NUM357 (Continued from [[GEN1440]] Genesis 37:2 reports GATES 411) Shlomo, a"h, said (Mishlei 25:23), "A northern wind prevents (techolel) rain, and an angry countenance, a furtive tongue." What this means is that just like a northern wind scatters the clouds and prevents rain [from pouring], so too, an angry countenance prevents lashon hara. For when the teller sees the face of his listener, full of anger, the sound of his pouring words will cease. But if he sees that the listener is listening to him, he will drink iniquity like water and not withhold his mouth from lying. Tomorrow will be the same as today [Yeshayahu 56:12], for he will repeat his foolishness, constantly telling lies, and his tongue will pursue the downpour of his falsehoods. The word techolel is from the same root as chalilah ["Heaven forfend!" -- i.e., it means to prevent.]. Similarly, "He shall not violate (yachel) his word" [this verse] -- he shall not negate; and (Bereishis 4:26), "it was then that to call [in the Name of Hashem] ceased (huchal)" -- then it was prevented.

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DEUT15 (Continued from [[LEV611]] Leviticus 19:17 reprove GATES 373-5). A person must expose himself to danger [Tehillim 10:3; I.e., has praised him for doing whatever he wants.] rather than bear upon his soul the sin of such a transgression. Our Sages said (Sotah 41a) regarding [King] Agrippas that he was reading from the Torah and when he reached the pasuk (Devarim 17:15), "You may not appoint over you a foreigner," his eyes shed tears, and they [all] said, "You are our brother!) [Agrippas was a popular leader, appointed by Rome. He was descended from Idumaean converts and hence halachically ineligible to be king. His mother was Jewish; see Sotah 41b, Tosafos s.v. oso.] At that moment, the Jewish people were sentenced to destruction for flattering Agrippas. [Although it was a dangerous situation, they should have remained silent.] One who sits in judgment must also not fear a mortal human being, the pasuk says [this verse], "Do not be afraid of any man." This category that we have mentioned [hero] is that of a wicked man belonging to two evil classes: lying and flattery joined together.

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DEUT16 [This verse]. We have been admonished herein to believe that no harm will befall us when we adjudicate justly, without any bias, as our Sages, z"l, said (Pesachim 8a), "The emissaries sent to perform a mitzvah face no harm, neither on their way nor on their return." This is what is meant by "for it is God's judgment" [I.e., and the judge is God's emissary to perform the mitzvah of adjudicating His judgment (Zeh Hasha'ar)] -- no harm will befall you from it.

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DEUT30 Shlomo, a"h, also said (Mishlei 16:28), "a malcontent alienates a friend." [Rabbeinu Yonah understands "aloof" as "friend"; See Tehillim 14:14, with last explanation by Rashi]. This means that he alienates a beloved one and a friend, for they are not capable of enduring his company. Our Sages said (Derech Eretz Zutah 9), "Do not be overly critical lest you come to sin." Many times a malcontent is ungrateful [for the good he receives], and may even view it as bad, repaying evil for good – – and the pasuk says [Mishlei 17:13), "one who repays good with evil, evil will not depart from his house." Sometimes he regards the kindnesses of Hashem as revenge and retribution as the pasuk says [this verse], "You grumbled in your tents and said, 'Out of Hashem's hatred for us, He took us out.'" Therefore, distance yourself from the road of malcontents for they have warped their paths; all who walk in them do not know peace. [Yeshayahu 59:8]. Train your tongue to give [others] the benefit of the doubt, and let righteousness gird your loins. [Yeshayahu 11:5].

