Dermatology in scripture???

B"H

Rosh Chodes Eeyar.

Vaikra (Leviticus) Ch. 14:2 reads:
זֹאת תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע בּיוֹם טָהֳרָתוֹ וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן.

Loosely translated:
These shall be the laws of the metzorah on the day he shall be purified: he shall be brought to the Cohen...

The Torah details a long list of laws pertaining to צרעת (pron. tzaraas or tzaraat) -- a skin decease, a form of a physical manifestation of a spiritual ailment caused by לשון הרע (=defamation and other "evil language".) It manifested first as spots on the skin with hair color-changes, then as spots on clothing and finally on the walls of the inflicted person's home. The inflicted person is labeled metzorah (הַמְּצֹרָע).

Note: the English translations of Torah often mistranslate tzaraas as leprosy and subsequently metzorah is also mistranslated as leper.

The interesting thing about tzaraas is the form of treatment: it must be a Cohen (הַכֹּהֵן -- a person from the priestly clan) who diagnoses the ailment, and proceeds to treat the person inflicted by it. No one else can do it. (Even if the Cohen is not an expert in the field, he must consult an expert (who is not necessarily a Cohen himself), who will assist him making the diagnosis, but ultimately, it must be the Cohen himself who makes the final call and gives treatment.)

This is all a bit odd, at first, for aren't the priests busy? They're working in the Holy Temple and taking care of the whole nation's needs. Surely they're too busy for this type of stuff, especially since it involves a lowly slanderer.

So, why does the Torah require a Cohen to handle this? There appears to be a a good reason for this: The Cohen is a decedent of Aaron, the high-priest.

And here's the explanation:
Aaron was אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה (i.e., brining harmony to people using pleasant methods etc..) A trait inherited by his descendants for generations to come.

Furthermore, the morning blessings include the following: אלה דברים שאדם אוכל פרותיהם... והבאת שלום בין אדם לתבירו. ("These are the things whose dividents a person enjoys in this world and whose principle is reserved for him in the world to come:... creating peace between a person and his fellow...")

This is where Aaron and his descendants excel: making peace between jews by brining harmony in pleasant ways (ומקרבן לתורה -- דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום.) Since tzaraas was an infliction caused by לשון הרע which cases פירוד לבבות (slander which causes disunion between jews) therefore it must be specifically a Cohen who takes the roll of treating and handling it, comforting and guiding the inflicted, etc...

The more severe the ailment is (לשון הרע) the more specialized the doctor has to be (אוהב שלום ורדף שלום).

May this new month אייר (Pron. Eeyar) which is an acronym for "אני השם רופאך" (I am the L-rd your healer) be a month of much healing to the entire Jewish community and the world at-large, both physically and more importantly spiritually!