Yitro: Chapter 24

"You shall not make"

Synopsis

"You shall not make for yourself any carved idol, or any likeness." In this section we are reminded not to attach interpretations to the Torah without knowing the correct meaning or without having learned them from our teacher; we are reminded not to be false to the Holy Name, and not to be false to the Covenant of Abraham by bringing it into a foreign domain.

Face Form Idolatry Likenesses

427. "You shall not make for yourself any carved idol, or any likeness" (Shemot 20:4). This was already explained. Rabbi Yosi added any form of a face one can make, except that of a man, for a man's face rules over all things.

427. לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. הָא אִתְּמַר. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי, כָּל פַּרְצוּפִין שָׁרֵי, בַּר מִפַּרְצוּפָא דְּאָדָם, דְּהָא הַאי פַּרְצוּפָא שָׁלִיט בְּכֹלָּא.

Correction Flesh Idolatry Likenesses Sin Soul, The Torah World to Come, The

428. There is also another explanation of the verse, "You shall not make any carved idol or any likeness." Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion with the verse, "Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin" (Kohelet 5:5). How careful one must be not to err in regard to the meaning of the words of the Torah, and not to attach interpretations to the Torah without knowing the correct meaning or having learned them from his teacher, for of whoever speaks of scripture without knowledge or learning from his Rabbi, it says, "You shall not make any carved idol or any likeness." The Holy One, blessed be He, will punish him in the World to Come, when his soul shall desire to enter its place. It will then be repelled and it will be cut off from that region which is bound up with the bundle of life, wherein are the other souls.

428. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לֹֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. רַבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, אַל תִּתֵּן אֶת פִּיךָ לַחֲטִיא אֶת בְּשָׂרֶךָ. כַּמָּה אִית לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, כַּמָּה אִית לֵיהּ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא דְּלָא יִטְעֵי בְּהוּ, וְלָא יָפִיק מֵאוֹרַיְיתָא מַה דְּלָא יָדַע, וְלָא קַבִּיל מֵרַבֵּיהּ. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאָמַר בְּמִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא מַה דְּלָא יָדַע, וְלָא קַבִּיל מֵרַבֵּיהּ, עָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב לֹֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא זַמִּין לְאִתְפָּרְעָא מִנֵּיהּ, בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, בְּזִמְנָא דְּנִשְׁמָתֵיהּ בַּעְיָא לְמֵיעָאל לְדוּכְתָּא, דַחְיָין לָהּ לְבַר, וְתִשְׁתְּצֵי מֵהַהוּא אֲתָר דִּצְרִירָא בִּצְרוֹרָא דְּחַיֵּי דִּשְׁאַר נִשְׁמָתִין.

Face Jealousy Soul, The Torah

429. Rabbi Yehuda said, From this we understand the verse, "Why should the Elohim be angry at your voice?" (Kohelet 5:5). "Your voice" signifies a soul of a man. Rabbi Chiya said, Of this it is written, "For I Hashem your Elohim am a jealous El" (Shemot 20:5). He is zealous above all for His Name when He sees an image of a face, or one who is false to His name, or when the Torah IS MISINTERPRETED WITH AN EXPLANATION ONE HAD NOT LEARNED FROM HIS TEACHERS.

429. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מֵהָכָא כְּמָה דְּתָנֵינָן, לָמָּה יִקְצֹף הָאֱלֹֹהִים עַל קוֹלֶךָ. קוֹלֶךָ: דָּא הִיא נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ. אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא, ע"ד כְּתִיב, כִּי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא. מ"ט. מִשּׁוּם דְּקַנֵּי לִשְׁמֵיהּ בְּכֹלָּא. אִי בְּגִין פַּרְצוּפִין מְקַנֵּי לִשְׁמֵיהּ, מִשּׁוּם דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמֵיהּ. אִי מִשּׁוּם אוֹרַיְיתָא.

Holy Name Torah World to Come, The

430. We have learned that the whole Torah is a Holy Name, for there is not a word written which is not included in the Holy Name. Therefore, one must beware of erring in regard to His Holy Name, and one must not be false to it. He who is false to the Supernal King will not be allowed to enter the King's palace, and will be driven away from the World to Come.

