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LEVITICUS | 19:14 Lord — LEV398 The Rabbis then ask an important question:...

LEV398 The Rabbis then ask an important question: in commanding us to love our neighbor, why must we be reminded that God is Adonai, our Lord? Four verses earlier, that command not to curse the death or put a stumbling block before the blind ends with the clause, “and you shall fear your God” (Leviticus 19:14). On that verse and several others, the Rabbis maintain that even though it is often difficult for other human beings to discern a person's real motive in doing something, God and infallibly discerns our motives, and so for all commandments involving something that is in our hearts (masur la’lev) God will unfailingly know our intentions and judges accordingly. (Sifra, Kedoshim 3:14 (on Leviticus 19:14). Based on those rabbinic comments, Rashi (1035-1104, France) undoubtedly the most famous medieval commentator on the Torah, summarizes this tenet thus: “Because a person cannot know whether he intends to do a good thing or a bad one [in giving advice to someone who iss blind about such matters], and he can pretend [to other human beings] that he intended to do a good thing, therefore the Torah says, “and you shall fear your God,” who knows your thoughts. Similarly, with regard to all other matters that are in the doer’s heart, and others cannot know [the person's intentions], the Torah says, “and you shall fear your God” (Rashi on Leviticus 19:14).

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Source KeyDORFFWITO
Verse19:14
Keyword(s)Lord
Source Page(s)27-8
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