Sotah 5B

״ולשאת ולספחת״, ואין ״שאת״ אלא לשון גבוה, שנאמר: ״ועל [כל] ההרים הרמים ועל [כל] הגבעות הנשאות״, ואין ״ספחת״ אלא טפילה, שנאמר: ״ספחני נא אל אחת הכהנות לאכל פת לחם״.

“And for a sore [se’et] and for a scab [sappaḥat]” (Leviticus 14:56), and se’et means nothing other than elevated, as it is stated: “And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up [nissaot]” (Isaiah 2:14). And sappaḥat means nothing other than an appendage, as it is stated in the context of the curse given to the descendants of Eli: “Put me [sefaḥeni], I pray of you, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread” (I Samuel 2:36). They will have to be joined with another priestly family to receive their priestly gifts. One can therefore interpret the verses discussing tzara'at as teaching that one who initially is arrogant, se’et, will eventually become a sappaḥat, diminished in stature.

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: בא וראה כמה גדולים נמוכי הרוח לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא, שבשעה שבית המקדש קיים אדם מקריב עולה ⁠— שכר עולה בידו. מנחה ⁠— שכר מנחה בידו. אבל מי שדעתו שפלה, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו הקריב כל הקרבנות כולם, שנאמר: ״זבחי אלהים רוח נשברה״. ולא עוד, אלא שאין תפלתו נמאסת, שנאמר: ״לב נשבר ונדכה אלהים לא תבזה״.

R' Yehoshua ben Levi says: Come and see how great the lowly in spirit are before God. For when the Temple was standing, a person would sacrifice a burnt-offering and the merit of a burnt-offering would be his; he would sacrifice a meal-offering and the merit of a meal-offering would be his. But with regard to one whose spirit is lowly, the verse ascribes him credit as if he had sacrificed all the sacrificial offerings, as it is stated: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Psalms 51:19), indicating that one who is humble of spirit is regarded as if he offered all the “sacrifices of God.” And not only that, but his prayer is not despised by God, as it is stated at the end of that verse: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”