430. תָּנֵינָן, אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא הִיא, דְּלֵית לָךְ מִלָּה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּלָא כָּלִיל בִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא. וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ, בָּעֵי לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִטְעֵי בִּשְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא, וְלָא יְשַׁקֵּר בֵּיהּ. וּמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה, לָא עָאלִין לֵיהּ לִפַלְטְרוֹי דְּמַלְכָּא, וְיִשְׁתְּצֵי מֵעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.

Gehenom (Hell) Hell (Gehenom) Idolatry Jealousy Soul, The Stone Tablets Torah World to Come, The

431. Rabbi Aba cited the verse, "You shall not make for yourself any carved idol (Heb. pesel)," and in another place it is written, "Hew (Heb. pesol) for yourself two tablets of stone" (Shemot 34:1), MEANING you shall not hew another Torah which you neither know, nor have learned from your master. Why? Because "I Hashem your Elohim am a jealous El" and I shall punish you in the World to Come, MEANING it is I who will punish you in the World to Come when your soul shall long to stand in My Presence. How many emissaries will then be ready to frustrate its desire and thrust it into Gehenom.

431. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא, כְּתִיב הָכָא לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. וּכְתִיב הָתָם, פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים. כְּלוֹמַר, לֹֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל, לָא תַּעְבֵּד לְךָ אוֹרַיְיתָא אַחֲרָא דְּלָא יַדְעַת, וְלָא אָמַר לָךְ רַבָּךְ. מַאי טַעֲמָא. כִּי אָנֹכִי יְיָ' אֱלֹֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא, אֲנָא הוּא דְּזַמִּין לְאִתְפָּרְעָא מִינָךְ בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא בַּעְיָא לְמֵיעָאל קַמָּאי, כַּמָּה זְמִינִין לְשַׁקְרָא בָּהּ, וּלְעַיְּילָא לָהּ גּוֹ גֵּיהִנָּם.

Abraham Covenant (Brit) Daughter Shechinah

432. Rabbi Yitzchak said, "You shall not make..." means that one should not be false to the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, for Yisrael entered into the first Covenant and union with the Holy One, blessed be He, when they circumcised, for this was the first condition to enter the Covenant of Abraham, the bond with the Shechinah. And one must not be false to that Covenant, for he that is false to that Covenant, is false to the Holy One, blessed be He. What is this falsehood? The bringing of the covenant into a foreign domain, as it is written, "And has married the daughter of a strange El" (Malachi 2:11).

432. תַּנְיָא, אָמַר ר' יִצְחָק, לֹֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ וְגוֹ', דְּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ דְּלָא לְשַׁקְרָא בִּשְׁמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּקִשְׁרָא קַדְמָאָה, דְּאִתְקְשָׁרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כַּד אִתְגְּזָרוּ. וְדָא הוּא קִיּוּמָא קַדְמָאָה דְּכֹלָּא, לְמֵיעָאל בִּבְרִית דְּאַבְרָהָם, דְּהוּא קִשְׁרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא. וּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ, דְּלָא לְשַׁקְּרָא בְּהַאי בְּרִית, דְּמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּהַאי בְּרִית, מְשַׁקֵּר בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מַאי שִׁקְרָא. הוּא, דְּלָא יֵיעוּל הַאי בְּרִית בִּרְשׁוּתָא אַחֲרָא. כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר וּבָעַל בַּת אֵל נֵכָר.

Covenant (Brit) Heaven Idolatry Likenesses

433. Rabbi Yehuda said, Hence, "They have dealt treacherously against Hashem, for they have begotten strange children" (Hoshea 5:7). Whoever is false to the Covenant is false to the Holy One, blessed be He, because the Covenant is united with Him. Therefore, it is written, "You shall not make for yourself any carved idol, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above..."

433. ר' יְהוּדָה אָמַר מֵהָכָא, בַּיְיָ' בָּגָדוּ כִּי בָּנִים זָרִים יָלָדוּ. מַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּהַאי בְּרִית, מְשַׁקֵּר בְּקב"ה. מִשּׁוּם דְהַאי בְּרִית בְּקב"ה אֲחִידָא, וּכְתִיב לֹֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְגוֹ'.

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