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DEUT37 See [[REFNUM145]] Numbers 14:28 do GATES 405

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DEUT51 … it is imperative for us to teach the Children of Yehuda [ II Shmuel 1:18, I.e. the Jewish people] through instruction and documentation [Yeshayahu 8:20, I.e., through the Torah], the gravity of punishment for every sin and transgression.… I have seen how most of the nation perceives certain major iniquities as of minor significance, and [even] for those punishable by death and excision, diligence over them is (merely] considered an added virtue [Koheles 10:10] or one worthy [only] of the pious. People stumble, without taking it to heart [Iyov 4:20], and reproof is to no avail, as the pasuk says (Yeshayahu 48:8), "Even from then, your ear was not open." Therefore, we must exhort them and make them realize the severity of many of the transgressions, and that [even] with the lighter mitzvos there are many ways and aspects that can lead to absolute ruin [Yeshayahu 10:22] and the destruction of one's soul. Many wicked people will forsake their path, for they will become cognizant of the destruction and loss contained within that path, when made aware of the gravity of their sin and what awaits them through it. Those who stumble will gather strength to conquer their [lawless] desire--for how can they bear to witness the destruction of their soul? This situation can be compared to a person who wants to travel to a city and was told how the road is filled with thorns and snares [Mishlei 22:5] and painful rocks [Yeshayahu 8:14]. If he needs to be there, this will not deter him from going. However, if he is told that a lion is on the road and a leopard is lying in wait [Yirmeyahu 5:6], he will refrain from traveling that road. In a similar vein Shlomo, a"h, said (Mishlei 1:2), "To know wisdom and rebuke." [Some editions add the word lehavin; this seems to be an editor's mistake, as it belongs to the second part of the pasuk (Zeh Hasha'ar)]. The meaning of this is: suitable deeds [I.e. the performance of mitzvos] and forsaking one's sins are called "wisdom," as the pasuk says [this verse], "[You shall keep and do these laws,] for this is your wisdom and understanding. After he learns and knows the mitzvos and what the transgressions are [I.e., all of this is referred to as wisdom], he must learn the vile nature of those transgressions, and the loss and destruction associated with them, that he may distance his soul from them; and he may reprimand himself, remembering the punishments associated with them; and that he may chastise others. This knowledge is called mussar, and for those who offer reproof it will be fitting [Mishlei 24:25] to acquire such knowledge [I.e., reminding oneself and others of the punishments associated with transgression and the vile nature of sinning. See also the commentary of Rabbeinu Yonah to Mishlei 1:2].

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DEUT61 The fifth category [of lashon hara is] -- obscene speech. Our Sages, z"l, said (Shabbos 33a), "One who speaks obscenities, even if a decree of seventy good years has been decreed upon him, it is transformed into evil." Yeshayahu also said (Yeshayahu 9:16), "Therefore, Hashem will unhappily [punish] their young men, and He will not pity [even] their orphans and widows, for they are all flatterers and wicked, and every mouth utters obscenities.. Yet, His anger has not subsided and His hand is still outstretched." [I.e., Yet, they still do not repent. Therefore, Hashem's anger remains and His hand is outstretched to punish even more (Radak)]. The reason one who speaks obscenities is heavy with sin [Yeshayahu 1:4] and loathsome and detested [Iyov 15:16] is because he has forsaken and deserted the [qualities of] shame and modesty, which are the recognized features of the holy seed [of Yisrael], and [instead] has gone along the pathway of insolence, which is the characteristic found in evil speakers of obscenity. The second [reason] [I.e., Why speaking obscenities is so sinful and odious] --For he has desecrated the holiness of Israel. [This is] because the pasuk states [this verse], "They will say, 'This great nation is purely a wise and intelligent people'"; yet he has conducted himself in the manner of detestable fools, removed from the path of intelligence [Mishlei 21:16] which is our beauty and pleasantness. Their foulness rises and their stench ascends [Yoel 2:20] and every wise, intelligent person will absolutely loathe them and utterly abhor them [Devarim 7:26]. He has desecrated the vessel of intelligence which is more precious than all [other] desirable vessels, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 20:15), "But the lips of knowledge are a precious vessel." [Thus, speaking obscenities entails two evils: (one) a lack of shame and modesty; (two) a desecration of the superior intelligence manifest in the Jewish people when they follow the way of Hashem.] One who listens to obscene speech is [also] very severely punished, for he has not sealed his ear or disassociated himself from those who speak obscenities. Regarding such a person the pasuk says (ibid., 22:14), "The estranged mouth is a deep pit; those despised by Hashem will fall there."

