Leviticus 13:46: "All the days that the affliction is upon him he shall remain contaminated; he is contaminated. He shall dwell in isolation; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." What is the affliction of tzaraat? The whiteness of the skin symbolizes the departure of vitality from the person, and the hairs represent the vulnerability of the individual to negative behavior and forces. This is brought about by egotisitical frame of mind and a feeling of superiority to those around him. Such a person often speaks openly about the faults of those around him or her, and makes no effort to help out their fellow when the opportunity arises. This is why the cure/punishment for such an individual is to isolate themselves until they are humbled and learn to appreciate human company.
The word "dwelling" in the verse is superflous. It would have sufficed to say "he shall dwell in isolation outside the camp". This extra word comes to teach us that not only his own house becomes contaminated by his negativity but also any house he walks into becomes impure. This completes his isolation - if he tries to enter a neighbor's house during his affliction, everything in that house becomes impure - all the metal and wooden vessels have to be purified and all the earthenware vessels thrown out.
If a metzora (one afflicted with tzaraat) enters a house without permission, does the house become impure nevertheless? Rabbi Yehuda one of the Tannaitic Sages teaches that the owner of the house has a time period equivalent to the time it takes to light shabbat candles to tell the metzora to exit the house.
Why did Rabbi Yehuda choose the lighting of a candle to define this time period? Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shneerson explains that the lighting of a candle is equivalent kabbalistically to the drawing down of Wisdom illumination down to the world. The metzora is also cured by coming to the Kohen who represents the side of Wisdom and Divine illumination. The candle flame parallels the purification ritual of the metzora and therefore as long as the owner of the house is busy lighting the candle, the house stays pure from the impurity of the metzora.
Furthermore, whenever a woman lights shabbat candles she helps to bring this special light into the home. Light enables us to see objects that were previously hidden but light may also show us things that are flawed and undesirable. Only the light of shabbat or chanuka candles has this special trait that it only illuminates and makes us aware of the positive aspects of our surroundings. Therefore, in these times when the darkness of the materiality of the world is increasing, we can counteract it by having our daughters also light shabbat candles from the earliest age that they are able to.
Furthermore, when we engage in educating and illuminating another person, about a mitzva, we also draw down this light and are able to see the positive. Instead of adopting the metzora attitude of focusing on the negative aspects of our surroundings, we must purify our environment by striving to educate ourselves and the people around us, and when we engage in education, our surroundings light up with positive light.
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