ויקרא, פרק י״ג, פסוק נ״ו

The purification process for a garment afflicted with a spiritual mark involves stages of quarantine and washing. When an affliction shows signs of fading after these steps, a targeted solution allows the owner to save the majority of the item from destruction. Fading indicates that the intense original color—whether deep green or fierce red—has weakened into a lighter, ordinary shade [רלב״ג, ביאור יש״ר, רש״ר הירש, רד״צ הופמן]. This reduction in color signifies a downgrade to a lesser level of severity, whereas a complete disappearance would render the item entirely pure [תורה תמימה, אדרת אליהו]. Furthermore, the fading does not happen immediately during the washing process; rather, after the garment is washed, the mark gradually fades on its own [ביאור יש״ר].

Because the affliction has weakened but not vanished, the priest must completely remove the affected area. This requires more than a small, symbolic rip. The entire infected section must be cut out and completely detached from the rest of the fabric [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו]. Interestingly, this specific action of tearing is also applied to leather items, even though tearing is typically associated with woven fabrics rather than naturally solid materials [פרדס יוסף].

Once the infected piece is completely removed, it cannot simply be thrown in the trash. Commentators agree that it must be entirely consumed by fire, following the standard law for such afflictions [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, משכיל לדוד, גור אריה, אדרת אליהו]. Meanwhile, the original garment or leather item can be repaired by sewing a patch over the hole, allowing it to return to normal everyday use [רלב״ג, רש״ר הירש, רד״צ הופמן].

This rule of targeted removal applies not only to whole garments and leather but also to individual warp and woof threads. Applying this law to raw threads introduces a unique challenge. While cutting a hole in a finished garment or piece of leather leaves the item largely functional, severing an infected spot from a bundle of threads risks ruining almost the entire bundle. Nevertheless, the directive remains the same. Instead of destroying the whole bundle, only the afflicted section is removed, preserving whatever threads remain [העמק דבר].