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DEUT75 Among those injunctions that depend on [the thoughts of] the heart: "Beware, lest you forget Hashem, your God" (Devarim 8:11). Our Sages, z"l, said (Makos 13b): "Wherever it says, 'beware,' 'lest,' and 'do not,' it is referring to a negative commandment." Herein we have been admonished to remember Hashem at all times. One is obligated to try and constantly internalize those norms of conduct that are bound to [this] remembering [I.e., A person must exert himself to acquire those characteristics that are fully attained only when one recalls Hashem's presence (Zeh Hasha'ar)] --such as fearing Hashem, modesty, refinement of thought, and proper development of character traits. By recalling Hashem's Name, the holy seed [of Yisrael] requires every demeanor of beauty adorning its owner, as the pasuk says (Yeshayahu 45:25), "Through Hashem, all the seed of Yisrael will become righteous and glorified." ... "Beware, and diligently safeguard your soul, lest you forget the things you saw" [this verse]. Our Sages, z"l, said (Menachos 99b) that anyone who forgets one thing from what he has learned has transgressed two prohibitions. [I.e., "Beware" and "lest"; see previous paragraph] you would perhaps think that this also applies to one who has difficulty retaining what he has learned? Therefore the verse tells us (ibid.), "lest they be removed from your heart"-- the pasuk is referring only to one who removes [the words of Torah] from his heart by the neglect of Torah study, and by not constantly delving into it.

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DEUT128 It is part of Hashem's kindness to His creatures that He prepared for them the way [already from Adam HaRishon, the path towards repentance was a universal one given to the whole of mankind (See Bereishis Rabbah 22:28); in fact, it preceded the creation of the world (Pesachim 54a)] to rise above the lowliness of their deeds and flee the ensnarement of their sins ["One sin leads to another sin" (Avos 4:2)] -- to save their souls from perdition [I.e., in the World to Come (Zeh Hasha'ar)] and turn His anger away from them [I.e., in this world (ibid)]. Out of His great goodness [from the perspective of pure justice, there is no place for repentance. See Yerushalmi Makos 2:6; Mesillas Yesharim, chapter 4.] and uprightness Hashem taught His creatures and admonished them to return to Him when they sin [The Hebrew word teshuvah (repentance) comes from the root shuv (return)] -- for He knows their inclination [to go astray]--as the pasuk says (Tehillim 25:8), "Good and upright is Hashem; therefore He shows sinners the way." Even if they have greatly sinned rebelled, and acted unfaithfully, Hashem does not close the doors of repentance before them, as the pesukim say (Yeshayahu 31:6), "Return to the One from Whom you have profoundly turned away," and (Yirmeyahu 3;22), "Return, rebellious sons, and I will heal your rebelliousness." We have been admonished regarding repentance in various places in the Torah. It is clear that teshuvah that is acceptable even if the sinner repents under great distress, and surely if he repents through his fear of Hashem and his love for Him, as the pasuk says [this verse]. The Torah informs us that Hashem helps those who repent, [even] when their natural tendencies do not permit its attainment; He renews within them a spirit of purity, that they may attain the lofty level of love for Him, as the pasuk (ibid., 30:2), "You will return to Hashem, your God, with your whole heart and your entire being, and heed His voice according to everything that I command you and your children today." [See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah 7:6]. In the same context, the pasuk then says (ibid., 6), "Hashem, your God will remove [the layer over] your heart and the hearts of your descendants," [See Ramban, ad loc: "This is as Chazal [an acronym for Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakhah, "Our Sages, may their memory be blessed" -- AJL] said: 'One who desires to purify himself will be assisted' (Shabbos 104a). This pasuk assures that you will repent with your whole heart and Hashem will assist you."] In order to attain a love for Him. [Similarly,] the Nevi'im and Kesuvim speak constantly of teshuvah, so that all the principles of repentance are elucidated in their words, as will be explained.

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DEUT187 See [[EXOD474]] Exodus 20:14 covet GATES 217

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