Bahereth בהרת

Bahereth, the whitest and brightest of all skin nega’im, is the color of snow -snow-white in its intensity. But, has a lesser form of bahereth that is listed in the mishna being as “white” as the limestone of the heichal.

Image of a bahereth located under the knee, bahereth typically has a bit of ‘shine’ to it.

Thus, it is even brighter than se’eth and depending on its size, may be an indicator of immediate tumah.

In all its brightness, both the se’eth and the sapachath can border on the bahereth and be included for the minimal size requirement of tuma.

What’s the message?

Chazal and torah commentarians have given reasons for this specific shade and what it may indicate in terms of the afflicted person lacking in his “midoth” -interaction with his fellow;

• The word בהרת can rearranged to read בהתר a “permit” – indicating that the afflicted may have taken the liberty to permit to him/herself that which is אסור forbidden in Halacha/Torah law{{1}}
• Another thing it may signal is that afflicted may have spoken lashon harah thereby “whitening” (embarrassing) the face of another in public.{{2}}
• Another signal it may imply is that the afflicted acted brazenly before a person greater than himself{{3}}
• It may indicate other factors that may seem to be not the direct fault of the individual{{4}}

The Torah prohibition of removing a bahereth עזה from the skin is explained to be in full effect on our day and age{{5}}

[[1]]שפתי כהן עה״ת ח״ב דף סז[[1]]

[[2]]kli yikar vayikra 13:2[[2]]

[[3]]דרך ארץ זוטא פרק ט[[3]]

[[4]]- see rockeach to vayikra p. 145 quoted from ברייתא דמסכת נדה וספר כלבו סימן קמה.[[4]]

[[5]]see kavtsiel, vol. 26, yerushalayim 5758, article by Rabbi A. Mayara[[5]]

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