The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parshios this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
Rabbi Frand said two vorts tonight on the concept of metzorah which for our purposes we will define loosely as leprosy. The first vort related to the metzorah which appears on the house. R' Frand highlighted some interesting choices in verbiage in the first few pesukim which discuss this concept in Vayikra 14:33-35.
The Torah states that the metzorah will come after the Jews arrive in the land of Canaan "that I gave you as a possession". But why did the Torah need to mention that Hashem gave the land as a possession? Who else could have given it to them? The Torah also writes that the person "whom the house belongs to" must go to the Kohain and advise that there is something that looks like leprosy on the house. Again, who else would we expect to come to the Kohain? Lastly, the owner of the house is directed to remove all of his possessions from the house prior to the Kohain's inspection and potential declaration that the house is tamei and all within it are tamei as well.
R' Frand quoted the Klei Yakar who in turn quoted the gemara in Erchin which teaches that the leprosy on a house comes from a person being stingy with their possessions. R' Frand gave examples of a person who when the neighbor asks to borrow the lawnmower says that he uses a service. Or when he wants to borrow the car, the response is "its in the shop" when neither is true.
This is not to say that a person can never say no and R' Frand used the phrase "prudent stewardship" to teach that there are times when you should say no...like when the neighbor's kid who just got a license wants to borrow your car.
But the punishment of tzaraas on the house for being stingy is a way that Hashem shows that you are just watching His things and they are not yours. This is the reason that the pasuk begins with saying this will happen after the Jews come to Canaan which Hashem gave to them as a possession. If the owner of the house is stingy and does not lend the property, he will see the leprosy on his house and after reporting it, he will be directed to remove everything from the house, including the very things that he was too stingy to lend (and claimed that he did not have).
R' Frand also discussed the more "traditional" tzaraas in which a person sees the leprosy on his person and must bring two birds as his offering for forgiveness. One of the birds is sent away and the other is slaughtered. R' Frand noted that this is the only time that a personal offering is not slaughtered and instead is sent away.
Again, R' Frand referred to the gemara in Erchin which asked, why are birds used for this? Since the birds twitter incessantly, it is a reminder that the punishment comes from speaking lashon hara.
R' Frand next quoted the Zohar which states that the two birds signify speaking lashon hara and lashon hatov. But what is meant by that?
R' Frand answered in the name of the Sfas Emes who explains that the lashon hatov referred to is refraining from speaking positively about others. A person can find himself in a position where he could give positive reinforcement to another, but chooses not to because he does not want to get involved, or is too lazy. The bird that is slaughtered is symbolic of the lashon hara which must be cut off. The bird that is sent away is symbolic of the lashon hatov which should be set free to continue.
There was more to the vort and a great story as well. I hope to iyh write more on this and finish the summary before Shabbos.
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