Dedicated to the women and men who have been held far too long in captivity. Please, Hashem, may we see their redemption soon.

Language has a profound effect on how we think about the world around us. That sounds like an obvious statement. It’s something we all know, but it isn’t something we think about.

A vast number of divrei Torah about this week’s parsha, Parshas Tazria, will say something about language. They will address the great sin of lashon harah, evil speech, which refers to gossip and tale bearing. The strangest part of that fact, however, is that the parsha appears to be talking about the kohanim diagnosing skin ailments and assigning “quarantine” times until the stricken person could return to the camp.

The connection of lashon harah and these skin blemishes has much to do with the pain one can cause another person through lashon harah. Interestingly, the source of lashon harah is most often jealousy, and jealousy comes from judgement. It is, unfortunately, human nature to look at what others have or what successes or praises they have achieved and to measure (in our minds) their worthiness.

Why is that interesting? Perhaps because one of the most amazing things about the way Parshas Tazria is that it is written without judgement. One of the unusually frequent words in this parsha is “V’eem,” “and if.” And if this should happen or if a blemish comes to look like… then this is the next step.

When-If. If-When. We don’t often think of these two words as being opposite, but, in many ways, they are like the plates of a scale. How one uses them makes all the difference in their impact. If one is talking about something positive, saying “When one does good” or “When this shall happen,” is incredibly positive. However, using “when” for the negative – “When you sin” or “When this shall occur” – is ominous.

If it is human nature for people to be judgmental, and if those feelings tend to release themselves through lashon harah, then really the discussion of tzaraas should use the term when: when this happens, this is what one should do. Instead, there is the frequent use of If. In other words, there is no assumption that people will fail, that people will incur upon themselves this spiritual-physical consequence.

There is, in this, a brilliant message for building one’s self-confidence. As much as we know that humans are frequently fallible, that we can be petty and self-centered and jealous, and that we are often unaware of the damage that we do, Hashem believes that we can live up to this standard; but, just in case, He provided us with a warning system, which is Tzaraas.

As we travel our journey through Olem Hazeh, this is a powerful lesson. We don’t expect to falter in the path of our life, but IF we do, the means to fix our mistake has already been provided.

On an added note, this is an excellent thought to keep in mind heading into Pesach. Getting rid of all our chametz can be a laborious process that requires meticulous care in the cleaning process. It is something every household does – but if you fail, if a granola bar falls off the top shelf of the towel rack on the first day of Chol Hamoed…Hashem prepared the cure, since the ownership was nullified. One cannot depend on the nullification statement to not prepare one’s house for Pesach, but if something happens, you are already covered. IF something happens.

Have a wonderful Shabbas and an easy week of Pesach prep.