LEV1146 If a person in our own times would like to witness something similar to these [miraculous] events, let him look candidly at our position among the nations since the beginning of the Exile, and at our orderly condition in their midst, though we disagree with them in our beliefs and practices, as they well know. He will see that, in regard to standard of living and subsistence, our situation is close to theirs, and that in times of war and conflict, it may even be better than theirs. He will see that their middle class and villagers toil more than the middle and poor classes among us. This is as we were promised by our Creator, may He be exalted: “Yet for all that, when they are in their enemies’ land, I will not so abhor them and be disgusted with them as to destroy them and break My covenant with them” (Vayikra 26:44) ; As Ezra said: “Though we are servants, God has not abandoned us in our servitude” (Ezra 9:9); And as it says: “Had it not been for God, Who was for us, let Israel now say; had it not been for God, Who was for us, when men rose up against us” (Tehillim 124:1-2), and the rest of the psalm. In the gate on assuming the service of God, I will, with the help of the Almighty, elaborate sufficiently on the abundant favors God has bestowed on us in His Torah which He has given to us.

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LEV1147 See [[DEUT333]] Deuteronomy 7:7 chose DUTIES 715-7

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LEV1148 One must remember how much one is inclined to love another who looks with favor upon him, as it is written (Mishlei 27:19): "As in water, face is reflected to face, so the heart of man to man." And certainly, if one sees the king looking upon him with favor and showing that he loves him, how much more will one love him and praise him and glorify him for this! And much more so with respect to the Blessed Creator, who made it known to us that He loves us and Who helps us and Who promised to love us in all generations, as it is written [this verse]. How much more so must we love the Blessed Creator every day and every moment!

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LEV1149 See [[EXOD1039]] Exodus 34:7 forgiving DORFFDRAG 188-9

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LEV1150 See [[LEV1118]] Leviticus 26:14 obey DORFFWITO 41

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LEV1151 See [[LEV206]] Leviticus 18:4 laws SPERO 24-5

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LEV1152 Keep the laws of vows of monetary worth. Key concepts: The unique aspect of the human species is the ability to speak. The power of speech is the one part of a human being that works in partnership with the higher worlds, for every other part of us dies. Therefore, if a man sullies this unique aspect of his being, his entire body, in effect, dies. It becomes like a vessel that no one wants. Accordingly, the Torah commands to uphold our words and fulfill whatever we say, especially our promises that involve matters of holiness—e.g. vows to give charity or to bring offerings, or pledges to donate objects or value to the Beis HaMikdash. Regarding all of their verbal promises that we might make in daily life, although in the Torah there is no specific positive or negative command about fulfilling the promises, our Sages command and warn us repeatedly to keep our word.

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LEV1153 If an animal sacrificed for the Altar is switched for another, both animals are sanctified. Hashem wants to instill fear into our hearts regarding all matters of holiness. Accordingly, He commands in His Torah that once an animal is sanctified for the Altar, its holy status becomes fixed forever and one cannot tamper with it. One should not think that he has the power to remove the sanctity and dedicate a different animal instead. If a person transgresses this command and says, “This animal shall be in the place of that one,” his plan backfires and both animals are holy. Since the person tried to annul an animal’s sanctity he winds up causing its sanctity to spread onto another animal. Property that someone dedicates to the Beis HaMikdash but not to the Altar can be redeemed. The item’s monetary value plus one-fifth is given as redemption money; thereby the holiness is that attached to the item when it was dedicated transfers onto the redemption money and the item leaves the possession of the Beis HaMikdash. According to the Rambam, the Torah here reads man's mind and copes with a human foible. Man by nature enjoys accumulating possessions. He becomes very attached to them and does not want to part with them, so if he dedicates some of his property to the Beit HaMikdash, he might regret what he did. He might want to redeem the item so he can have it back, but will not want to pay its full value. For this reason, when one wants to redeem his dedicated object, the Torah requires him to pay the value of the principal plus one-fifth. Similarly, regarding animals dedicated to the Altar, were the Torah to allow us to exchange one animal and dedicate a better one in its place, people would come to switch dedicated animals for worse ones, too. Therefore, the Torah closes the door on the entire possibility.

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LEV1154 Rationalization. The ability to use our reason to justify what is wrong is yet another common, and unworthy, human characteristic. In Albert Camus's novel The Fall, the protagonist engages in numerous sexual affairs. He has "principles," however, "such as that the wife of a friend's is sacred. [But when I was attracted to a woman] I simply ceased quite sincerely, a few days before, to feel any friendship for her husband": that way, he could act in good conscience on his lustful inclination. The tendency to rationalize applies with equal force in the financial realm. Maimonides notes the Torah law that once a person designates a specific animal to be sacrificed, he is forbidden to substitute another in its place: "One may not exchange or substitute another for it, either good for bad or bad for good" [this verse]. The prohibition of substituting "bad for good" makes sense, but what is the logic of prohibiting the substitution of a superior animal for an inferior one, since such a substitution shows God greater honor, not less? According to Maimonides, this law is a response to the human tendency to rationalize: "If permission would have been given for a person to exchange a superior animal for an inferior one, one [who regretted his vow, will come to] exchange an inferior one for a superior one, declaring that it really is superior. Consequently, the Torah closes the door to such an action, declaring that one can never exchange it, and fining one for doing so. All these provisions are for the purpose of controlling one's inclinations and improving one's character (Laws of Terumah--Substitutions 4:13]. More than any other character flaw, rationalization makes repentance and self-improvement impossible. A person who understands that she often gives in to her lower inclinations will at least recognize when she is doing something unethical. Perhaps one day she will be motivated to stop engaging in this behavior. But a person who uses her intellect to rationalize or justify wrong behavior will never be motivated to repent. Why should she? Therefore, wrong as it is to act immorally, we should not commit the additional sin of convincing ourselves that what we are doing is right. For example, it is preferable to acknowledge to ourselves that "I bought a dress to wear for a wedding, and then returned it, but I know that Jewish law forbids my doing so," rather than "a lot of people do this, and besides, who was hurt by my action?"

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LEV1155 Possessions that have been declared “cherem” shall go to the Kohanim. The nation of Israel is the one nation chosen by Hashem to serve Him constantly and acknowledge His Holy Name. Our nation, unlike the others, is not under the influence of stellar forces, for all of our affairs are managed directly by Hashem. He uses no intermediaries, and not angels or stars. Therefore, when our nation faithfully fulfills the Torah and crowns itself with devoted service of the Giver of the Torah, we enjoy abundant blessings from Heaven, peace, prosperity and purity of spirit. Accordingly, in the grips of impatience and irritability, if a Jew utters a curse and cherem on some of his lands or his movable possessions, how can such words serve to transfer the items to another domain? After all, are not one’s possessions under Hashem's blessings? Nevertheless, since the one who declared the ban revealed his desire to disassociate himself from these items and transfer them elsewhere, it is fitting that his will be fulfilled. The items leave his domain, Sanctity falls upon them and they enter the domain of the Master of All.

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