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The concept of Tzaraat is confusing.

Essentially, soon after slandering your friend, you are to be afflicted by this mysterious skin or clothing discolouration as a punishment and then excommunicated.

Doesn't this require that God intervene in nature in a very obvious way on a regular basis?

From various sources, I recall learning that God doesn't perform miracles except on the rarest of occasions - certainly not something so easily testable and routine.

How do we consolidate the disease of Tzaraat (sometimes translated as leprosy) with the concepts of free-choice, emunah, God's role in nature, etc?

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  • Can you provide a source for your 2nd par.? I understand that tzara'at is supposedly the result of lashon hara, but the Torah text itself does not state what causes tzara'at. Also, tzara'at can afflict the walls of your home - a factor that may be part of your answer.
    – DanF
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 21:43
  • Rambam writes in MN IIRC that tzaraas is a miraculous phenomenon.
    – mevaqesh
    Commented Apr 17, 2015 at 2:46

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Doesn't this require that God intervene in nature in a very obvious way on a regular basis?

The answer to this question is yes

Originally, miracles occurred on a regular basis. We see this from the list of miracles that existed during the first temple. Additionally, the prophets were active and were able to perform miracles. We also see that the Bnai Yisrael were on a high enough level that spiritual flaws were able to affect the physical world. This is something that no longer happens to us. We are no longer on such a high spiritual level.

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