English translation — ראה ג

A.

On the verse¹

"For your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, will entice you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,'" Rashi explains: "Your brother — from the father.

Or²

the son of your mother — from the mother.

Who is as your own soul — this is your father, etc."

It is not understood: Why does the verse not list among the relatives also your mother and your sister³?

And since this is a difficulty in the simple meaning of the verse and Rashi does not address it

that Rashi answers <b>every</b> thing that is difficult in the simple meaning of the verse; and when he has no explanation according to the simple meaning,

he says "I do not know"⁵

and the like],

one must say that according to Rashi's view, this is understood by itself according to the simple meaning

(or it is understandable according to a previous commentary of Rashi)⁶.

B.

At first glance, one can answer — and with an introduction of another question: Since the Torah lists here those who are — as Rashi says — "beloved to you,"

why should not also be listed among them the one beloved to you in its simple sense,

"your friend" in its simple sense?

The Ra”m says,

that this means indeed Rashi with his commentary “asher kenafshecha,

zeh avicha” — “vechaser o”,

that it is exactly as if it had stood in the verse “re’acha o asher kenafshecha

”,

And according to this the verse also means <b>re’acha</b> according to its simple meaning.

It is however difficult to say so in <b>Rashi</b>,

because then Rashi would have written explicitly,

as he writes right before that “<b>o</b> ben imecha”; and especially that the wording “<b>asher</b> kenafshecha” is simply a translation of “re’acha”,

Rashi would certainly have needed to explain that the plain meaning is <b>o</b> “asher kenafshecha”.

One can however learn

(at least with some difficulty),

that both details are included in "your friend who is like your soul" not as two separate matters,

but "your friend who is like your soul"

(plainly)

means <b>all </b>levels in "friends who are like your soul"

(also "your friend" literally),

and Rashi explains only the novelty <b>and addition </b>on the plain meaning,

the

(highest)

level in "your friend who is like your soul" - "this is your father"⁷,

And based on this, "your friend who is like your soul" includes also

(the intermediate levels)

"your mother" and "your sister"⁸.

It remains however difficult: a)

Why are all the remaining relatives enumerated <b>by themselves</b> and specifically "your mother" and "your sister" are included in "your brother who is like your soul"?

b)

Furthermore: since "the verse specified for you the <b>beloved ones</b> to you"⁹

the verse certainly should have specified "your mother",

who is beloved to you more than "your brother, the son of your mother" and even more than your father,

and therefore regarding her the concern of "for he will entice you" is more applicable; as Rashi explains earlier in Parshat Kedoshim¹⁰

on "A man, his mother and his father you shall fear",

that "in honor he placed father before mother because it is revealed before Him that the son honors his mother more than his father because she coaxes him with words"¹¹.

3.

The explanation in this: Rashi has already several times¹²

said the principle "the text speaks of the common occurrence"; also in this same verse on the word "in secret" Rashi says "the text speaks of the common occurrence, for the words of an enticer are only in secret".

4.

5.

That the principle of "the text speaks of the common occurrence" according to Rashi,

is not only when there is a choice to write two expressions,

the Torah chooses the expression that is "common",

but the verse because of this also adds in its language,

in our case the word — "in secret".

And likewise: Since the verse "for he will entice you etc." speaks about a person regarding whom it can be "he will entice you, your son or your daughter or

your friend who is like your soul

”¹³,

e.

a grown man with a family and grown children - is the present and as usual¹⁴

that the “enticer” should come to him only from those that the verse enumerates and not from your sister or your mother¹⁵.

d.

d.

the explanation in this: the enticement “let us go and serve other gods etc.” can be in two ways: a)

through reasons of intellect and faith - one who has an influence on the other in matters of faith and the like,

he entices him “let us go and serve other gods”; b)

due to neighborliness¹⁶

and excessive closeness in their life that one has with the other - he can persuade and influence him to serve idolatry also without reasons of intellect and faith¹⁷.

