Re'eh 3rd Portion
29
The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about
to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in
their land,
30 and
after they have been destroyed before you [for their perverse deeds], be
careful not to be ensnared [i.e., in spite of having witnessed] by inquiring
about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do
the same.” [We are hereby apprised that if the service of a particular god is
not a conventional one, the one who serves him thus is nonetheless liable.]
Rashi’s Commentary
After they have been destroyed
before you, be careful not to be ensnared—The meaning
is: after you see that I exterminate them from before you, you ought to pay
attention to why these were destroyed—because of the depraved doings which they
practiced. Consequently you should not act likewise lest others come and
exterminate you (cf. SifreiDevarim 81:3).
31 You
must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in
worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things
the Lord hates. They even burn [(including their fathers and
mothers)] their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
Rashi’s Commentary
They even burn their sons and
daughters in the fire . . . to their gods—The word
גַם, “also,” is intended to
include amongst those they used to burn, their parents also. R. Akiba related,
“I once saw a heathen who bound his father before his dog which thereupon
devoured him” (SifreiDevarim 81:6).
1 See
that you do [A negative commandment is hereby superadded to each of the
positive commandments mentioned above (but stripes do not obtain here, there
being no stripes for the “see” of a positive commandment)] all I command you [“light”
as well as “weighty”]; do not add to it or take away from it [See 4:2].
Rashi’s Commentary
See that you do—This statement is intended to attach also a prohibition to the
positive commands mentioned in this section (SifreiDevarim 82:2), for wherever הִשָּׁמֵר is
used it is a term that implies a prohibition, but the difference between this
and an ordinary prohibition is that flagellation is not inflicted for
infringing a prohibition resulting from the use of the term הִשָּׁמֵר in connection with a positive command.
All that I command you—Light precepts as well as grave ones (SifreiDevarim 82:1).
Do not add to it—As, for instance, to place five chapters in the tefillin, to
employ five species of fruit and plants in the fulfilment of the command of
lulav, to recite four instead of three blessings in the benedictions of the
priests (SifreiDevarim 82:4; cf. Rashi on Deu 4:2).
Worshiping Other Gods
2 If a
prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you
a sign [in the heavens] or wonder [on earth],
Rashi’s Commentary
Or wonder showing itself on the earth—Nevertheless you must not listen to him.
But if you ask, why then does God give him the power to perform a sign?
Scripture replies, (v. 4) “The Lord your God is testing you . . . whether
you love him” (Sanhedrin 90a; SifreiDevarim 84:1).
3 and
if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us
follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,”
4 you
must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.
The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him
with all your heart and with all your soul.
5 It is
the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his
commands [the Law of Moses] and obey him [the voice of the prophets]; serve him
[in his Temple] and hold fast [be kind, bury the dead, visit the sick, as he
did] to him [i.e., to his ways].
Rashi’s Commentary
Keep his commands—The Law of Moses.
Obey him—The voice of the prophets.
Serve him in his Temple (SifreiDevarim 84:5).
And hold fast to him—i.e. hold fast to his ways: do kindly actions, bury the dead,
visit the sick, as did the Holy One, blessed be he (Sotah 14a).
6 That
prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion [from the world,
it never having been created, and his never having been commanded by me to
speak thus] against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery [had he done only that, it should
have been sufficient]. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way
the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil
from among you.
Rashi’s Commentary
For inciting rebellion סָרָה—i.e. something that is
strange in the world (more lit., removed from the world), something which never
existed and was never created (a pure invention), and which I never commanded
him to say; detournure in O. F.
And redeemed you from of the land of
slavery—Even though he had no other claim on you
but that he delivered you, it would be sufficient for him to claim your
obedience (SifreiDevarim 86:5).
7 If
your very own brother [from your father], or your son or daughter, or the wife
you love, or your closest friend [i.e., your father (Scripture adduces those
who are most beloved by you, how much more so others who incite you thus)]
secretly entices you [this being the common mode for such incitement], saying,
“Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors
have known [even the heathens do not forsake what their fathers have bequeathed
them—and this one bids you to do so],
Rashi’s Commentary
Your . . . brother—i.e., your brother on the mother’s side (SifreiDevarim 87:5).
Your . . . brother—Means, your brother on the father’s side (SifreiDevarim 87:4).
Or your closest friend—Thus refers to your father (SifreiDevarim 87:11). Scripture
specially mentions all those who are dear to you—that you must not consent unto
them nor spare them (v. 9), how much the less should you consent unto others or
spare them.
