is patches of hair loss. According to Maimonides, scalp and beard nega'im are characterized by hair loss without any change to the skin of the bald spot The Tosefta, however, maintains that the skin of the bald spot does indeed become altered in a negah. There are two confirming signs: thin yellow hair (ובו שער צהב דק) – if at least two-and-a-half hairs from within the bald patch turn yellow (Leviticus 13:30) spreading (והנה פשה הנתק בעור) – if the balding spreads, according to Maimonides. According to Abraham ben David, who quotes the Tosefta, this spreading would refer to spreading of a skin change as well (Leviticus 13:36). Whereas baldness is not a form of tzaraath, patches that occur on a bald scalp may be tzaraath if they meet the criteria as mentioned by the Torah. Such an eruption on a bald scalp must appear in a distinct fashion but is regulated by rules similar to that of nega'im on the skin; however, it can only occur on men. For a scalp eruption to be tzaraath, the lesion must be a white patch tinged with red (נגע לבן אדמדם). This can occur in one of two places: within what are referred to as a man's posterior baldness (קרחת) and anterior baldness (גבחת). Inspection of nega'im of human flesh, and tzaraath determination For all types of nega'im of human flesh, the Torah gives a similar protocol to determine whether or not the skin eruption is indeed tzaraath. The individual with the eruption must visit a kohen (a male possessing direct lineage to Aaron). The kohen, trained in examining lesions and diagnosing tzaraath, will examine the lesion according to the previously mentioned criteria, and determine whether it meets the specifications of tzaraath. If during the initial examination, the characteristics of the lesion meet the criteria for tzaraath, the kohen will declare the individual tamei (טמא, "ritually impure"). If the criteria are not met by the lesion during the initial examination by the kohen, the individual is confined in his home for seven days, pending a follow-up examination. If the criteria for tzaraath are again not met and the lesion has not spread, there is a difference in protocol depending on the type of lesion. For patches of the skin, another confinement period of seven days is imposed. For boils or burns, the kohen declares it merely a צרבת (tzarevet, "scar") and there