It is however understood,

that also the first manner of "he will entice you, and we will go and serve other gods" is in the way of the present and usual connected with closeness of intellect from the side of family relationship,

which enables such a great "enticement" as to idolatry,

and in particular - "in secret."

And these are in general the two types that the verse enumerates: "your brother from your father or your son from your mother" - is in a general way their manner of enticement through reasons of intellect and faith; and in this way and even more regarding a father who has a greater influence on his son in matters of faith; "your son or your daughter or your wife of your bosom" is the influence not through the medium of reasons of intellect and faith

(because it is the opposite of the usual order,

that "your son" or "your daughter" or "your wife of your bosom" should influence him with reasons of intellect and faith until to bring about - going away from the service of G-d and crossing over to "other gods which you have not known etc."),

but from the side of the attachment of children and of the wife of your bosom to the father and husband.

But since also the first manner of your relative

(by means of reasons of intellect and faith)

"in secret" is in the usual way applicable then when they have a kinship between themselves,

as above,

therefore the verse includes both manners together and in order from lower to higher in their kinship: your brother from father

(who himself has a family)

- with him there is a drawing near as the heirs of the father,

which because of this they come into contact one with the other; your mother's son from mother

- with him the connection is to a greater degree due to the fact that they have one mother,

apparently in the tangible¹⁸

; above this is the closeness and connection of your son or your daughter to their father; further closeness is with "the wife of your bosom"¹⁹

; above this²⁰

is your friend who is <b>as your soul</b> - and therefore the verse counts them in this order²¹.

ה.

Based on this it is simply understood why the verse does not count your sister and your mother: It is not usual that a grown person with his own family should have an <b>extra</b> connection with his sister

(who usually has her own family)

to such an extent that she could influence him

("in secret")

the incitement of "Let us go and serve other gods which you have not known, etc."

And likewise regarding your mother: Although he has a closeness with her,

she nevertheless has no influence on him in matters of

Faith; and also from the aspect of the feeling of the heart

(in the usual manner "in the present"),

since it is speaking about an adult person,

who already has adult children of his own,

his feeling for his mother is not in such a <b>manner</b> of excessive closeness,

that she could thereby influence him and transform him into a state of serving idolatry²².

But not so a son,

daughter or the wife of your bosom,

with whom one lives constantly together and the strong attachment is of such a type that can have an influence in the aforementioned.

6.

One of the instructions that one can learn from this:

All the enumerated levels of "your brother etc." are

(also)

levels in the faculties of man²³

- emotions,

intellect etc.; and from this it is understood,

that from the perspective of all the levels in the soul there can be "he will entice you".

I.e.,

that in the service of G-d one cannot rely

(only)

on the service that is according to the emotions and reason and intellect of the mind.

on the service that is according to the emotions and reason and intellect of the mind.

Moreover: even "your friend who is like your soul, this is your father",

which father is the level of wisdom²⁴

which negates the matter of idolatry - as the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya²⁵

nevertheless here comes the instruction regarding

However much there needs to be the "do not believe in yourself"²⁶,

that even from the level of father,

wisdom in the soul,

since it is "as your soul" - a self-interest from his existence mixes in²⁷,

one cannot be certain to be guarded from idolatry; from him can also come "he will entice you".

from that which is explained²⁹

regarding Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai that he said³⁰

I do not know on which path they lead me - although Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai did not walk four cubits without Torah and without tefillin³¹

and for eighty years he studied and taught Torah³²

- only the doubt by him was from the <b>innerness and essence </b>of his soul³³,

as is explained in Chassidus].

And in order to be guarded from "he will entice you etc. and we will serve other gods",

one must stand in a movement of mesirut nefesh - surrender of the will,

which is higher than wisdom.

And then this also affects the

powers below it³⁴,

beginning from av bechiy'at chochmah,

and below this "your brother the son of your mother etc.",

that not only should one be guarded and protected from "he will entice you",

but on the contrary - "after³⁵

Hashem your God you shall walk and Him

You shall fear and His commandments you shall keep and in His voice you shall listen and Him you shall serve and in Him you shall cleave”³⁶.

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Re'eh 5732)