זוהר ויקרא — דף נא ע”א

Come and see the reason for this. The white hue is known, and the red hue is known. If red appears first, and then white is seen in it — purity has been born in it, and it begins to be purified. If white appears first, and red is then seen in it — it begins to become impure. And it is written "and the priest shall declare it impure," for red has been born in it to make it impure. And the priest knew all those hues. And sometimes, when a hue of purity was seen in it, he would shut it up to see whether another hue would be born in it; and if not, he would declare it pure. This is what is written "and the priest shall declare it pure, etc."<br />
<br />
Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehuda were walking on the road. Rabbi Yehuda said: it is written "and the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave unto you and unto your seed forever, etc." If it was he who sinned, why should his sons be stricken? He answered him: Elisha saw more than the other prophets. He saw that no worthy son would come forth from Gehazi, and therefore he cursed them all.<br />
<br />
And not only that, but he (Gehazi) said to him (Elisha): I served in the supreme service beside Elijah, and I earned two portions, for I served him in truth. And you, wicked one, have blemished me — you swore falsely and you coveted; behold, you have transgressed the whole Torah, and whoever transgresses this dies as regards the World to Come. But because you served me, your service shall not be in vain: your death shall be in this world, and not in the World to Come. And this is why: "and the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave unto you and unto your seed."<br />
<br />
Rabbi Yossi asked: why a garment of wool or of linen? Rabbi Yitzchak answered: it rests in everything and rules over everything. And there is likewise, as it is written "she sought wool and flax." And therefore the dominion of that plague, which comes forth from a supernal place, rules over everything, in two hues, wool and linen. And this is why: "this is the law of the plague of leprosy of a garment of wool or of linen."<br />
<br />
Rabbi Yitzchak was going to his father's grape harvest. He saw a man turning aside with a bundle of wood on his shoulders. He said to him: these sticks of wood on your shoulder, what are they for? The man said nothing to him. He followed him. He saw him enter a cave, and he went in after him. He saw a column of smoke rising from beneath the ground, and that man entered a hole and hid himself from him. Rabbi Yitzchak was afraid, and went out to the mouth of the cave.<br />
<br />
While he sat there, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Chizkiyah passed by. They saw him and drew near to him. He told them what had happened. Rabbi Yehuda said: blessed is the Merciful One who saved you. This is the cave of the lepers of Seronya, and all the dwellers of that town are sorcerers, who go out to the desert to the black serpents that are ten years old or more, to perform sorcery; and those who do not protect themselves from them become leprous, and all their sorcery implements are in this cave.<br />
<br />
They went on their way, and as they were walking they met a man who was coming, with his sick son tied upon a donkey. They said to him: who are you? He answered them: a Jew, and this is my son tied upon the donkey. They said to him: why is he tied? He answered them: my dwelling is in a village that belongs to the Romans, and this son of mine used to study Torah every day, and would return home and review those words; and for three years I dwelt in that house and saw nothing. And now, one day, my son entered the house to review the words, and a spirit passed before him and harmed him: his mouth and his eyes became twisted, his hands became twisted, and he could not speak. And I have come to the cave of the lepers of Seronya, perhaps they will teach me a word of healing.<br />
<br />
Rabbi Yehuda said to him: and in that house, did you know beforehand whether another person had been harmed there? He answered him: I knew, for some days earlier a man was harmed there; some said he had been ill, others said it was the spirit of the house; and afterward several people entered it and were not harmed. They said: this is what the companions say: woe to those who transgress their words.<br />