זוהר ויקרא — דף נג ע”א

Afterward, both body and soul are judged through the agency of Duma: the body is judged in the grave until it returns to dust, and the soul in the fire of Gehinnom through many judgments, until the time decreed for it to receive its punishment. After it has received its punishment, and the time comes for it to be purified, it rises from Gehinnom and is whitened of its sins like iron that is whitened in fire; and they rise with it until it enters the lower Garden of Eden, where it bathes in those waters and in the spices that are there, as it is said "perfumed with myrrh and frankincense." And it remains there until the time decreed for it to move away from the place where the righteous dwell.<br />
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And when the time comes to ascend, they ascend with it degree after degree, until it is offered up like a sacrifice upon the altar. This is what is written: "This shall be the law of the leper, on the day of his cleansing he shall be brought to the priest" — the supernal priest above. The soul that has not become so defiled in this world thus has a remedy; and if not, "that which is crooked cannot be made straight, etc.," "this shall be the law of the leper." Rabbi Yitzchak opened with "The sun rises and the sun sets, etc.," a verse that has been explained concerning the soul of man: while it stands together with the man in this world, then "the sun rises"; at the time when a person departs from this world and is found in repentance, then "toward his place he yearns, shining is he there," if he is righteous, as it is said "and the sun sets and is purified, and afterward he shall eat of the holy things."<br />
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Come and see: for all the sins of the world the Holy One, blessed be He, atones through repentance, except for that evil speech which brings forth a bad name upon one's fellow. And it has already been explained that it is written "this shall be the law of the leper" — this is the law of one who brings forth a bad name. Rabbi Chiya said: whoever brings forth a bad name, all his limbs are made impure and he deserves to be shut away, because that evil utterance stirs up an impure spirit upon him, and he becomes impure; coming to be defiled, he is defiled — through the speech below, another speech is aroused.<br />
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He opened and said: "How has she become a harlot, the faithful city, etc." — she who was faithful to her husband has turned into a harlot. "She was full of justice" — justice is certainly the Holy One, blessed be He; "righteousness" is the Congregation of Israel. And because she stirred up another speech, the Holy One, blessed be He, withdrew from her, and a spirit of murderers came to rest upon her — this is what is written "and now murderers." And if holy Jerusalem is thus, how much more so other people! This is what is written "this shall be the law of the leper."<br />
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Rabbi Yehuda said: "this shall be" is certainly directed against him, to punish that one who brings forth a bad name. "On the day of his cleansing he shall be brought to the priest" — what does this come to teach us? It means that one who has an evil tongue, his prayer does not enter before the Holy One, blessed be He, for he has aroused upon himself a spirit of impurity. Once he returns in repentance and accepts repentance upon himself, what is written? "On the day of his cleansing he shall be brought to the priest, etc., and the priest shall look, etc. And the priest shall command, and for him who is to be cleansed shall be taken two living birds." Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yossi were in attendance before Rabbi Shimon, and one day he said to them: the cedar wood, this is well known, as it is said "from the cedar that is in Lebanon," for that cedar tree takes root only in Lebanon, and this has already been explained; but why hyssop, and what is it?<br />
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He opened and said: "and for him who is to be cleansed shall be taken two living, clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop." Come and see: a person who strives in the service of his Master and strives in Torah — the Holy One, blessed be He, rests upon him, and the Shechinah joins with him. Once a person comes to defile himself, the Shechinah departs from him, the Holy One, blessed be He, moves away from him, and all the side of holiness of his Master moves away from him; a spirit of impurity then rests upon him, together with the whole side of impurity. If he comes to be purified, he is helped; and after he has been purified and has returned in repentance, that which had departed from him returns and rests upon him again.<br />