The ultimate service of Hashem, the ultimate Holiness, is by appreciating the pleasure of closeness with Him. When Man takes this pleasure and claims ownership of it however, he thereby severs himself from its source and is left to lick his wounds on his own. When wisdom prescribes the need for pleasure, and unites with the physical in its delight in achieving it, only then is the gratification complete and enduring. When pleasure is dictated by a base will for self-gratification, however, the results are no longer attractive: Whether it comes from greed, lust, the pursuit of honor, or the desire to have everything, its detachment from anything noble separates it from the Source of all pleasure.
The root of this idea, explains the Ariz"l, lies in the verse in Bereshis "And a river goes out of Eden and waters the garden". Eden - delight - represents Heavenly Wisdom expressed (through the River) in a rational understanding (Bina - the garden). The initial letters - the primordial roots - of these three Hebrew words Eden-Nahar-Gan spell the word Oneg (pleasure) when the word river is moved to its proper place between Eden and the garden. If however a person perverts his intellect into allowing himself to pursue his desires at random, spurning distorted relationships, the result is Nahar-Gan-Eden, the initials of which spell Nega - an affliction; a state of unholiness (Tumah), being distanced from the Divine.
After these introductions we can now reapproach our Parsha with a deeper understanding of that which our Sages taught that improper speech brings on the Nega of Tzaraas (physical affliction of the skin). One can enjoy abusing another person eloquently, thereby exhibiting one's tremendously witty intellect; but by doing so he has presented himself as a fool, and will suffer the fate of fools. The Torah requires such a person to remove himself physically from anything related to the Divine, and to proclaim his plight for all to know. Publicizing his lack of spiritual integration forces him to face it and to humble himself to the point of accepting the sovereignty of wisdom and to act accordingly. Wisdom, Heavenly Wisdom, prescribes silence in regard to another's failings and praise of their achievements. Such speech and conduct, dictated by morals rather than whims, cause tremendous gratification in This World and The Next.
More about the concept of Tahara in the next weeks. Questions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva