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DEUTERONOMY — 13:9 pity

DEUT628 But there are mercies which are worse than cruelty – such as being merciful to the wicked and strengthening them. There is a great stumbling block in elevating the wicked and supporting them, and putting down the good and rejecting them. About this the Torah writes [this verse]: "And do not pity him, and do not spare him, and do not cover up for him." One must also not pity the poor man in judgment, as it is written (Shemos 23:3): "Nor favor a poor man in his quarrel," that one not pervert judgment because of the poor man's hardship. And there is mercy which is like cruelty, such as giving charity to a poor man and afterwards pressuring him by saying: "I gave you so and so much. You ought to help me out and do whatever I ask of you." About this it is written (Mishlei 12:10): "And the mercies of the wicked are cruel."

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DEUTERONOMY — 13:18 merciful

DEUT650 (Continued from [[DEUT865]] Deuteronomy 17:5 stone TZADIK 157-61). Now you, son of man, take heed to yourself and remove yourself from cruelty. Be merciful to the poor and the needy and let the poor be as members of your household (Avos 1:5). And our Sages of blessed memory have said: "And He will give mercy to you, and be merciful to you, and He will multiply you' [this verse], all who are merciful to their fellow creatures are accorded Mercy by Heaven" (Shabbos 151b). Therefore, do not divest yourself of mercy, but guard yourself against the trait of cruelty, as King Shelomo said (Mishlei 5:9): "Lest you give your glory to others and your years to the cruel one." And guard yourself against revenge, which results from cruelty. If you want to avenge yourself of your foe, add to your virtues and walk in the ways of the just. This will give you vengeance over your foe, for he will be grieved by your good trait and your good name and he will mourn when he hears a good report of you. But if you do ugly deeds, your foe will rejoice in your dishonor and shame, and he will be taking revenge on you. (Continued at [[EXOD366]] Exodus 20:5 children TZADIK 161-3).

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:9 wanton

DEUT773 If one avert his eyes from charity, it is as if he serves idols (Kesubos 68a), and he is called "wanton," "wicked," "cruel," and "sinful." "Wanton," as it is written [this verse]. "Cruel," as it is written (Mishlei 12:10): "And the mercies of the wicked are cruel." And he thereby denies his ancestry, seeming not of the seed of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, who are all merciful, but rather of that of the nations, who are cruel, (Yirmeyahu 50:42): "They are cruel and have no pity." And all who show mercy are granted mercy by Heaven, as it is written (Devarim 13:18): "And He will give you mercy and have mercy upon you and multiply you" (Shabbos 151b).

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:10 evil

DEUT782 He who gives charity to the poor with a mean expression loses his merit, and he transgresses (this verse): "And let your heart not be evil when you give to him," even if he gives much. It is better to give a perutah [a small coin] with a pleasant expression. The ideal is to give correctly to a deserving poor man, with a pleasant expression. It is better to give before one is asked, and to give in secret, as it is written (Mishlei 21:14): "He who gives in secret suppresses wrath." Some men were in the practice of tying money in a piece of cloth and casting it behind them for the poor (Kesubos 67b), so that the giver did not know to whom he had given and the recipient from whom he had taken, thus sparing the poor embarrassment. In summary: Whatever can be done in secret, so that the poor man does not know the giver and the giver does not know the recipient, should be done. And when a man gives charity, he should accompany it with lovingkindness, such as buying with his money something that the poor man needs in order to spare him the bother of buying it himself. Or, finding that a poor man's needs can be cheaply acquired at a certain time, but that he is lacking in means, you should supply him with the necessary funds, making sure to do so at that particular time, thus showing lovingkindness. About this the prophet has said (Hoshea 10:12): "Sow for yourselves with charity; harvest with lovingkindness." That is, the reward is commensurate with the lovingkindness (Sukkah 49b).

