I was taken aback by the very casual way the term “leper” was repeatedly used by Erica Brown, a director of adult education, in her Sabbath Week column of April 4. The term leprosy is not an accurate translation of tzaraath as used in Leviticus. For one thing, a skin disease that is readily contagious and could be cleared up in seven days does not fit the actual disease of leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease. And the way the unfortunate victims of this disease were regarded in the Middle Ages uncomfortably resembles the treatment of Jews, as well as prostitutes and other outcasts. Effective treatments are available now and misplaced revulsion toward the victims only deters some of them from seeking medical help.
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