The Torah introduces another type of Tzara’at (skin discoloration); when we ultimately reach the land of Canaan which G-d has given to us as a possession, G-d will place stains on the walls of our homes in the land that we possess (14:34). Given the fact that the people are currently in the desert, it seems evident that this would happen only once we claim the land that G-d has promised. Why does the Torah clarify such a seemingly obvious fact?
Perhaps the Torah’s redundant usage of the word possession in this passuk (verse) was not meant to further explain the timeline of our ownership of the land, but to highlight the concept of possession. Possessing something can imply control over it, a sentiment that can easily lead to comfort in one’s current situation and resistance to change. The solution to being set in our ways is to break the walls, at least enough to see the benefit of changing. Rashi adds that when the walls of people’s homes were inevitably broken due to tzara’at, they found treasures hidden inside. Those same treasures emerge when we learn to break down our walls of bad habits and conquer the negative traits within us.