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DEUTERONOMY — 16:19 pervert

DEUT847 It is stated in the Midrash (Ruth Rabbah 1:1-2): "Rabbi asked Rabbi Betzalel: 'What is the meaning of (Hoshea 2:7): "For their mother has been adulterous"?' He answered:' When do words of Torah become adulterous? When their lords despise them. How so? As with the sage sitting and expanding [this verse]: "Do not pervert judgment," when he himself perverts judgment; "Do not play favorites," when he himself plays favorites; "Do not take a bribe," when he himself takes bribes.'" And thus did our Rabbis of blessed memory expound (Koheles 9:16): "The poor man's wisdom is despised." What does this mean? If one is poor in good deeds, his wisdom is despised. If he exhorts to the doing of good when he himself does not do it, his words are not accepted (Avos 1:17): "And it is not a learning which is primary, but the doing." Therefore, all men must perform their deeds for the sake of Heaven. This is clearly demonstrated in the case of Elisha ben Avuyah, who, because his father taught him Torah not for its own sake, in the end turned to heresy ... (Yerushalmi (Chagigah 2:1), Koheles Rabbah 7:8-18). [Note: See Milton Steinberg, As a Driven Leaf, 1939, for a novel based on the imagined life, times (early Rabbinic Era) and religious/philosophical struggles of Elisha ben Avuyah -- AJL].

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DEUTERONOMY — 16:20 righteousness

DEUT863 (Continued from [[LEV856]] Leviticus 20:25 revolting TZADIK 287-91). And he must be zealous to seek peace and pursue it, as it is written [Tehillim 34:15): "Seek peace and pursue it." And he must be zealous in seeking out knowledge of Torah and of the Blessed Creator, as it is written (Hoshea 6:3): "And we will know, we will run to know Hashem." And so have our Sages said (Avos 4:13): "Exile yourself to a place of Torah." And one must be zealous in seeking righteousness, as it is written [this verse]: "Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue," and (Yeshayahu 51:1): "Listen to me, pursuers of righteousness, seekers of Hashem." And one must be zealous to transcribe books that he must study from; or, if he sees or hears a new interpretation, he must be zealous to write it down and not wait until he forgets it. (Continued at [[EXOD155]] Exodus 12:17 matzos TZADIK 291-3).

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DEUTERONOMY — 17:5 stone

DEUT865 (Continued from [[LEV699]] Leviticus 19:18 love TZADIK 157). Until now we have spoken of the evils of cruelty, but there are instances in which one must conduct himself with cruelty: Against the wicked--as stated by Iyov (Iyov 29:17): "And I broke the jaws of the villain and cast the prey from his teeth," and as the Torah prescribes death and stripes for the wicked, as it is written [this verse]: "And you shall stone them." ... And one must be cruel in judgment, not to pity one's relatives, loved ones, or the poor, but to mete out justice to them. ... And one must be cruel to the wicked, not to pity them. Our Rabbis have said (Koheles Rabbah 7:16): "All who are merciful where they should be cruel ultimately are cruel where they should be merciful." Similarly, we find with King Shaul that because he was merciful to Agag, there descended from him Haman, who became a persecutor of the Jews (Megillah 13a). One must also be cruel to his body to exert himself always to do the Blessed Creator's will and not to be merciful to it by pampering it and following the dictates of his heart. He must be cruel to himself to subdue his evil inclination, to live a life of affliction, to study Torah and to fill the mitzvos even if this is very difficult for him. He should not be overly cruel to himself to the point of harming his body, but he should take the middle course. (Continued at [[DEUT650]] Deuteronomy 13:18 merciful TZADIK 161).

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DEUTERONOMY — 17:11 deviate

DEUT881 It is written (Mishlei 8:32): "And now, children, listen to me, and happy are those who heed my ways." The Blessed Creator says to Israel: "I ask only that you listen to me. If you listen to me, I will fulfill what was foretold by the prophets (Yeshayahu 1:19): 'If you are willing, and listen, then you will eat the good of the land,' and (Mishlei 8:34): 'Happy is the man who listens to me.'" Therefore, one should direct his mind to do the will of the Blessed Creator and not deviate from his teachers and from those who are greater than he. And so it is written in the Torah (this verse; Devarim 17:9-12). From all this we can recognize the goodness and greatness of the trait of willingness, in which all the Torah is subsumed. Even if the Sages tell you that left is right and right, left, acquiesce and listen to them, and annul your mind and your will in order to do as they say. How much more so when they tell you that right is right and left, left.

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