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Parashat Tazria - פָּרָשַׁת תַזְרִיעַ
Tazria (“She Bears Seed”) opens by describing the purification process for a woman after childbirth. It then describes different forms of tzaraat, a discoloration condition on skin or clothing, and the requirement of an infected person to dwell alone outside the camp and be inspected by a priest.
Torah Portion: Leviticus 12:1-13:59
Parashat Tazria is the 27th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on April 10th, 2027 / 3 Nisan 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
12:1 - 13:5· 13 p’sukim
2:
13:6 - 13:17· 12 p’sukim
3:
13:18 - 13:23· 6 p’sukim
4:
13:24 - 13:28· 5 p’sukim
5:
13:29 - 13:39· 11 p’sukim
6:
13:40 - 13:54· 15 p’sukim
7:
13:55 - 13:59· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
13:57 - 13:59· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah:
II Kings 4:42 - 5:19· 22 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 1
Read Together in 2026/5786
Tazria and Metzora are read together for Triennial Year 1.
- Triennial Year 2
April 10th, 2027
1:
13:29 - 13:34· 6 p’sukim
2:
13:35 - 13:39· 5 p’sukim
3:
13:40 - 13:42· 3 p’sukim
4:
13:43 - 13:46· 4 p’sukim
5:
13:47 - 13:50· 4 p’sukim
6:
13:51 - 13:54· 4 p’sukim
7:
13:55 - 13:59· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
13:57 - 13:59· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah:
Jeremiah 30:1 - 30:9· 9 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
Read Together in 2028/5788
Tazria and Metzora are read together for Triennial Year 3.
About Parashat Parashat Tazria
Tazria is the 27th Torah portion and the fourth in Leviticus, covering Leviticus 12:1–13:59. Its overarching concern is the biblical system of ritual purity and impurity (tum'ah and taharah): how a state of impurity arises, how it is recognized, and how a person returns to purity through immersion in a mikvah and Temple offerings. Crucially, tzaraat here is diagnosed and ruled upon by the kohen (priest) rather than a physician, framing the affliction as a matter of holiness and communal status rather than ordinary medicine. Rabbinic tradition famously reads tzaraat as a consequence of lashon hara (slanderous or evil speech), turning the portion into a touchstone for teachings on the power of speech, communal exclusion, and reintegration.
The Haftarah
When Tazria is read on its own (typically in a Jewish leap year) and does not coincide with a special Shabbat, the haftarah in most communities is 2 Kings 4:42–5:19 (some sources cite the start as 5:1), the story of the prophet Elisha curing Naaman, the Aramean commander, of his tzaraat. The thematic link is direct: where the Torah portion details how the priest diagnoses and manages tzaraat, the haftarah shows a prophet healing it, with Naaman coming to recognize the God of Israel. In a common (non-leap) year Tazria is usually paired with Metzora, in which case the haftarah of Metzora (2 Kings 7:3–20) is read instead. If Tazria falls on Shabbat HaChodesh, a special Ezekiel haftarah replaces the regular one, and here a rite difference applies: most Ashkenazi communities read Ezekiel 45:16–46:18 while many Sephardi communities read Ezekiel 45:18–46:15.
Notable passages and verses
The portion's most cited verses include Leviticus 12:3, the command to circumcise a male infant on the eighth day, and the vivid image in Leviticus 13:45–46 of the metzora who must rend their clothes, cover their lip, cry out "Impure! Impure!" (Tamei! Tamei!), and dwell alone outside the camp. Tazria is also widely associated in rabbinic teaching with lashon hara, making it a frequent springboard for discussions of ethical speech. Notably, tzaraat in this portion can affect not only skin but also garments, while the house/dwelling form of the affliction appears in the following portion, Metzora. The name "Tazria" means "She Bears Seed" (or "when a woman conceives"), taken from the portion's opening words about purification after childbirth.
Frequently asked questions
What is parashat Tazria about?
Tazria (Leviticus 12:1–13:59) opens with the laws of ritual purification for a woman after childbirth and then turns to a detailed priestly manual for diagnosing tzaraat, a skin affliction (often loosely translated as 'leprosy') that can also appear on garments. The kohen, not a physician, inspects the affliction and declares a person pure or impure, and the afflicted person must dwell alone outside the camp until purified. Rabbinic tradition links the condition to lashon hara, evil speech. With TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading with its trope (cantillation).
What is the haftarah for Tazria?
When Tazria is read on its own, the haftarah in most communities is 2 Kings 4:42–5:19, the account of the prophet Elisha curing Naaman of tzaraat (some sources list the start as 5:1). In a common year Tazria is usually combined with Metzora, in which case the Metzora haftarah (2 Kings 7:3–20) is read instead, and on Shabbat HaChodesh a special Ezekiel reading replaces it, with the exact verses differing slightly between Ashkenazi and Sephardi custom. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the haftarah with its trope.
What are the themes of Tazria?
Tazria centers on ritual purity and impurity (tum'ah and taharah): how impurity arises after childbirth and through tzaraat, how the priest diagnoses it, and how a person is restored to purity through immersion and offerings. Because tzaraat is judged by a kohen rather than a doctor, the portion treats it as a matter of holiness and community rather than medicine, and rabbinic tradition reads it as a spiritual response to slanderous speech (lashon hara), raising themes of speech, exclusion, and reintegration. You can hear and practice the full reading with trope on TropeTrainer.
Is Tazria read together with Metzora?
Often, yes. In common (non-leap) years Tazria is read as a double portion combined with the following portion, Metzora; in leap years, when there are more Shabbatot to fill, Tazria is read on its own. Whether your community reads them separately or together can depend on the year's calendar, so it is worth checking the specific year. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice either reading with its trope.
Where to go next
Open a sample Torah reading with full Hebrew text, trope marks, and audio to see how TropeTrainer works.
See the complete list of weekly parashot with links to every reading and detail page.
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