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LEVITICUS — 19:17 reprove

LEV610 The angry man will not be very wise, for anger drives wisdom from one's heart, so that he will not be able to answer correctly or to reprove correctly, and none of his words will be reasonable. The angry man hardens himself to reproof and chastisement, for no one is allowed to reveal to him his mistakes and his ugly ways. Everyone is afraid to speak to him of his affairs lest he arouse his anger. And even if someone does offer him reproof, he will reject it in anger. In sum, the angry man will not accept any good trait if he does not remove anger from his heart. And just as the angry man cannot accept chastisement from others, so he cannot administer it to them, for the Torah has written [this verse]: "Reprove, reprove your friend and do not bear sin because of him." In the beginning, reprove him gently and in private, telling him softly and ingratiatingly that you are speaking to him for his benefit. If you do so, you will not bear sin because of him. But if you rebuke him in the beginning in a loud, angry voice, and you shame him, then you will bear sin because of him, and that friend will not accept reproof from you. For this is the way of men. When one man bears down strongly on another, the latter stiffens and stands up against him and does not submit. About this Shelomo has said (Koheles 9:17): "The words of the wise, uttered gently, are accepted." We are familiar with the instance of Hillel and Shammai, about whom the three converts said (Shabbos 31a): "The unyieldingness of Shammai was like to drive us out of the world, and the humility of Hillel brought us under the wings of the Shechinah." Hillel, because of his great humility, could not be brought to anger, for one who keeps himself from anger acquires the trait of humility and of mercy. For cruelty proceeds from anger, as it is written (Shemos 22:23): "And I will be angry, and I will kill you with the sword" and accordingly anger is always found in conjunction with revenge, as in (Devarim 11:17): "And the anger of Hashem will burn against you, and he will close up the heavens." (Continued at [[LEV95]] Leviticus 10:16 angry TZADIK 241-3).

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LEVITICUS — 19:18 grudge

LEV628 And one must take great care not to remember the evil that his friend has done against him. About this it is written [this verse]: "And do not bear a grudge," but one should cause all hatred to be forgotten from his heart. If he, however, has done evil to his friend, he should remember it, in order to amend immediately what he has done to him. And if he has heard idle talk, he should not remember it. He should be as a sieve, that retains the fine meal and emits the flour, but not as a strainer, that retains the lees and emits the wine.

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LEVITICUS — 19:18 love

LEV666 It is a positive commandment to bear affection for everyone in Jewry as for oneself as Scripture says, and you shall love your fellow as yourself [this verse]. It is therefore necessary to have as much protective concern for another person's physical self, his items of monetary value and his esteem, as for one's own. If someone derives honor from another's disgrace, he has no share in the world-to-come. Included in this positive commandment is [the religious duty of] making peace between a man and his friend.

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LEVITICUS — 19:18 revenge

LEV713 It is a negative commandment not to take revenge from one's fellow-man as Scripture says, You shall not take vengeance [this verse]. Revenge means repaying a person who has harmed someone, according to his own act: for example, if one asked his neighbor, "Lend me your axe," and he would not lend it to him; and the next day his neighbor has to borrow something from him, whereupon he tells him, "I will not lend it to you, just as you refused me when I wanted to borrow from you." This is revenge, whereby he exacts vengeance from the other, repaying him according to his own evil action.

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LEVITICUS — 19:26 blood

LEV747 It is a negative commandment not to eat the kind of food eaten by a wayward and rebellious son for it as stated, You shall not eat over blood [this verse], which is understood to mean, "You are not to eat the kind of meal that leads to bloodshed"--and that is the food eaten by a wayward and rebellious son. This verse of Scripture is also an injunction not to eat [any flesh] of an animal before its life expires. It is also an injunction not to take any food before we pray.

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LEVITICUS — 19:26 conjure

LEV748 It is a negative commandment to do no conjuring or soothsaying as Scripture says, nor shall you conjure [this verse]. This refers, for example, to those who give seasons and times, saying "That certain period or this certain month is good (auspicious) to do this," or the opposite [that it is not good]. Whoever does any action by the word of astrologers like these, violates this rule. So too if someone create illusions and makes it appear before the onlookers that he is performing an amazing deed when in truth he is doing nothing, he likewise violates this rule, since it is included under the term me'onen, conjurer.

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LEVITICUS — 19:30 reverence

LEV762 It is a positive commandment to have a reverent fear of the Sanctuary as Scripture says, and reverence My sanctuary [this verse]. Now, our synagogues and houses of Torah study are called "a little sanctuaries", as Scripture states, yet have I been to them as a little sanctuary (Yehezkel 11:16). We have to beware in them from any frivolous laughter or levity, or any idle talk. No calculations are to be reckoned there, nor are they to be slept in. Their holiness is very severe.

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LEVITICUS — 19:32 rise

LEV782 It is a positive commandment to rise up before an aged man, and to honor a Torah scholar, getting up before him as Scripture says, You shall rise before a sevah, a man of hoary head, and honor the presence of zaken, an old man [this verse]. The term sevah "a man of hoary head") means someone of very advanced age, even if he is not a man of wisdom. One is duty-bound to stand before him – – even a wise scholar who is very young; but he is not obligated to stand up to his full height before him [the old man], but only enough to honor him. The term zaken means zeh she-kanah hochmah, one who has acquired wisdom. Even if he is very young, one is to stand up to his full height before him, from the time he [the scholar] comes within four cubits until he has left his presence. One is likewise duty-bound to give honor to his Torah teacher, even if he has not learned most of his knowledge [of Torah] from him. If a Torah a teacher is willing to overlook his honor, it may be left aside. But it is a great wrong to disparage or disgrace Torah scholars, or to hate them. Whoever disgraces such scholars will have no share in the world-to-come.

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LEVITICUS — 19:35 wrong

LEV807 It is a negative commandment to do no wrong with any measures or weights for Scripture says, You shall do no wrong in mishpat, in size, in weight, or in m'surah [this verse]; and the Sages of blessed memory interpreted (Sifra, ibid.: mishpat means the system of standards; "in size, in weight" -- that nothing should be lacking from the [standard] size or weight as the people of the country have agreed upon it; and so likewise not to mislead one's fellow-man in the measurement of land. "Or in m'surah" -- the Torah was particular even about a small quantity like a m'surah, which is a thirty-sixth part of a log. If someone transgresses this, he disobeys a positive commandment (Just balances… and a just hin shall you have-- Va-yikra 19:36), and he violates this prohibition. Even if he gives a heathen a short measure or weight, he violates this, and is duty-found to return [the amount lacking]. It is forbidden to mislead a heathen in an accounting; this is included in the scope of the verse, For all ... that do wrong are an abomination to Hashem your God (D'varim 25:16). The court has a duty to appoint officials to make the rounds among the stores and shops to correct the scales, weights and measures, and to establish market prices. If someone's measures, weights or scales are not accurate, they are to take them away from him and to penalize him with a fine. If someone charges above the going prices, they are to compel him to sell at the market prices. The punishment [by Heaven] over weights and measures is more severe than a punishment for immorality; he [the guilty person] is as one who denies the exodus from Egypt.

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