Let us go and worship other gods
(gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known)—This would be a great disgrace for you: for not even the heathen
nations abandon that which their ancestors have handed down to them, and this
man says to you, “Abandon what your ancestors have handed down to you!” (SifreiDevarim
87:13)
8 gods
of the peoples around you, whether near or far [just as there is (manifestly)
nothing to those near you, so there is nothing to those distant from you], from
one end of the land [the sun, the moon, and the hosts of heaven (which go from
one end of the world)] to the other),
Rashi’s Commentary
Let us go and worship other gods
. . . whether near or far—To what end does it (Scripture) mention the gods of the near
nations and those of the far-off ones? But this is in effect what Scripture
says: From your knowledge of the gods of the near nations, you may draw
conclusions regarding the nature of the gods of those far-off; just as there is
nothing real in those of the near ones so there is nothing real in those of the
far-off ones (Sanhedrin 61b; SifreiDevarim 88:1).
Gods . . . far, from one end of the land to the other—This refers to the sun, the moon and the host of heaven (the
stars) who move from one end of the world to the other (SifreiDevarim 88:2).
9 do
not yield to them or listen to them [when he pleads for his life]. Show them no
pity. Do not spare them [i.e., you shall not seek an “out” for them] or shield
them [if you know something against them].
Rashi’s Commentary
Do not spare them—Do not seek
to find anything favorable to them (SifreiDevarim 89:4).
Nor shall you shield them—If you know anything about them that will condemn them, you are not allowed to
keep silent (SifreiDevarim 89:5).
10 You
must certainly put them to death [if he has left the court acquitted, return
him for conviction; if he has left the court convicted, do not return him for
acquittal]. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the
hands of all the people [it is a duty for the one incited to put him to death;
if he does not die by his hand, he is to die by the hand of others].
Rashi’s Commentary
You must certainly put them to death—And if he has left the court after having been
acquitted have him brought back for condemnation if you know anything against
him; if, on the other hand, he has left the court after being found guilty do
not bring him back to plead in his favour (Sifrei Devarim 89:6-7).
Your hand must be the first in
putting them to death—He who
was to be seduced to idolatry has the duty to put him to death; if he did not
die by his hand he must die by the hands of others, as it goes on to state “and
then the hands of all the people” (cf. Sifrei Devarim 89:8).
11
Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from
the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery.
12 Then
all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil
thing again.
13 If
you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving
you to live in [this excludes Jerusalem, which was not intended as a dwelling
(for a particular tribe)]
Rashi’s Commentary
If you hear it said about one of the
towns the Lord your God gives you to
live in—The words “to live
in” are added to exclude Jerusalem which city was not intended
as a dwelling-place (Sifrei Devarim 92:5; cf. Bava Kamma 82b).
If you hear means, if you hear
people saying thus:
14 that
troublemakers [of heaven] have arisen [women are excluded] among you and have
led the people of their town astray [but not the dwellers of a different city],
saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known),
Rashi’s Commentary
Troublemakers—Men but not women (Sifrei Devarim 93:1).
Troublemakers—People that have thrown off the yoke of the
Omnipresent (the word is taken in the sense of בְּלִיעוֹל, without a yoke) (Sifrei Devarim
93:2).
The people of their town—But not the people of another town (Sifrei Devarim
93:4). From here they (our Rabbis) derived what they said, “A
town is not treated as an עִיר הַנִדַּחַת (i.e. does not come under the category of a “condemned city”) unless
it be men who lead them (the people) astray, and unless its seducers be of its midst (people of that town) (Sanhedrin 111b).
15 then
you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it
has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,
16 you
must certainly put to the sword [if you cannot administer the prescribed death,
administer another] all who live in that town. You must destroy it
completely, both its people and its livestock.
Rashi’s Commentary
You must certainly put to the sword—If you cannot put them to death by the
death-penalty prescribed regarding them, kill them in some other way (Bava
Metzia 31b; Sifrei Devarim 94:1; cf. Rashi on v. 10).
17 You
are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square
and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to
the Lord your God [i.e., in his name and for his sake]. That town is
to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt,
Rashi’s Commentary
And . . . burn the town . . . to the Lord your God—i.e. for the honor of his name and for his sake.
18 and
none of the condemned things are to be found in your hands. Then
the Lord will turn from his fierce anger [for so long as idolatry is
in the world, burning wrath is in the world], will show you mercy, and will
have compassion on you. He will increase your numbers, as he promised on oath
to your ancestors—
Rashi’s Commentary
Then the Lord will turn
from his fierce anger—For as long
as idol-worship exists in the world the fierce anger of
God is kindled against the world (Sanhedrin 111b; Sifrei Devarim 96:3;
cf. Rashi on Gen 9:32).
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