EXOD737 You shall not curse a judge. This commandment removes from a judge any fear that those who come before him in court may curse him if he rules against them. Not preoccupied by such anxieties, judges can concentrate on understanding the facts of each case clearly and thus arrive at correct rulings. Since there are crude people who are led by their foolishness to hate judges who rule against them, this commandment serves another benefit. If the Torah did not forbid us to curse judges, people of poor character might utter such curses and having done so, they might be stirred to harm the judge in additional ways. The commandment is worded, “You shall not curse Elohim.” Although the references is to judges, included in this command is the Torah prohibition on cursing Hashem, God forbid. The Torah writes explicitly (Vayikra 24:16) that he who curses Hashem shall die. One should not ask, “Since the Torah spells out punishments for various acts, is it not superfluous for the Torah to state that those acts are forbidden?” The answer is: Were the Torah to state only the punishments, people might think that anyone willing to suffer the Torah’s punishments is free to commit the acts and he will not have violated Hashem’s will. In truth, however, the intent here is to prevent such acts from being committed. Therefore, the Torah must write explicitly that the acts are forbidden.

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EXOD735 See [[LEV379]] Leviticus 19:14 curse GATES 225

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EXOD736 We are forbidden to curse a judge even if we think that he has erred. Even though you might think that a judge has erred in rendering a decision against you, you are forbidden to curse him. It is very possible that he is correct and you are wrong, but you are unaware of the justice because a person often overlooks his own guilt (Sforno). However, even if the judge has in fact erred, you nonetheless have no right to curse him.

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EXOD738 It is a negative commandment not to curse a judge as Scripture says, You shall not God [this verse] [which is interpreted to mean judges]. If someone cursed a judge by the Divine name or by a substitute name of God, he should receive whiplashes twice (over this prohibition, and over the injunction not to curse a fellow-Jew) (Ya-yikra 19:14). This verse of the Bible is also an admonition not to blaspheme Hashem. If someone blasphemed Hashem by a substitute Divine name, he would transgress a prohibition. If someone blasphemed Hashem by the Divine name itself, his punishment is stated explicitly: And he who blasphemes the name of Hashem shall surely be put to death; the entire community shall stone him (Ya-yikra 24:16). This is the case if one blasphemes, even if he retracts in the time it takes to say a few words. At the present time, however, when we do not judge capital cases, he is excommunicated, and we keep our distance from him.

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EXOD739 See [[EXOD750]] Exodus 23:1 false SEFER 140

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EXOD741 Dietary Laws. A further illustration of the application of the sacred to Jewish life is afforded by the dietary laws. While they have exerted beneficial effects upon the health of the Jewish people, their hygienic value is but incidental. Their primary aim is to train the Jews in holiness. Derived from ancient tabus and intended at first for the priests (Ezek. 4:14; 44:31), they were subsequently extended to all Israel as the priest people of God (this verse, Deut. 14:21; 12:13-27). Their purpose is summarized in Leviticus 20:26: "And ye shall be holy unto Me; for I the Lord am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye shall be Mine." The Pharisees carried the rules of priestly purity from the Temple into the home (with ablutions before meals and with benedictions), thus turning it into a sanctuary and the table into an altar. They took over the temple mode of slaughtering and inspecting the sacrificial animals for the preparation of their meat (Shehitah and Bedikah). [K. Kohler, art. Pharisees, Jew. Enc. IX, p. 662]. The dietary laws were invested with the absoluteness of Divine commands. They were to be observed not because of personal taste, but as an expression of obedience to God. In the words of the Sifra to Lev. 20:26, "Say not, 'I do not like swine's flesh'; but rather 'I do like it, but abstain from eating it in accordance with the decree of my Father in heaven.'"

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EXOD740 Concern with the feeling [text says "feeding" - AJL] of animals is present in another Torah law. If one animal is attached by another and killed, its flesh is forbidden for human consumption (since the animal has not been slaughtered in the ritually prescribed manner). Rather, the Israelites are instructed to give the dead animal's meat to dogs.

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EXOD743 When all is said and done, holiness and wholeness and any other elevated idea of the spiritual goal come down to a simple Yiddish notion: you are supposed to be a mensch, which means "a decent human being." That one Yiddish word conveys the full measure of the integrity, honor, and respect that a person can hope for in this life. In the words of the Hasidic teacher, known as the Kotzker, "Fine," he says, "be holy. But remember first one has to be a mensch." [1789-1859. He is commenting on the verse "Be holy people to me." In the Hebrew, the word "people" comes before "holy.']

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EXOD742 See [[EXOD325]] Exodus 19:6 holy OXFORD 39-40

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EXOD744 Do not be a party to any loan that involves the charging of interest. We are forbidden to play any role in such a loan. Thus, if interest is involved, we cannot serve as guarantors or witnesses or write the legal document (the I.O.U.) that proves the loan’s existence. Having chosen Israel as His people, Hashem desires our survival and well-being. Therefore, He removes from us a stumbling block and commands that no Jew may devour his fellow Jew’s money or property little by little in a way that the borrower does not feel it until it is too late, which is the way of interest charges on loans.

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