157. "And he that owns the house shall come and tell" (Vayikra 14:35). HE WONDERS WHY IT SAYS, "and tell." It should have said, 'said,' or 'speak.' Why "tell?" AND HE ANSWERS, This always alludes to a matter of wisdom, and it has been explained. "It seems to me there is as it were a plague in the house" (Ibid.). HE SAYS, "as it were a plague" should have been just "a plague." HE SAYS, "It seems to me there is" should have been 'there is,' as it is written, "I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession" (Ibid. 34), WHICH MEANS it will be visible to everyone. Why DOES HE SAY, "It seems to me there is as it were a plague?"

158. AND HE ANSWERS, When the one, THE PLAGUE, enters THE HOUSE, the other appears, THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT THAT RESIDED IN THE HOUSE, and they fight each other. Hence HE SAID, "It seems to me," FOR IT WAS SEEN TO ME AT FIRST. For the one hidden, THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT THAT USED TO HIDE UPON THE COMING OF THE PLAGUE, was exposed, and the one exposed, THE PLAGUE, hid. Later it assumed a form as that plague WAS SEEN in the house and the other was hidden, THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT. Hence IT IS WRITTEN, "tell the priest" (Ibid. 35), for it is a matter of wisdom, AS TELLING INDICATES WISDOM.

159. The priest then comes, and they demolish the house and break it down, the wood, stones and the rest. Once they broke it and were purified in every way, they are blessed. Then it is written, "and have built goodly houses, and dwelt in them" (Devarim 8:12), WHICH MEANS THEY WILL BUILD THEM RIGHTEOUSLY. These are called goodly houses, because the earlier ones were not good, not pertaining to the holy and the pure.

160. Rabbi Yehuda said, In that case, how can we explain the verse, "houses full of all good things, which you did not fill" (Devarim 6:11). If the spirit of defilement rests in them, how can they be filled with goodness? Rabbi Elazar said, They are filled with good things, money, silver and gold and everything, as it is written, "for the good of all the land of Egypt" (Beresheet 45:20). Rabbi Yehuda also said, Yet all the houses in Egypt were filled with witchcraft and items of idolatry. HOW CAN THE VERSE SAY "FOR THE GOOD OF ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT?" It was said, "FOR THE GOOD..." because of the wealth of the land. Here too, due to the wealth and money IT SPEAKS OF "HOUSES FULL OF ALL GOOD THINGS."

161. Yisrael received two TIMES wealth, once when they left Egypt and one when they entered the land, BY BREAKING DOWN THE CONTAMINATED HOUSES. Rabbi Shimon said, The purpose of all these PLAGUES IN THE HOUSES was to sanctify the land and remove the spirit of defilement from the land and from Yisrael. IN ADDITION, when one broke down a house, he would find a treasure in it SUFFICIENT to rebuild and fill his house, so he will not be sorry for the house THAT WAS BROKEN DOWN, and they will dwell in a holy habitation.

162. "If a man also or a woman has in the skin of their flesh bright white spots" (Vayikra 13:38). Rabbi Yosi said, We learned that the excessive acidity in the intensely bright spot, OF WHICH 300 AGREED-UPON LAWS WERE RECITED, follows its appearance. And its appearance is judged in these MANY ways. Rabbi Yitzchak said, One may derive 300 arguments from the intensely bright spot. I have learned them all from my father, excepting THE ONE when there is one BLACK hair, ONE IS STILL impure BECAUSE it is one witness. Two BLACK HAIRS are two witnesses and so one is pure. More than that, even a hundred HAIRS are like two, and the two HAIRS are as a hundred. Thus I have learned this afterwards FROM THE WORDS, "One witness shall not rise up against a man... at the mouth of two witnesses..." (Devarim 19:15).