DEUT619 “Continued from [[GEN295]] Genesis 2:18 alone BLOCH 140-1” While the advantages of friendship are obvious, there are also pitfalls that should not be ignored. Biblical moralists were fearful of the influence of undesirable friends. The Pentateuch warns against the enticement of friends who seek to alienate people from their faith [this verse]. The relevance of this warning is well understood by modern parents whose children have made friends with members of various cults and as result have deserted their parental homes and traditions. It is, of course, a major parental duty to approve of the friends their young children choose. Considering the inherent dangers of misguided friendships, the rabbis regarded with misgivings a fraternization pursued exclusively for social ends. They preferred associations which promote morality and wisdom. The term re-a, basically a social friend, disappeared from the rabbinical lexicon. Instead they popularized the term chaver ("one who joins, a companion").