In this week's Parsha(s) Tazria and Metzora, we read about the affliction of leprosy. The leprosy on a person's body that causes spiritual impurity, is a white spot of various shades accompanied by other signs. One of the interesting laws that the Torah tells us though is that normally a person who is impure needs to wait until the skin affliction disappears to purify themselves. There is an exception though if the affliction spreads and his whole body turns white. This seems a bit counterintuitive as a person should certainly not become pure if the impurity spreads.

The Gemara tells us that just as when the affliction spreads throughout the body a person becomes pure, so too in the end of days, when the governments of the world turn to heresy it is a sign that the Messiah will soon arrive and redeem us. The Imrei Emes, explains that just as this principle applies in the communal sense, so too in a personal sense this principle applies as well. Sometimes a person is faced with hardships in life, but in extreme circumstances it seems like their hardships have spread and entirely engulfed them. This is a sign that soon a person's redemption and salvation will soon come!

May we all see speedy salvations on both the communal and personal level.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath