DEUT611 All too often, even where there is physical damage involved, the economic welfare of the community would be seriously harmed by the removal of an offending plant or industry. If the damage envisaged is one that causes bodily harm, as distinct from inconvenience or irritation, the economic loss is not allowed to take precedence over the paramount concern for the safety of human beings. This may be seen from the case, discussed in chapter 6, of an individual worker who wishes to endanger himself in order to increase his income. The rabbis taught that since man's need for economic growth is unlimited, we cannot allow him to endanger his life, even though he himself is willing to run the risk, in order to increase his income. Where, however, the conflict is between communal economic suffering and inconvenience or physical unpleasantness, we find that the halachic authorities were prepared to permit such inconvenience. After all, were this not done, the community would be threatened with extinction, or at least severe privation. We are assuming here, of course, that there is no alternative site at which to place a given plant. Should an alternative exist, all the authorities agreed that the factory or industry should be located so that the damage is removed. Furthermore, it should be noted that, according to all halachic authorities, the owner of a plant has to take as much care as possible to see that damages are kept to a minimum.

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DEUT612 See [[LEV1134]] Leviticus 26:37 stumble GATES 387

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DEUT613 The sixth category of flattery is he who is in a position to protest against an evil and does not protest, nor does he pay any attention to the deeds of the sinners. This thing comes close to flattery, for the sinners think, "As long as they do not protest and do not reproach us, all of our deeds must be good. But we have been commanded to root out the evil from our midst, as it is said, "So shall you put away the evil from your midst" (this verse). Sefer Orhot Zaddikim -- The Ways of the Righteous. (Continued at [[LEV1132]] Leviticus 26:37 stumble HTBAJ 203-4)

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DEUT614 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 [Torah] clothes him with humility and reverence, and prepares him to be righteous, pious, upright, and faithful; Pirkei Avot, Perek VI, mishnah 1. R. Me'ir lists four such levels – for which Torah readies a person--in ascending order of achievement: the tzaddik is righteous; as the word might suggest, he always does the right thing, living simply and wholly within the law, never doing evil--but no more. The hassid goes beyond the letter of the law, doing more than is required of him. He will often forget his own interests, in order to help others. If a poor woman owes you five dollars, you have a right to demand payment. If you are a hassid, you will forget it (so the commentaries of R. Isaac of Toledo and R. Shem-tov ibn Shem-tov ibn Palquera, c. 1390-1430, on the sixth perek (published with R. Bahya's commentary, Jerusalem 1962), and Rashi to T.B. Shabbath 120a, s.v. חסידי) Yet the hassid, always going "beyond the law," may not always act wisely. It is splendid to forgo your own absolute rights for the sake of compassion. But the Talmud knows of another kind who goes beyond the law in religiosity: he might see a child drowning in the river and murmur, "As soon as I take off my t'fillin I will save him"--and by then the child has expired. Should a woman be drowning in the river, he might mutter, "It is not proper for me to gaze at her and save her." He, says the Talmud, is a hassid shoteh, a pious fool! (T.J. Sotah iii 4 (19a); T.B. 21b). And the Sages warn: "If an ignoramus is a hassid, do not live in his vicinity (T.B. Shabbath 63a; Seder Eliyahu Zuta xvi (ed. Friedmann, 4). The piety of the hassid is surely generally good; but without the plumbline of law and truth to keep him on an even keel, he may go off the deep end. At times the Torah may demand seeming irreligiosity of us, to save a life. And have we not heard of a "religious" policy of forgiving and entreating Heaven's forgiveness for those who injure or kill you? Here is a piety that would encourage villains to flourish. When dire wrong is done, our Written Torah commands: "you shall exterminate the evil from your mist" [this verse]. Punishment can discipline the guilty and protect the community. Therefore yashar, one who is upright, straightforward, ranks above the hassid. The center of his life is neither the rigid letter of the law nor a tendency to an extreme that goes beyond the bounds of reason and truth. He learns the spirit of the Torah, the Divine thought and will behind its sacred law; and this becomes a gyroscope which keeps his life in balance. Where the Torah's law is not absolute, he will go beyond it, in religiosity and compassion, but always in the Torah's spirit. Informed by the values behind Torah, he will remain upright, in its straightforward path.

