Metzora: It's Not How It Appears

"And he shall tell it to the kohen saying, 'like a negah appears to me'." (Vayikra 35:15)

Rashi comments that even a talmid chacham who knows the laws of tzaraas and knows that this is definitely a negah should not rule on it like a clear matter and say "I saw a negah". Rather, he too should tell the kohen, "I saw something that looks like a negah."

The Rebbe said that many times something bad will happen and we are tempted to immediately call it for what it is -- bad. But we know that everything is ultimately good. We may learn something, we may become stronger, it may be an atonement, it may lead to something clearly good. If you pasken on something that is apparently bad and label it as assuredly evil, you are denying the inherent good in everything and you are denying Hashem's love and care and intimate involvement in every detail of life. Although it may be a negah, there is always a treasure trove buried beneath it (as the previous Rashi mentions). You can't call something that leads you to vast riches an affliction. It is certainly "like an affliction", but clearly or inherently bad it is not.

When we experience something painful or uncomfortable, we must never declare it to be evil. We must remember that the underlying essence at hand is Hashem's profound and boundless love, His exquisite intervention and His ultimate, overall agenda on our behalf.

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