Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Leprosy in P and in Mesopotamian rites

DR. YITZHAQ FEDER: Tzaraat in Light of Its Mesopotamian Parallels (TheTorah.com).
Notwithstanding its lengthy coverage of tzaraat (צרעת, biblical “leprosy”), why does the Torah omit discussion of its cause (sin?), its infectiousness, and its treatment? Comparison to the Mesopotamian rituals pertaining to a strikingly similar disease (Saḫaršubbû) shows that these omissions were far from accidental.