Parshat Tazria by the Esteemed Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

"When a person has a tzara'at affliction" (Leviticus 13:9)

The Kelipah of Lavan captures the entire world

"The kelipah of Lavan is an extremely severe kelipah that is entirely white, which is the tzara'at. The kelipah of Lavan is the greatest impurity! It is white tzara'at! The kelipah of Lavan captures the entire world! It is like the pig that shows the whole world that it has a sign of purity because it has split hooves; it shows the whole world that it is the whitest, the best, and the purest, and with this, it deceives the entire world."

"Yaakov Avinu knew that he could not defeat the kelipah of Lavan empty-handed; he had to prepare! Before he arrived at the house of Lavan, he did not sleep; he did not leave the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever for fourteen years. He studied Torah day and night. Yaakov knew he was going to the house of Lavan to extract Rachel and Leah and all the souls of the Jewish people; all the souls of the Jewish people were held captive by Lavan."

They show the world as if they are the white ones

"The kelipah of Lavan is white tzara'at; they are like the pig, showing the world that they are the whitest and purest, and they deceive everyone! This is white tzara'at, the greatest impurity! They capture the world with words of peace, love, and friendship; they all talk about peace! And about peace! And about peace! The word 'peace' never leaves their mouths."

They speak of truth while everything is actually a lie

"Reb Noson says about all the heretics that the word 'truth' never leaves their mouths! They talk about the truth all day long! The kelipah of Lavan is the greatest impurity that exists! And the more a person is in falsehood, the more wicked, the more of a murderer he is, the more he speaks about peace and about truth. The more of a heretic he is, the more he puts up signs in the streets about truth and peace. In every corner of the street and on the roads: Truth! Truth! Truth! That is how it is! The more a person is in falsehood and the more wicked he is, the more he speaks about peace! He speaks more about truth! But a person who has a drop of truth, a drop of humility, barely lets the word 'truth' pass his lips. What do I have to do with truth? Do I have a connection to the truth!? What connection do I have with the truth!? I am far from truth! But the kelipah of Lavan, white tzara'at, not only speaks about the truth, but they also proclaim the truth to the entire world."

A person who thinks he is in the truth is actually in a lie

"A person thinks he has discovered the truth, that he is in the truth, that he is already Breslov. He thinks, 'Everyone else is in a lie; I am the tzaddik, I am in the truth.' You are not Breslov! You do not know what Breslov is! You are just in fantasies! In tzara'at! Thinking evil of Jews! Spreading slander! You are in tzara'at from head to toe!! You think you are white, pure, a tzaddik, but you are in tzara'at! White tzara'at."

The purest soul in creation is found in the most impure body in creation

"A person needs to emerge from his tzara'at; he must know that he was placed inside a body, his soul was placed inside a body that is entirely tzara'at; his body is entirely tzara'at! The body is the most coarse thing that exists! The coarsest of all of creation! Against this, he has the soul, the spirituality, which is the highest! And he must subdue his animalistic nature; his animalistic nature is to think evil and speak lashon hara—that is his animalistic nature! Like an animal! An animal gores, bites, and kicks; he also gores, conflicts, and talks about this one and that one."

The Rebbe says that those who follow the lie will give a greater accounting than the liar himself! Because the liar himself has a great yetzer hara, but there are those who follow him and they do so willfully! It is comfortable for them! They want to be deceived! King David always sought the truth, the eternity, 'You will show me the path of life, fullness of joys... pleasantness in Your right hand forever.' David knew he was not the true tzaddik. Reb Noson says David had a burning fire to love the other, to give to the other, not a fire to speak about the other or to harm the other. David was persecuted his whole life, yet he was always in joy, in songs and praises, 'The sweet singer of Israel'."

Because when a person lacks humility, there is no joy!

"A person needs to be like King David, to have a fire burning within him to give to the other! To respect the other! Why is a person not in joy? Because he is busy all day with insults and abuse! He despises everyone in his heart; he disagrees with everyone in his heart, and therefore he is not in joy! Because when a person lacks humility, there is no joy! He feels he is the smartest, the most truthful, and he has an evil eye, and the whole world is as nothing in his eyes, like the dust of the earth. Sometimes, for the sake of etiquette, he respects someone, giving kisses to this one and that one. He thinks his kisses and manners will cover up the insults and abuse that burn within him day and night."

"When will a person be in joy? Only when he is in humility! When he knows he is less than everyone! When he knows he is worth nothing! That only Hashem can help him! When he knows he is still in falsehood! That everything is from Hashem! 'I will rejoice in Hashem'—only then can he be in true joy! All sadness is only because of the pride that burns within him day and night, which leads him to speak about the other and to despise the other, and therefore he is not in joy."

Every word that comes out of the mouth must be in holiness

"The Zohar says, a person blemishes his speech, and thereby blemishes the seven holy breaths, and then tzara'at occurs. The entire work of a person is to merit those seven holy breaths, so that every word a person utters from his mouth will be holy of holies, every syllable will be holy of holies. You must sanctify the breath of your mouth so that no incorrect word comes out of your mouth, no lashon hara, no gossip, no word of harshness, no word of anger, no word of selfishness, of pride, Heaven forbid. If a person only utters holy breaths from his mouth, then the Kingdom of Hashem will be revealed in the world, and he will be able to bring the Geulah and build the Holy Temple."

Courtesy of 'Tzmah Nafshi'