DEUT1511 Our Sages, z"l, said (Arachin 15b), "One who speaks lashon hara is as if he denies Hashem, as the pasuk says (Tehillim 12:5), 'With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?'" ["Our lips are with us"--to speak lashon hara. "Who is master over us?"--This denies Divine providence (Malbim)]. The reason he is regarded as one who has denied Hashem is the following: Such a person affects and causes great harm and much evil to his peers by tarnishing their reputation in the eyes of others, or by other types of damage; and it cannot be that one prepares for his peers utensils of destruction and harm more bitter than death itself without any personal benefit or economic gain, unless his yetzer [I.e., evil inclination] has overcome his soul, he has divested himself of the yoke of Heaven, and has severed his bonds [to Hashem]. This is as the pasuk says in the psalm, "when the Ziphim came and said to Shaul..." (ibid., 54:5): [The people of Ziph revealed David's hiding place to Shaul, therefore endangering his life (see I Shmuel 23:19)] "For strangers have risen up against me, and violent men have sought my soul; they have not set God before themselves." Our Sages, z "l, expanded upon this as follows (Midrash Tehillim 54): "They have not set God before themselves'--for their intent was for Shaul to bless them, just as he [subsequently did when he] said to them (I Shmuel 23:21), 'Blessed are you unto Hashem, for you have shown me compassion.'' They have not set God before themselves'--for the Torah states [this verse], 'Cursed is he who is secretly strikes his fellow man.'" [Secretly strikes his fellow man" – – this refers to lashon hara (Rashi). Thus, the Ziphim spoke against David merely to receive Shaul's blessing, and were not concerned with God's curse. This shows their denial of Hashem and His providence.] The pasuk also says (Koheles 10:11), "There is no gain for one who has an [evil] tongue." [I.e., who speaks lashon hara; see Arachin 15b].

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DEUT1512 In its exposition of the verse (Ecclesiastes 2:18): "So I hated all my labor," the Midrash (Koheleth Rabba, ad loc.) relates: "R. Meir was a skillful scribe and used to earn three selas a week. He spent one sela on food and drink, another on clothing, and the third on Talmidei Chachamim. His disciples asked him: What would you leave for your children? He answered: If they are righteous, then it will be as David said (Psalm 37:25): 'Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread.' And if they are not righteous, why should I leave my possessions to enemies of the Allpresent?" The Midrash further remarks (Ecclesiastes 7:11): "R. Acha said in the name of R. Tanchum: Suppose one had studied, taught, kept and observed the Torah. He could also have afforded to support others (who study Torah) but did not. He is then included in the category of [this verse]: 'Cursed be he who does not uphold the words of the Torah.' Suppose, again, that one has neither studied nor taught, neither observed nor kept the Torah. (The intent here is that his devotion to Torah was impaired by his poverty and cares. He was hard-pressed to earn his daily living, as the concluding words bear out, 'was unable.') He was unable to afford to, yet helped others, then he falls in the category of 'Blessed be he who uphold the words of this Torah.'" From all that has been said, the greatness of the importance of supporting Torah even when one earns a meager living becomes apparent. The person will be blessed for his deeds. How much more should one exert himself in performing this mitzvah when his means are ample.

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DEUT1513 If one completely disregards the prohibition of lashon hara, Heaven forbid, and does not resolve to guard against transgressing it, then he incurs a third curse, that of אָר֗וּר אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יָקִ֛ים אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַתֹּורָֽה־הַזֹּ֖את לַעֲשֹׂ֣ות אֹותָ֑ם, “Cursed is one who does not uphold the words of this Torah, to do them” (Devarim 27:26). This curse refers to one who does not resolve to keep the entire Torah. One who completely disregards the prohibition of lashon hara is referred to as a mumar l’davar ehad, since he flagrantly violates this severe prohibition and views this aspect of Hashem's Torah as inconsequential, similar to a mumar who disregards the entire Torah. His sin is therefore unbearably severe.

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DEUT1514 See [[DEUT1492]] Deuteronomy 27:1 all TZADIK 493-5

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DEUT1515 R. Me'ir said: whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah for its own sake merits many things; and not only that, but the entire world is worthwhile because of him.… it makes him great and exalted above all creations. Pirkei Avot, Perek VI, Mishnah 1. We have rendered the word ma'asim as "things," to signify the entities of this world, animate and inanimate, which the Almighty wrought. For the Hebrew for "wrought" is a aseh, the root of ma'asim. But ma'asim can equally signify deeds, actions, the things we do from day to day. Devoted, persevering Torah study for its own sake makes a man transcend the small, petty events of his daily life, however meaningless, irritating, or frustrating they are. He knows that with the Torah, he enters a higher realm of existence, above the trying, nagging details of the day. So life's daily actions, ma'asim, will not seriously mar his thinking or his character; and they certainly will not impair his faith or religious devotion. His main journey is on a higher road, and the rest matters little. And indeed, all his actions become tinged with an aura of holiness, since all his gains and achievements are channeled to serve his higher goal--to study the Torah and live by it. Our text can also denote that his Torah study means more than a man's achievements during the day. Whatever he accomplishes in his business or professional life, during his leisure, even in pursuit of culture--his Torah study exalts him yet more. As Moses promises us in Scripture [this verse].

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DEUT1516 See [[LEV1107]] Leviticus 26:3 If LEHRMAN 160

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DEUT1517 See [[LEV1110]] Leviticus 26:3 observe FOJE 125-6

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DEUT1518 All the blessings of the Torah possess this characteristic [chesed -AJL], as we find in connection with [this] verse: "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you will hearken to the voice of Hashem, your God." The Tanna debei Eliyahu (end of Chap. 26) comments: "When will all these blessings come upon you?--If you will obey Hashem, your God, and walk in His ways, the ways of Heaven. What are the ways of Heaven?--As He is merciful, as He has compassion even on the wicked and receives them when they repent wholeheartedly, and as He feeds and sustains all creatures--so shall you be merciful to one another, support one another, be gracious to one another. Another explanation: What are the ways of Heaven?--He is gracious and gives His bounty as a free gift both to those who know Hm and those who do not. So shall you give free gifts to one another. Yet another explanation: What are the ways of Heaven?--He dispenses chesed in abundance, and inclines his acts toward chesed; so shall you favor one another, grant charity to one another and incline towards goodness… From all that has been said, one can gain an impression of the greatness of the virtue of chesed. Happy is the person who clings to it wholeheartedly, since he acquires merit for the coming generations.

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DEUT1519 Prosperity is part of the Torah’s promises for obeying God's commandments, and the Rabbis imagine even greater prosperity in messianic times (Deuteronomy 28:3-5, 8, 12). … notice that although there are some expressions of asceticism in the Jewish tradition (for example, M. Ethics of the Fathers (Avot) 6:4 and Chasedei Ashkenaz, the German pietists of the fourteenth century), the vast majority of Jewish sources do not see wealth alone as a sin or even a necessary cause of sin; wealth, like everything else in life, gets its moral character from how we use it. Here again, Tevye [referencing Sholem Aleichem’s Yiddish story Tevye the Milkman and Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof-AJL] … had it right: “Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize of course, that it's no great shame to be poor-- but it's no great honor, either.” Still, wealth imposes a special duty on the rich to use their money to help those less fortunate. All of us must certainly recognize that our world is filled with such people. Millions die each year from starvation and homelessness. The Jewish vision of the ideal world, then, provides yet another reason for working to ensure that no human being goes hungry or naked and that everyone has a roof over his or her head at night.

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DEUT1520 See [[DEUT3]] Deuteronomy 1:11 bless ROSNER-BLEICH 61

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