In his futile attempts to ‘’dodge’’ the divine draft,  Moses slandered the leaders of Israel arguing as a matter of fact that they would not listen to him; these words were nothing short of casting a verbal aspersion at others.  Indeed, when Moses gathers the Israelite leaders the people do believe in his divine commission to facilitate their liberation from Egypt. Hence, after Moses had made that verbal slur God struck his hand with tsaraat, thus creating the first biblical connection between this affliction and slanderous speech.