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DEUT615 The sixth category [of flattery] consists of one who is in a position to protest, but does not do so, and he does not take to heart the deeds of sinners. This is akin to flattery, for the sinners think: Since they do not protest and they do not rebuke us, all of our deeds must be good. And we have been commanded to remove evil from our midst, as it is written [this verse]: "And remove the evil from your midst." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shabbos 54b): "All those who are in a position to reprove the members of their household and do not do so are held accountable for the sins of the members of their household; those who are in a position to reprove the people of their city and do not do so, are held accountable for the sins of the people of the city; and those who are in a position to reprove all men and do not do so, are held accountable for the sins of all men." For it is written (Vayikra 26:37): "And they shall stumble one upon the other," which our Rabbis of blessed memory interpreted as "one, for the transgression of the other" -- wherein we are taught that all Israel is responsible one for the other (Shavuos 39a).

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DEUT616 See [[EXOD332]] Exodus 19:6 nation OXFORD 38-9

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DEUT617 The Talmud describes three types of individuals that God hates (and by extension, we, who are supposed to imitate God's ways, should also hate) (Pesachim 113 with Rashi commentary): 1) a person who is a hypocrite (who speaks one way but feels differently in his heart), 2) a person who has knowledge to exonerate someone in a court of law, but refuses to testify, and 3) a person who sees someone commit a terrible sin but cannot testify, since the testimony of one person has no validity in a Jewish court. Although nothing can legally be done to this person, it is permitted to hate him or her for this action. Another type of individual who may be hated is a person who tries to uproot Judaism and its values through his or her actions. The Torah speaks about this person in the parlance of the time, for what was common then--he who tries to get others to worship idols. This Jew may be hated and is not subject to the obligation to "love every Jew as oneself" (Deuteronomy 13:7-9 with Rashi commentary). Maimonides codifies this Jewish law regarding anyone who tries to uproot Judaism, and says that not only is a Jew not obligated to love this person (as every other Jew), but he or she may even hate this person (Maimonides, Sefer HaMitzvot, negative Mitzvah 17-18). Chinuch stresses the "importance" of hating such an individual even more than Maimonides does (Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvot 457-8). Chafetz Chaim brings as examples of this idea two individuals in the Torah, Datan and Aviram, who continually try to undermine Moses and the Jewish people (Chafetz Chaim, Be'er Mayim Chaim 9).

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DEUT618 There is one and only one mitzvah in the Torah in which the sin is clearly instigating someone else to do evil: goading a person to worship idols [Deuteronomy 13: 7-12]. The Torah talks about such a person in the most heinous terms. The sin of idol worship is so hated in the Torah that even if the person only incited another to do the deed (and even if the deed was never even done), the inciter is punishable. It is the only case of incitement where a human court can exact punishment. However, because idol worship is such a horrible sin, one may not extrapolate and generalize the sin of incitement to any other sins mentioned in the Torah (Sanhedrin 29a).

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DEUT619 “Continued from [[GEN295]] Genesis 2:18 alone BLOCH 140-1” While the advantages of friendship are obvious, there are also pitfalls that should not be ignored. Biblical moralists were fearful of the influence of undesirable friends. The Pentateuch warns against the enticement of friends who seek to alienate people from their faith [this verse]. The relevance of this warning is well understood by modern parents whose children have made friends with members of various cults and as result have deserted their parental homes and traditions. It is, of course, a major parental duty to approve of the friends their young children choose. Considering the inherent dangers of misguided friendships, the rabbis regarded with misgivings a fraternization pursued exclusively for social ends. They preferred associations which promote morality and wisdom. The term re-a, basically a social friend, disappeared from the rabbinical lexicon. Instead they popularized the term chaver ("one who joins, a companion").

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DEUT620 See [[EXOD140]] Exodus 11:2 friend BLOCH 140

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