When suffering, misery or sin inevitably occurs, what is the best attitude to take toward it?  Should we just forget about it and hope for a positive future, or does it require reflection before we move on?

Our Gemara on amud aleph teaches us the source for marking graves to know how to avoid becoming tamey (impure) comes from the verse about the Metzora Leper, who is required to call out, “I am Tamey, I am Tamey”.

There are other interesting ideas learned out from this requirement:

The Gemara Sotah 32b tells us

תניא (ויקרא יג, מה) וטמא טמא יקרא צריך להודיע צערו לרבים ורבים מבקשים עליו רחמים וכל מי שאירע בו דבר צריך להודיע לרבים ורבים מבקשים עליו רחמים

⁦it is taught in a baraita: It is derived from the verse: “And will cry: Impure, impure” (Leviticus 13:45), that a leper must publicize the fact that he is ritually impure. He must announce his pain to the masses, and the masses will pray for mercy on his behalf. And similarly, anyone to whom a painful matter happens must announce it to the masses, and the masses will pray for mercy on his behalf.

Ben Yehoyada on Bava Kama (92b) notes Even though it is generally the custom to speak more euphemistically, that is we find Tzoraas referred to “other thing“ “davar acher”, here the person does not mince words and declares himself tamey instead of merely unclean. This is in order for him to understand the gravity of his situation. Recanti Tazria says a similar idea. Shalah (Toldos Adam, Beis Yisrael, III) takes this even further, suggesting that by declaring himself repeatedly impure outside of the camp he is expunging unclean elements out of his soul. A catharsis of sorts. The Tiferes Shlomo (Metzora) Approaches this concept from the opposite side. He notes the language of the verse call out, “unclean, unclean” sounds almost like calling to someone instead of wanting someone to stay away. He suggests that it is a calling out to retrieve the holy aspects that remain locked inside the “sitra Achara the other side”. That is, mystically speaking, when the Jewish soul is forced to wander outside the camp in such an unclean state the ultimate purpose is to retrieve leftover pieces of goodness that have been mixed in with evil from the beginning of time. 

This idea is discussed in a different way by Rav Tzadok (Tzidkas HaTzaddik 40) that all sins, post facto, are evidently the will of G-d, since everything is the will of G-d. The penitence required is not for the act, rather for not having one’s intention in obedience of and attachment to G-d.

The connection between mysticism and psychology to me often seems just a matter of language and labels. What are we really saying here? We are saying that in every experience there is good to be found. The person that was sent to exile must mine that experience to derive goodness and strength, and grow from it. It is not as soon as OK, because it is not. However, since it’s inevitable. And when that happens, we must look to understand and learn from the resultant experiences be they miserable or positive or a mixture of both.