Torah as Purifying Water and the Grave Sin of Slander

Another interpretation of "Pour out your heart like water": just as this water is a purifying ritual bath for Israel and for all that was created in the world, as it is said, "Everything that comes into fire... and everything that does not come into fire you shall pass through water," so words of Torah are a purifying bath for Israel in all the places of their dwelling. Come and see how great is the power of the Torah, that it purifies the transgressors of Israel when they repent, even from the idolatry in their hands, as it is said, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your impurities and from all your idols" (Ezekiel 36:25). And "water" is nothing other than Torah, as it is said, "Ho, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters" (Isaiah 55:1), and purity is nothing other than words of Torah, as it is said, "The words of the LORD are pure words... refined sevenfold" (Psalms 12:7). Another interpretation: just as this water flows in the river and does not return again, so each individual of Israel who has quarreled with his fellow should not keep envy and vengeance in his heart against him, nor be proud over him, nor withhold words of Torah from him, as it is said, "Do not go out to quarrel hastily, lest you not know what to do in the end" (Proverbs 25:8). And do not be accustomed to answering back against the heavenly court, for if it comes to require a reckoning of you, to reprove you, you cannot stand under the reproof, as it is said, "Argue your case with your neighbor, but do not reveal another's secret" (Proverbs 25:9). How so? If a person committed a transgression this year, once the Day of Atonement came and he confessed it, the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave him; in the following year do not remember it to him further. For the Sages said: A hundred times flatter, but not once reveal his face in shame. And so the Sages taught in the Mishnah: If he was a penitent, one may not say to him, Remember your former deeds; and if he was of the children of converts, one may not say to him, Remember the deeds of your fathers, as it is said, "And you shall not wrong a stranger" (Exodus 22:20), and it says, "You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people" (Leviticus 19:16). Another interpretation of "You shall not go about as a talebearer": that you not be soft in your mouth and hard in your heart. Another interpretation: just as a peddler has with him a hundred kinds of spices, so every sage of Israel who has within him several hundred words of Torah in their truth has in his heart a hundred thoughts of Scripture and a hundred of Mishnah and a hundred kinds of answers of Talmud, as it is said, "Who is this coming up from the wilderness... with all the powders of the peddler" (Song of Songs 3:6), and they are like Moses and Aaron and all who resemble them. Correspondingly you say of the wicked, like the wicked Dathan and Abiram, each of whom intended to make a quarrel with his fellows, and there are in them a hundred thoughts of robbery and a hundred of forbidden unions and a hundred of bloodshed, as it is said, "He who separates himself seeks his own desire" (Proverbs 18:1), because they speak slander on earth, and it ascends against the throne of glory, as it is said, "They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks on earth" (Psalms 73:9). Why? Because they mention it and transgress upon it. Another interpretation of "You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people": there are four traits in that verse, two traits of the righteous and two traits of the wicked. The two traits of the righteous, how so? Go and learn from Moses and Aaron, who intended and made peace between Israel and their Father in heaven, and between an unlettered Israelite and a disciple of the wise, and between sage and sage, and between a person and his fellow, and between a man and his wife. And out of their good ways a good name was fixed for them and for their children and their children's children until the end of all generations, as it is said, "This is Aaron and Moses" (Exodus 6:26). The two traits of the wicked, how so? Go and learn from the wicked Dathan and Abiram, who intended and made discord between Israel and their Father in heaven, and between an unlettered Israelite and a disciple of the wise, and between sage and sage, and between a person and his fellow, and between a man and his wife. And out of their evil ways an evil name was fixed for them and for their children until the end of all generations, as it is said, "This is Dathan and Abiram" (Numbers 26:9). Why did Scripture need to say "This is Dathan and Abiram"? Rather, they are the ones who said to Moses in Egypt, "Who set you as a man, a ruler and judge over us?" (Exodus 2:14). They are Dathan and Abiram who said to Moses in Egypt, "May the LORD look upon you and judge, for you have made our scent foul in the eyes of Pharaoh" (Exodus 5:21), as it is said, "And they met Moses and Aaron standing to meet them." And there it says, "And Dathan and Abiram came out standing" (Numbers 16:27). "Standing" is said here and "standing" is said there; just as "standing" said there is Dathan and Abiram, so "standing" said here is Dathan and Abiram. They are Dathan and Abiram who left over of the manna, as it is said, "And men left over of it until morning" (Exodus 16:20), and there it says, "And behold, two Hebrew men were striving" (Exodus 2:13); just as "men" said there is Dathan and Abiram, so "men" said here is Dathan and Abiram. From here the Sages said: whatever you can attach to the wicked, attach to them. What is the nature of a person who intends and makes a quarrel against Him who spoke and the world came to be? Scripture comes to teach you that anyone who makes a quarrel against a disciple of the wise