Regarding the Torah's prohibition of foods, many of the commentators have thought that it is because of the body's health and medical care, those foods being bad, and generating a harmful moistness. This is the view of the Ramban, on the verse, "these you shall abhor among the birds" (Lev. 11:13). But God forbid that I should believe this, because if that were the case, the divine Sefer Torah would be on the level of a minor book among the books of medicine -- short in both words and reasoning. And this is not the way of the divine Torah, or the depth of its purpose.

(6) ...A philosopher asked Rabbi Hoshayah: He said to him, if God so loves circumcision why did he not give it to Adam. He said to him, why does that man (you) shave the corners of your head and leave the corners of your beard? He said to him because it grew with me in folly. He said to him: if so you should blind your eyes, lop off your hand, and sever you legs since they grew with in follow. He said to him: To these words we have come wonder. He said to him: Anything created in the first six days, needs further actions, for example mustard seeds need sweetening, peas needs sweetening, wheat needs grinding, even humans need fixing.

(28) God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.”

(10) "Then those two—Mahlon and Chilion—also died (Ruth 1:5)": Rabbi Chunya and Rabbi Yehoshua son of Rabbi Avin and Rabbi Zavda his son-in-law of Rabbi Levi: "The master of mercies at first does not take punishment from souls". From what do you teach this? From Job, as it is said: "A messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing (Job 1:14)"... "when Sabeans attacked them and carried them off (Job 1:15)"". Rabbi Abba son of Kahana said: "They went out from Kefar Kerinos and the walked all the Avalonim to the tower of the dyers and they died there: "Only I alone have escaped to tell you (Job 1:15)"". Rabbi Chanina said: "The word "only" (raq) is a limitation word, and so he was broken and beaten". Rabbi Yudan said: "The word "alone" (levadi) is a limitation: "This one was still speaking (Job 1:16)" and while he was speaking his account, he died". "This one was still speaking when another came and said, “A Chaldean formation of three columns (Job 1:17)": Rabbi Samuel son of Nachman said: "When Job heard he began to stir his ranks for war, and he said: "How many ranks am I able to arm and how many squads am I able to form, and this nation in this world is despised: "Behold the land of Chaldea— This is the people that has ceased to be (Isaiah 23:13)"; if only they had not come to cause the fear of them to fall upon me". And when he said to him: "God’s fire fell from heaven (Job 1:16)", Job said: This is from heaven? What can I do "so that I keep silent and do not step outdoors (Job 31:34)" and so "he took a potsherd to scratch himself as he sat in ashes (Job 2:8)". But in Egypt it was this way: "He struck their vines and fig trees (Psalm 105:33)" and later "He gave their beasts over to hail, their cattle to lightning bolts (Psalms 78:48)" and still later: "He struck every first-born in Egypt (Psalm 78:51)". And so with plagues it is this way: in the beginning they come on his house. If he repents for himself it is made good, and if not, look the contaminated ones are removed, as it is said: "the priest shall order the stones with the plague in them to be pulled out (Leviticus 14:40)". And if he repents for himself it is made good, and if not, the whole is demolished. If he repents for himself, it is made good, but if not the plagues come upon his clothes and the contaminated ones must be washed. And if he repents for himself, it is made good, and if not the contaminated clothes are torn, as it is said: "he shall tear it out from the cloth (Leviticus 13:56)". If he repents for himself, it is made good, and if not the contaminated clothes are burned, as it is said: "He shall burn the clothing (Leviticus 13:52)". And finally the plagues come upon his body. And if he repents, it is made good, and if not, he leaves and comes back. And if he repents, it is made good, and if not: "Being unclean, he shall dwell apart; his dwelling shall be outside the camp (Leviticus 13:46)". And so with Machlon and Chilion it went this way: at first their horses, donkeys, and camels died, and then later, Elimelech died, and after that "Then those two—Mahlon and Chilion—also died so the woman was left (sha'er) ": Rabbi Chanina said: "She was made the reside of residue (sheyarei sheyarim)".

...When the Jewish people are predominantly in the state of spiritual coma the author just described, the symptoms described in our portion will not appear as it would be a waste of time to hope that the people thus afflicted would see in these symptoms a message from their G’d.

The Hebrew term for leprosy is a homonym embracing various meanings. The whiteness in a man's skin is called leprosy; the falling off of some hair on the head or the chin is named leprosy; and a change of color in clothing or in houses is referred to as leprosy. Now this change in clothes and in houses which the Torah has called leprosy, as a homonym, is not a natural phenomenon, but was deemed a sign and a wonder among the people of Israel to warn them against evil gossip. If a man dealt out malicious gossip, the walls of his house would change; if he repented, the house would become clean again. But if he persisted in his wickedness until the house was demolished, leather objects in his home upon which he would sit or lie would then suffer a change; if he repented, they would become clean again. But if he persisted in his wickedness until they had to be burned, the clothes which he wore would undergo a change; if he repented, they would become clean again. But if he persisted in his wickedness until they had to be burned, his skin would suffer a change and he would become leprous, and be set apart and exposed all alone, so as not to engage in evil talk, which consists of mockery and malicious gossip.
In warning against this, the Torah says: "In an attack of leprosy you shall be careful… Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the journey" (Deuteronomy 24:8-9). The Torah means to say: Consider what happened to Miriam the prophetess who spoke against her brother, even though she was older than he, and had nurtured him on her knees after having endangered her life to save him from the sea. Now she did not disparage him but made the only mistake in placing him on a level with other prophets, and he did not mind all this, as it is written: "Moses was a very humble man" (Numbers 12:3). And yet, she was immediately punished with leprosy. How much more then is this applicable to evil men, those fools, who keep talking arrogantly and boastfully.
It is therefore proper for the man who would steer his course of life aright to shun their company and refrain from talking with them, that he should not be caught in the net of evil and arrogant men. The company of wicked mockers follows this usage: At the outset, they indulge in much idle talk, as it is written: "A fool's voice comes with a multitude of words" (Ecclesiastes 5:2). Thereupon they fall into discrediting the upright, as it is written: "Let dumbness strike the lying lips that speak insolence against the just" (Psalm 31:19). Then they get into the habit of talking against the prophets and discrediting their words, as it is written: "They mocked God's messengers, despised his words, and derided his prophets" (II Chronicles 36:16). Then they come to speak against God and to deny the very principle of religion, as it is written: "The Israelites devised things that were not right against the Lord their God" (II Kings 17:9). It is written moreover: "They set their mouthings against heaven, and their tongue roams the earth" (Psalm 73:9). What caused them to set their mouthings against heaven? Their tongue, which first roamed the earth. Such is the conversation of the wicked, occasioned by their sitting at street corners, the meeting places of the ignorant, and the company of drunkards in the taverns. The conversation of worthy Jews, on the other hand, is permeated with words of Torah and wisdom. For this reason, God lends them aid and bestows wisdom upon them, as it is written: "When those who revered the Lord spoke to each other, the Lord heeded and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and ahhered to him" (Malachi 3:16).