skin of his flesh, the kohen shall pronounce him impure; he need not quarantine him because he is impure. But if the tzara’at has spread over the skin, whereby the tzara’at covers all the skin of the [person with the] lesion, from his head to his feet, wherever the eyes of the kohen can see it, then the kohen shall look [at it]. Behold! the tzara’at has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce [the person with] the lesion pure. He has turned completely white; he is pure” (Vayikra 13:9-13).

When a person noticed that he might be coming down with tzara’at, rather than consulting a physician he would go to the Kohen, who served as a spiritual healer. The kohen would examine, diagnose, and subsequently oversee the healing ritual of the spiritual disease of tzara’at. The diagnosis was somewhat counterintuitive. A person whose tzara’at had spread to cover his entire body was considered pure. 

Achieving Purity from the Total Spread of Disease

When a disease has spread fully it is presumably at its worst, then why is a person – whose entire body is covered with tzara’at – considered pure? This phenomenon can be understood in light of the Talmudic dictum, “The son of David will not come until the entire kingdom will be converted to heresy” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a). Similarly, “The son of David will come only in a generation that is entirely meritorious, or in a generation that is entirely guilty” (Ibid. 98a). If a person is totally free of tzara’at it is evident that he is pure, but when delving beyond the surface it also makes sense that a person completely covered with the disease is pure as well. The Torah Temima explains that when the disease spreads to the entire body, it shows that the sickness emerged completely to the surface of the body leaving the interior body healthy. Often people – who have experienced life crises – report that when they reached the bottom, there was only one way to go – so they elevated themselves into a positive life-changing experience. It seems to me that once the tzara’at has spread so totally that there is not even a speck of healthy skin, the inflicted person has become so broken that his ego totally dissolves. He becomes aware of how powerless he is to heal himself and how dependent he is on Hashem’s mercy. Through completely surrendering and letting go of the prior arrogance he has achieved the spiritual purpose of the disease: complete repentance. As it states, “When suffering comes upon a person, he must consider his deeds, as the prophet proclaims, ‘Let us search and examine our ways, and let us return to Hashem’ (Eichah 3:40);” (Berachot 5a). The relevance of paying attention to the outward signs of an illness – be it physical, emotional, or spiritual – is eye-opening. We’re taught the importance of being proactive, not just reactive. The Torah alerts us to be aware – to identify and treat the signs so that a state of overall health is restored. These are the lessons that we can learn from the ancient malady of tzara’at. Let us always search for the underlying spiritual root of whatever affliction we may suffer, so that we can repent sincerely and achieve complete healing! 

EmunaHealing Exercise for Transmuting Negativity to Lifechanging Positivity

1. Settle yourself in your private personal space. Breathe deeply and allow all your thoughts to pass through you. Slowly experience how your mind is becoming clearer of all the static.

2. Ponder the underlying cause of any affliction you may have experienced or even still are experiencing. Perhaps you have been arrogant, or you may still entertain a tinge of arrogance. Think about the pettiness of these negative emotions. Compared to the Almighty we are less than the smallest ant.

3. Allow yourself to feel your pain, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual. Many of us suffer from feeling disconnected. Sometimes, when things don’t go the way, we had hoped, we experience suffering. Or perhaps it is not emotional but physical pain you suffer. Is your lower back aching? Envision your entire self including all your pains and suffering dissolving into the greater whole of the Creator and His universe.

4. You are alone with yourself. Temporarily quarantined from others to re-evaluate your relationships. Shattered relationships are often the remnants of thoughtless, stinging, words. Even if the words spoken are true, the impact can wind up being painful, and the aftermath can continue to adversely impact future generations. Consider any negative or thoughtless words that may have emanated from your lips. Breathe regret into your head and heart. Allow this feeling to spread throughout your entire body.

5. In last week’s Torah portion, Shemini, we were charged not to eat certain prohibited foods. Breathe into the notion that just as we must care about what goes into our mouths, we must be as concerned and careful about what comes out of our mouths. Keep breathing while recalling that just as eating contaminated food can cause physical sickness, speaking contaminated words can cause spiritual illness.

6. Every mindful moment can produce victory over negativity. Striving to dispel harmful speech starts with each of us. Using kind and positive speech will add value to your life and the lives around you. Place your hands on your heart and feel the love you have for your loved ones. Think with your heart positive thoughts about any person of your choice. These loving thoughts will strengthen your resolve to speak positively, as well.

7. Make a resolve to eradicate hurtful speech. Words can build, but they can also destroy. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Mishlei 18:21). Harmful speech, malicious gossip, and insensitivity to others are pervasive, spreading virally, infecting minds, with a boomerang effect – it eventually returns to bring negativity into one’s own life. The transformative results of speaking kindly are positively lifechanging.