is as though he made a quarrel against Him who spoke and the world came to be, as it is said, "This is Dathan and Abiram, the called of the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the congregation of Korah, when they contended against the LORD" (Numbers 26:9). And because Dathan and Abiram knew that Moses and Aaron were worthy and were sons of the world to come, yet they rose against them to kill them with their tongue; and likewise Doeg and Ahithophel knew that David king of Israel was worthy and a son of the world to come, yet they rose against him to kill him with their tongue. Therefore it is said of them, "May the LORD cut off all smooth lips, the tongue that speaks great things" (Psalms 12:4), for this is the great transgression. Blessed is the Omnipresent, blessed be He, before whom there is no favoritism. Just as they accorded honor to Ahithophel and called him a counselor, as it is said, "And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counseled in those days was as if one inquired of the word of God" (2 Samuel 16:23), and just as they accorded honor to Doeg the Edomite and called him a mighty man, as it is said, "Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?" (Psalms 52:3), so according to the greatness of their honor was the greatness of their punishment. Therefore it is written after it, "You devise destruction; your tongue is like a sharpened razor working deceit... God will also tear you down forever; He will snatch you and pluck you from the tent and root you out of the land of the living, Selah" (Psalms 52:4-7). "God will also tear you down forever", whether in this world or in the days of the son of David or in the world to come. "He will pluck you from the tent", this is the house of study; and the Sages said that David said: even his offspring shall not be remembered in the house of study. "And root you out of the land of the living, Selah", this is the world to come, where the righteous live and endure forever and ever. Blessed is the Omnipresent, blessed be He, who chose the sages and their disciples and the disciples of their disciples and fulfills upon them, by the measure a person measures, so it is measured to him. Just as they sit in synagogues and houses of study and in every place free for them, reading and learning for the sake of Heaven, with fear in their heart, holding fast words of Torah in their mouth, and fulfilling upon themselves the verse, "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth" (Lamentations 3:27), so, as it were, even if they ask the whole world in a single hour, He gives it to them at once, as it is said, "I will tell of the decree of the LORD; He said to me, You are My son... Ask of Me and I will give nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession" (Psalms 2:7-8). But the measure of the wicked is not so, as it is said, "Not so the wicked, but they are like chaff that the wind drives away" (Psalms 1:4). Blessed is the Omnipresent, blessed be He, before whom there is no favoritism. Just as the wicked speak slander and it ascends to the throne of glory, so angels descend from before the Mighty One and take those wicked ones and cast them into the depth of Gehinnom. At that moment Gehinnom replies and says before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, I have no power to repay them enough according to their punishment, and the whole world cannot give them enough of their punishment. For this master of slander sinned from the earth to the firmament. Rather, send Your arrows upon him from above first, and afterward he will receive coals of broom-wood from me below, as it is said, "What shall He give you and what more shall He add, O deceitful tongue? The sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of broom-wood" (Psalms 120:3-4). And "mighty" is nothing other than the Holy One, blessed be His name forever and ever, as it is said, "The great, mighty, and awesome God" (Deuteronomy 10:17), and it says, "The LORD goes out like a mighty man" (Isaiah 42:13). The wholly wicked are within Gehinnom like brine and fish-pickle within the pot. Just as this pot, once one puts into it brine or fish-pickle, is at once stilled, so Gehinnom, once the transgressors of Israel are put into it, is at once stilled. How so? When it rages, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to it: Why and over what do you rage? It says before Him: Master of the universe, give me those who recognize Him and transgress upon Him. And the Holy One, blessed be He, would put off Gehinnom with words and say to it: Perhaps you have no room for the transgressors of Israel? At that moment Gehinnom said before Him: Master of the universe, did You not swear to me to widen me, as it is said, "Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure" (Isaiah 5:14)? And "therefore" is nothing other than an oath, as it is said, "And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli" (1 Samuel 3:14). And what does "her splendor and her multitude go down" (Isaiah 5:14) teach? These are those who commit transgression in inner chambers, in the hidden place, and say, Who sees me and who knows me? as it is said, "Their deeds are in the dark, and they say, Who sees us and who knows us?" (Isaiah 29:15), and it says, "And they say, The LORD does not see, and the God of Jacob does not understand" (Psalms 94:7), and it says, "Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark... for they say... the LORD has forsaken the land" (Ezekiel 8:12). Blessed is the Omnipresent, blessed be He, before whom there is no favoritism. Just as they commit transgressions in inner chambers and in hidden places and in a dark and concealed place, so the Holy One, blessed be He, will search out their iniquities with lights and lamps, as it is said, "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who are settled on their