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LEVITICUS | 22:32 profane — LEV907 Finally, when greedy Jewish people are fin...

LEV907 Finally, when greedy Jewish people are finally exposed for what they truly are, then they are often guilty of probably the greatest sin in the Torah--desecrating God's name [this verse]. If the greedy person is identified as an observant Jew, the desecration of God's name is even greater, because when someone thinks less of God because of this Jew's actions, this sin has been perpetrated (Yoma 86a). The entire purpose of Judaism and one's life as a Jew is to sanctify God's name in the world (Midrash, Tana Debei Eliyahu 26:2). The greedy person who gets caught doing illegal activities does just the opposite. The Torah commands each Jew to love God (Deuteronomy 6:5). Part of that love is to make God beloved to others through one's actions and one's words (Yoma 86a). Thus, a greedy Jew who causes others to despise God has also violated this commandment. Pele Yo'etz calls this the worst sin in the Torah and the most difficult one from which to repent. He says that sanctifying or desecrating God's name often occurs in the realm of business and how people act around money. In our days, when every observant Jew is considered God's "representative" in the sense that he affects how God is perceived by most others, it is especially crucial that all actions by a Jew who supposedly keeps the commandments should uphold God's image. Therefore, for an observant Jew today, there are additional reasons not to engage in any activity even slightly resembling greed (Pele Yo'etz on "Chilul Hashem").

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Source KeyAMJV
Verse22:32
Keyword(s)profane
Source Page(s)343-4
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