Editing Mesechtas Negaim (section)

== A Bridegroom with a Visible Affliction ==
In Chapter 3, the Mishnah states: For a bridegroom who has a visible affliction, we wait seven days of the wedding feast. The Tannaim in Tractate Moed Katan disagree about the source of this law: According to Rabbi Yehuda, this law is derived from "and on the day when living flesh appears in it," implying that there is a day when you do not examine it. According to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, we learn this from the verse "and the Kohen shall command, and they shall clear out the vessels from the house," from which we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, cares about the property of Israel. And if we wait for matters of personal choice – to remove vessels from the house, for matters of mitzvah, all the more so. (The Rebbe notes that the names of the Tannaim appear this way specifically in the Gemara in Tractate Moed Katan, but in the early commentaries on Tractate Negaim they appear in reverse.)

The Rebbe explains in Likkutei Sichos that there is a distinction between the two sources of these laws: According to the derivation from the verse "and the Kohen shall command," it is a matter of postponement, as the simple meaning of the phrase "we wait." According to the verse "and on the day when living flesh appears in it," it refers to a day that is completely exempt from the law of examining afflictions, as the simple meaning of the phrase "there is a day when you do not examine it." The Rebbe even adds in parentheses that there may be a halachic difference between the two derivations, since if the derivation is from the verse "and on the day when living flesh appears in it," meaning that this day is completely exempt from the laws of afflictions, then if the Kohen examined the affliction after the fact and declared it impure, the affliction is not impure, since this day is completely exempt from the law of examining afflictions. But if the law is a matter of postponement and delay, one could say that if the Kohen examined the affliction after the fact, the affliction is not impure.

The Rebbe adds that according to Chassidic teachings, there is also a distinction between the two sources of these laws. This is based on the Rambam's explanation that the mitzvah of afflictions contains Hashem's kindness, for when a person speaks lashon hara (evil speech), the Holy One, blessed be He, has mercy on him to return him to teshuvah (repentance) and places afflictions on his house to arouse him and return him to complete teshuvah. According to this, the essence of the mitzvah of afflictions stems from Hashem's love for His children, the people of Israel, to return them to teshuvah. Therefore, even in these details of the mitzvah, Hashem's special kindness is hidden, as He has mercy on him. Although in the law of waiting for matters of personal choice, Hashem's kindness for the property of the wicked is more apparent, while in waiting for a bridegroom, Hashem's fondness for the mitzvah matters of the wicked is more apparent. To add, while the fondness for the property of the wicked shows Hashem's love for a Jew because of his essential Jewish identity, in waiting for a bridegroom, the importance of the mitzvah actions of the wicked is seen, which stems from his actions.
Description	What you type	What you get
Italic	''Italic text''	Italic text
Bold	'''Bold text'''	Bold text
Bold & italic	'''''Bold & italic text'''''	*Bold & italic text*