dregs, who say in their heart, The LORD will not do good and will not do harm" (Zephaniah 1:12). Therefore it says "her splendor." Another interpretation of "her splendor": do not read "her splendor" but "her returning," for they return to the transgressions and do them several times; therefore it says "her splendor." What is "her multitude"? These are those who go in throngs, five by five and ten by ten, and steal and rob and deceive one before another, and have no shame, neither from the retinue above nor the retinue below, and swear falsely and deny in court; therefore it says "her multitude." And what is "her tumult"? This is peace; all those things they do only out of peace; therefore it says "her tumult." And what is "and he who exults in her"? This is Gehinnom, which rejoices over the wicked of Israel, and then it is at once stilled. And you, the righteous of the world, who did My will in My Torah every single day, come and see the downfall of the wholly wicked of Israel and the wicked idolaters who deny the Torah, as it is said, "You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away... but you shall rejoice in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory" (Isaiah 41:16). Another interpretation of "You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people": blessed is the Omnipresent, blessed be He, before whom there is no favoritism. Just as the Holy One, blessed be His great name forever and ever, rolls the measure of mercy before Him and removes the measure of strict justice from before Him, and does not keep envy and vengeance in His heart against Israel in all the places of their dwelling, and does not withhold words of Torah from them, so should each individual of Israel do to his fellow, as it is said, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him; you shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the children of your people, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself, I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:17-18). What does "in your heart" teach? Hatred settled in the heart. Could it be that Scripture speaks of his brother by father or by mother? Or could it be that it speaks only of the Holy One, blessed be He, who has no brothers except Israel, whom He does not hate, not in this world nor in the days of the son of David nor in the world to come? These are the righteous of the world who do His Torah every day continually, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, calls My brothers and My companions, as it is said, "For the sake of my brothers and my companions, let me say, Peace be within you" (Psalms 122:8). Scripture teaches "you shall surely rebuke your neighbor." Could it be that even if you know he is wicked and hates you, you are nonetheless obligated to rebuke him? Scripture teaches "you shall surely rebuke your neighbor", your neighbor who loves you and is with you in Torah and commandments, him you are obligated to rebuke; but the wicked who hates you, you are not obligated to rebuke, and you are also not permitted to rebuke him, as it is said, "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man gets a blemish; do not rebuke a scoffer lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you" (Proverbs 9:7-8). What is "and not bear sin because of him"? Rabbi Eliezer ben Mattya said: If there is in him a matter you know of, tell him between you and him and do not be a sinner because of him; therefore it says "and not bear sin because of him." Similarly Scripture says, "When your enemy falls do not rejoice, and when he stumbles let your heart not be glad, lest the LORD see and it be evil in His eyes and He turn His anger from him" (Proverbs 24:17-18), and elsewhere it says, "When the wicked perish there is glad song" (Proverbs 11:10). How can these two verses be reconciled? Rather, a disciple of the wise who bested you today in a matter, and tomorrow something comes to his hand, do not rejoice over it, as it is said, "lest the LORD see and it be evil in His eyes." But if one of Israel wishes to rejoice in the downfall of the wicked, of those who seek to do evil to his fellow in Israel, who are wholly wicked, it is permitted to rejoice in their misfortune. And lest you say, How do you know to say this? Know that it is so: go and learn from Nabal the Carmelite, to whom those ten disciples of David came and saw at his table that whole great feast and did not wish to benefit from it, for they were saying, This man sought only to kill us. Blessed is the Omnipresent, blessed be He, before whom there is no oversight and no forgetting and no favoritism. Just as Nabal the Carmelite sought the death of disciples of the wise, therefore his spirit fell after the ten days, as it is said, "And it came to pass about ten days later that the LORD struck Nabal and he died" (1 Samuel 25:38). If they were many he would say about forty or about fifty, and if they were few he would say about four or about five; what does "about ten days" teach? Rather, these are the ten days between New Year and the Day of Atonement that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel for repentance, to pardon them all their iniquities; so He gave Nabal to repent and he did not. Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass about ten days later that the LORD struck Nabal and he died." And what is written in the matter after it? "And David heard that Nabal was dead and said, Blessed is the LORD who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and kept back His servant from evil, and the evil of Nabal the LORD has returned upon his own head; and David sent and spoke for Abigail to take her to himself as a wife... and she went after the messengers of David and became his wife." Surely of him it is said, "The wicked prepares and the righteous wears" (Job 27:17), and this is the end of the world.