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Parashat Metzora - פָּרָשַׁת מְצֹרָע
Metzora opens by describing the purification process and accompanying sacrifices for one infected with tzaraat, a discoloration condition on the skin. It then describes the process of treating a house infected with tzaraat and the ritual impurity generated by certain bodily discharges.
Torah Portion: Leviticus 14:1-15:33
Parashat Metzora is the 28th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on April 17th, 2027 / 10 Nisan 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
14:1 - 14:12· 12 p’sukim
2:
14:13 - 14:20· 8 p’sukim
3:
14:21 - 14:32· 12 p’sukim
4:
14:33 - 14:53· 21 p’sukim
5:
14:54 - 15:15· 19 p’sukim
6:
15:16 - 15:28· 13 p’sukim
7:
15:29 - 15:33· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
15:31 - 15:33· 3 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 1
Read Together in 2026/5786
Tazria and Metzora are read together for Triennial Year 1.
- Triennial Year 2
April 17th, 2027
1:
14:1 - 14:5· 5 p’sukim
2:
14:6 - 14:9· 4 p’sukim
3:
14:10 - 14:12· 3 p’sukim
4:
14:13 - 14:15· 3 p’sukim
5:
14:16 - 14:20· 5 p’sukim
6:
14:21 - 14:25· 5 p’sukim
7:
14:26 - 14:32· 7 p’sukim
Maftir:
14:30 - 14:32· 3 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
Read Together in 2028/5788
Tazria and Metzora are read together for Triennial Year 3.
About Parashat Parashat Metzora
Metzora completes the tzaraat laws begun in the preceding portion, Tazria, shifting the focus from diagnosis to purification and the restoration of ritual purity. Its central concern is how someone or something afflicted is brought back into the community: the rite for a healed person, the treatment of tzaraat that appears on the walls of a house, and the impurity that arises from various bodily discharges. A major thematic thread in rabbinic interpretation reads tzaraat not as an ordinary illness but as a physical consequence of moral failings, especially lashon hara (evil or slanderous speech). The portion thus connects bodily purity, the integrity of the home, and ethical conduct under a single framework of becoming "clean" again.
The Haftarah
The standard haftarah for Metzora is 2 Kings 7:3-20, the account of four men afflicted with tzaraat sitting outside the gate of besieged Samaria during an Aramean siege and famine; it is read the same way in most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities. The thematic link is the leper as outcast: the portion requires a person with tzaraat to dwell outside the camp until healed, and in the haftarah the four excluded lepers are the first to discover that the enemy army has fled, becoming the unlikely bearers of communal deliverance. In most common (non-leap) years Metzora is joined with Tazria as a double portion, and this same haftarah is read. When Metzora coincides with a special Sabbath, the haftarah is overridden: Shabbat HaGadol uses Malachi 3:4-24, Shabbat HaChodesh uses a passage from Ezekiel 45-46, and Shabbat Rosh Chodesh uses Isaiah 66. Communities and rites differ on these override readings (for example the exact Ezekiel verse range for Shabbat HaChodesh varies between Ashkenazi and Sephardi practice), so congregants should confirm the specific reading with their own community.
Notable passages and verses
Metzora is closely associated with lashon hara through a well-known wordplay that reads metzora as motzi shem ra, "one who spreads a bad name." Rabbinic tradition lists several sins, headed by slander, said to bring on tzaraat, and points to Miriam's affliction after speaking against Moses (Numbers 12) as the classic example. The two-bird purification rite of Leviticus 14:4-7, using two birds, cedar wood, a crimson thread, and hyssop performed outside the camp, is a frequently studied passage, as is the law of tzaraat in a house, with its priestly inspection, removal of stones, and possible demolition. The lepers' line in the haftarah, "this day is a day of good news" (2 Kings 7:9), is often quoted. Metzora also frequently falls on or near Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath before Passover.
Frequently asked questions
What is parashat Metzora about?
Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33) completes the laws of tzaraat begun in Tazria. It lays out the purification rite for a person healed of tzaraat, performed outside the camp with two birds, cedar wood, crimson thread, and hyssop, followed by shaving, immersion in a mikveh, a waiting period, and graduated sacrifices (with a less expensive offering allowed for the poor). It then covers tzaraat affecting a house and impurity arising from bodily discharges. Rabbinic tradition reads tzaraat as a consequence of moral failings, especially lashon hara, evil speech. On TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading with its trope.
What is the haftarah for Metzora?
The standard haftarah for Metzora is 2 Kings 7:3-20, the story of four men afflicted with tzaraat who sit outside besieged Samaria and become the first to discover that the enemy has fled, bringing news of deliverance. It is read this way in most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities, and the same haftarah is used when Metzora is combined with Tazria as a double portion. When Metzora falls on a special Sabbath such as Shabbat HaGadol, Shabbat HaChodesh, or Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, a different haftarah is read, and the exact passage can vary by community, so it is worth confirming with your own congregation. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this reading with its trope.
What are the themes of Metzora?
The major themes of Metzora are purification and the restoration of ritual purity: how a person healed of tzaraat is brought back into the community, how a house afflicted with tzaraat is treated, and how impurity from bodily discharges is resolved. Running through the portion is the rabbinic reading of tzaraat as a physical sign of moral failings, above all lashon hara, evil or slanderous speech, captured in the wordplay metzora as motzi shem ra. You can hear and practice the Metzora reading with its trope on TropeTrainer.
Why is Metzora linked to lashon hara?
Rabbinic tradition treats tzaraat as more than a skin condition, reading it as a consequence of moral failings, with slander at the top of the list. This is reinforced by the wordplay that interprets metzora as motzi shem ra, one who spreads a bad name, and by the example of Miriam, who was stricken with tzaraat after speaking against Moses (Numbers 12). This connection is a widely repeated theme in commentary rather than an explicit statement in the portion's text. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the Metzora reading with its trope.
Where to go next
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