289. He replied to him, THAT IS COMPARABLE to a king that was sitting in his palace on the throne. Some leper called at the door. The king responded, Who is it that knocks on my door? They replied, Some unknown leper. He said, Let him not enter this area and let him not soil the palace with filth. I understand that if I inform him through a messenger, he will have no fear of me and if my son will approach him, he will be contaminated. Rather, I will go myself and threaten him to distance him from my son so that he won't be contaminated. The king came first and approached him and warned him, Leper, leper, keep your foot away from the road where my son lives. If not, I promise you that my handmaids' sons will cut you into pieces.

291. So too, Bilaam that leper, who is the outcast from people, calls at the king's gate. The king heard and said, This contaminated leper should not enter in here and he shall not soil my palace. I need to go and warn him that he should not approach the gate of my son, and he should not taint him. Therefore, "And Elohim came to Bilaam" saying, Leper, leper, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people: for they are blessed" (Bemidbar 22:12). Do not get near my son, either for good or for bad. You are outright polluted. However, about Moses, it is written: "And...called to Moses" (Vayikra 1:1), meaning the voice of the King, and not through an emissary. "Out of the Tent of Meeting" (Shemot 30:20), MEANS from the holy palace the good chanber, the precious palace, which the upper and lower grades crave, but are unable to approach.

386. Idol worship: How do we know THAT DUE TO THAT CAUSE PLAGUES COME? Because it is written: "And when Moses saw that the people were in disorder; for Aaron had made them disorderly" (Shemot 32:25). What is the meaning of, "were in disorder?" It means that they were inflicted with leprosy. It is written here, "were in disorder (Heb. paru'a)" and it is written there, "And the diseased man in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall grow long (Heb. paru'a)..." (Vayikra 13:45). JUST LIKE IT MEANS LEPROSY THERE, HERE TOO IT IS LEPROSY. About cursing the name of Hashem, HOW DO WE KNOW? It is because it is written: "This day will Hashem deliver you (Heb. yesagercha) into my hand" (I Shmuel 17:46), MEANING THE PHILISTINE WHO WAS REVILING AND CURSING THE NAME. It is written ABOUT THE LEPER: "And the priest shall shut him up (Heb. hisgiro)" (Vayikra 13:5). WE UNDERSTAND FROM THIS COMPARISON BY ANALOGY. JUST LIKE IT WAS REGARDING LEPROSY THERE, HERE TOO IT HAS TO DO WITH LEPROSY.

388. Here with this Philistine, as soon as he cursed the Name, David looked at him with an evil eye and saw on his forehead that he became leprous. Immediately, "the stone buried itself in his forehead" (I Shmuel 17:49), because the leprosy was stuck to his forehead. All this was DUE TO the impression of the evil eye of the leprosy in his forehead, that this stone was actually sunk into his brow. IT IS definite that he was a leper.