When Moses expressed his doubts whether the people would believe that he was sent by God, God gave him a sign — but one that implied displeasure in Moses' lack of faith in his people.

What was the sign? Moses' hand became white with leprosy. A miraculous sign, to be sure; but tzara'at is a defiling affliction — a clear indication that Moses was being chastised.

The Sages noted a subtle discrepancy between the Torah's description of Moses' hand turning leprous and its subsequent return to normalcy. The first time, Moses took out his hand — "and behold! his hand was leprous like snow"  (Ex.4:6). Moses then placed his hand once again in his robe, and "removed it from his chest and his skin had returned to normal" (Ex.4:7). A careful reading of the text indicates that the two transformations occurred differently. The leprosy took hold after Moses had already removed his hand from his robe. But its return to a normal color occurred even before he had taken out his hand, while it was still 'in his chest.' Why should there be a difference?

From here, the Sages concluded, "The Divine trait of Tovah (beneficence) comes more quickly than the trait of Puranut (punishment or judgment)" (Shabbat 97a).

What does this mean? Why should one Divine trait be faster or better than another?

Beyond the Limits of Time

There is in fact an intrinsic difference between these two Divine traits. The attribute of Tovah is the very foundation of the world. Divine goodness is the goal of all existence; it is united with the very source of life. For this reason, this trait transcends the restrictions of time and place. Even when it descends into our finite world, a reality bounded by the limits of time and place, we may still sense its elevated, boundless nature.

This is the meaning of the statement, "The trait of goodness comes more quickly." The attribute of Tovah reveals an inner light free from the restrictions of time and place. Ezekiel described this phenomenon in his sublime vision of angelic creatures "running and returning like flashes of lightning" (Ez. 1:14).

The Divine trait of Puranut, however, is a different story. Puranut is not an intrinsic aspect of reality. Rather, it is secondary and transitory. Its value is only to serve the good, to 'polish the vessels' so that they may be able to receive the flow of goodness in all of its abundance.

As a result, Puranut is subject to all of the hindrances caused by the limitations of time and place, and its manifestation is delayed.

Intrinsic and External

While Divine goodness is integrally connected to the inner essence of life, Puranut relates to its superficial aspects. The more we have distanced ourselves from the true reality, the more Puranut controls how we view the world. Experiencing the world as a place of punishing judgments comes from the manipulation of the imagination, that emphasizes not the true nature of reality, but its external appearance.

Precisely here — as God informed Moses the true inner nature of Israel, beneath the cloak of outer appearances — was the superficiality of Puranut exposed. Moses' arm only displayed leprosy after he had removed his arm from his robe. "He removed it from his chest, and behold! his hand was leprous like snow." In the true essence, there is no place for evil and harsh punishments; this trait only belongs to the outward display.

Regarding the attribute of goodness, however, his hand was restored to its original healthy state even before he had removed it from his robes. Goodness penetrates to the essence. It is connected to the root of creation, transcending all limitations and hindrances of a finite world. Therefore, Divine beneficence is not restricted by the framework of time, but "arrives quickly." 

(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. IV p. 243)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison