Musar zu Jeschijahu 28:78

And the fourth section: One who always makes a habit for himself to engage in idle talk, and idle matters, like those who sit in the street corners. And there are two evils in the matter: The first is because all who proliferate words bring sin. And the second is that he is idle from [speaking] words of Torah. And the ways of death [are found] in this. For he does not remember or pay attention, that the time periods that he is wasting, he could [use] to reach pleasantness, to acquire eternal life - if he were to set these available times for Torah when he is free, for the work of the Heavens which is upon him. Therefore he will be punished to carry the yoke of afflictions - measure for measure - as it is stated (Isaiah 28:22), “Now therefore do not be scoffers, lest your suffering be made strong.” And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avodah Zarah 18b), “Anyone who scoffs, suffering will befall him, as it is stated, ‘lest your suffering be made strong.’” And the Sages would warn their students against scoffing even occasionally and by chance. And about this section they had to warn, since many have stumbled on it in an occasional way.

And the third section: One that comes with deception and deceptive words to prevent good from someone and to bring the good to himself. It is not to rob his fellow of something that is his nor to extort him. Rather he puts his eye upon a good that will be coming to his fellow in the future, and ambushes it to bring it to himself by the falsehood of his words; or his lying words cause his fellow to give it to him as a gift. And the main punishment is for the lie. Indeed, the punishment of the lie is enlarged if it causes a loss to someone besides himself, even though the main part of the punishment is not for the loss [here] - for he did not cause him to lose something that he had acquired. It is like the matter that our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 92a), “Anyone who alters [the truth in] his speech, it is as though he worships idols. As, it is stated (Genesis 27:12), ‘Maybe my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him a deceiver (metate’a)’; and it is written there (Jeremiah 10:15) [regarding idolatry], ‘They are vanity, the work of deception [tatuim].’” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said that it was as if he worshipped idolatry [here] - they brought it to the extreme and other (and it appears to me that it needs to say, to the final extreme). For he is (traded) (it needs to say, hidden - and it is from the usage of the verse [Isaiah 28:15], “We have hidden in falsehood” - and so is it found in the Chapter on Falsehood in the Paths of the Righteous, the chapters of which are built upon the pearls of this holy book Y. B.) in falsehood and girded in vanity.

And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 87a), “One who angers his friend, verbally must appease him.” And it is not [even] necessary to say [this] if he spoke evil speech about him, for that is from the [more] severe transgressions. And if his fellow does not forgive him, he is obligated to come to him with a group of three people. And if he does not forgive him [again], he comes in front of him a second time with a different group. And so must he do a third time. And Elihu said (Job 33:27), “He should then assemble (yashor) a row of men, and say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right (yashar), and it was not fitting (shavah) for me.’” The explanation is, I have perverted a just man - from the usage (Job 1:1), “blameless and just man (yashar)” - for I did not see the merit of the just man, but rather made him into one crooked and twisted. But it was not level (shavah) and just for me, from the usage (in Isaiah 28:25), “Is it not if he leveled (shivah) its surface”; [and in] (Genesis 14:17), “to the level (shavah) valley” - [meaning] straight and level. And since he disparaged just ones in front of people, he must humble himself and confess in front of the many. Hence Elihu spoke about this sin in particular, for it is one of the weighty sins that destroys the soul. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 119b), “Anyone who disparages Torah scholars cannot be healed from his wound” - for they profaned the Torah - as it is stated (II Chronicles 36:16), “And they mocked the messengers of God, etc., it could not be healed.”

Behold, the prophet Isaiah would "scream like a crane" for he saw that this was what left no room for his rebukes to make an impression thus ruining all hope for the sinners. This is what he said: "And now do not be mockers lest your afflictions be strengthened" (Isaiah 28:22).

According to the severity of the sin and its consequences, the True Judge increased its punishment as our sages of blessed memory taught us: "levity is extremely severe; it starts with suffering and ends in utter destruction as written (Isaiah 28:22):'And now do not be mockers lest your bonds be strengthened for a decree of destruction have I heard...' " (Avodah Zara 18b).

If he leaves himself in the hands of his [natural] heaviness, it is a certainty that he will not succeed. This is what the Tana (Mishnaic sage) stated: "be brazen as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven" (Avot 5:20). Likewise, the Sages counted among the things which need strengthening: "Torah and good deeds" (Berachot 32b). This is explicitly stated in scripture: "be strong and very courageous [to observe and do all of the Torah...]" (Yehoshua 1:6). For great strengthening is needed for one who wants to bend his nature to its opposite.

Besides the plain meaning, which is true in the literal sense, for this is indeed what happens to the field of a lazy man, the sages of blessed memory expounded it beautifully in a Midrash (Yalkut Mishlei 247:961) as follows:

Now, as to the first principle of worship, which deals with accustoming oneself to prayer and its ways, know that anyone who wishes to serve his God with a complete service and with a perfect heart can attain this only with much diligence, after much time, with much practice, and without impatience. Know that the servant of God may find the habit of his worship tedious at first and delightful later. So is it with every deed that a man does. At first, he finds it wearisome, but the difficulty of the exertion vanishes towards the end. Therefore, everyone who wishes to assume the yoke of worship to God must think about all its pleasures and must always keep them in mind. Let him accustom himself at first to do the easy deed and not make it burdensome for himself, but as he goes on let him add, just as it is said (Isaiah 28:13), “And so the word of the Lord is unto them, precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line, here a little, there a little.” If he sees that he has added more than he can bear, let him lighten the burden a little in order that he may not grow impatient with it suddenly. After he has made it easier for himself and some time has elapsed, he can return to his prior state.

"When R. Zmira went to Kfar Ono, he saw pillars of flame rising in the clefts of the mountains of Ararat. Inclining his ear, he heard voices, and an Arab told him: 'Come with me and I will show you wonders hidden from men.' He went with him behind a rock and saw other clefts with flames rising on high and heard other voices, at which the Arab said to him: 'Incline your ear here, etc.' He did so and heard voices saying: 'Woe! Woe!' at which he said: 'This place is certainly one of the places of Gehinnom,' and the Arab left him. In the meantime, he bent down in a different place and saw a man screaming and being taken and placed into a different depth into which he disappeared and was seen no more. At this, he fell into a dream in which he saw that man and asked him: 'Who are you?' He answered: 'I am a sinning Jew, who has not left undone any sins in the world.' R. Zmira: 'What is your name?' The other: 'I do not know. Those sentenced to Gehinnom do not remember their names.' R. Zmira: 'Where do you come from?' The other: 'From upper Galilee. I was a butcher, and because of the many evils I did there, they sentenced "that man" [i.e., me] to three times [of punishment] in the daytime and three times at night.' R. Zmira rose from there and went to upper Galilee, where he heard a child's voice saying (Mishlei 2:40: 'If you seek it as silver, if you search for it as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the L-rd.' He went to another house of study, where he heard the voice of a different child saying (Zephaniah 2:3): 'Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be concealed' [from His wrath]. He went and sought that wicked man, and questioned a child, who said to him: 'Rebbi, may this and this come upon that man, who did not leave undone any evils or sins in the world. May it be thus with that wicked man and to the nurse who gave suck to him.' R. Zmira: 'Did he have a son in the world?' The child: 'Yes, he left one son, and he is wicked like his father, and he is the child that goes to the slaughterhouse.' He [R. Zmira] sought him out and took him and occupied himself with him in Torah until he had taught him reading, prayer, and Shema, after which he taught him Mishnah, Talmud, halachoth and aggadoth, until he grew very wise — and he is R. Nachum Hapakuli. And why did they call him "Hapakuli"? As it is written (Isaiah 28:7): "paku pliliyah" — [homiletically,] "he released [his father from] the din [of that world]." And many sages of the generation descended from him, who were called "Pakuli." That man [the butcher] came to him in a dream and said to him: 'Rebbi, how much you have comforted me — so may the Holy One Blessed be He comfort you. For from the day that my son knew a single verse, He released me from my din. Once he recited the Shema, they manumitted my din both by day and by night, by one time. Once he read in school, they annulled my din altogether. On the day he grew so wise that they called him "Rabbi" they placed my seat among the tzaddikim in Gan Eden. And every day that a Torah novelty is cited in his name they crown me with the highest crown that the tzaddikim are crowned with. Because of you I have merited all this honor. Happy is the lot of him who leaves a son who toils in Torah in this world!'"

And in this world, too, afflictions befall a man because of levity, as it is said there (Avodah Zara 18b): "R. Elazar said: 'All who scoff, afflictions come upon them, as it is written (Isaiah 25:22): "And now, do not scoff, lest your bonds be strengthened."' Rava said to the rabbis: 'I pray you, do not scoff, so that afflictions not come upon you.'" [And see Sha’arei Teshuvah of Rabbeinu Yonah, who wrote that it is forbidden to engage in levity, even adventitiously, by chance. In this regard, the sages had to exhort their disciples, many of whom stumbled in this by chance.]

And know that the habits of scoffing does not become fixed in a man unless he removes the yoke of Heaven from upon him. Therefore, he must be prepared to accept afflictions with which he may be punished, measure for measure. As it is said, "Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bands be made strong" (Is. 28:22). And the Sages would caution their pupils not to scoff, even thouth it might be by chance, without any previous intent. And on this subject they were required to warn their pupils, for many stumble into this fault of scoffing by chance (Abodah Zarah 18b). Scoffing at those who fulfill the commandments is a thing that comes very close to heresy, and he who does so indicates that he does not believe in the commandments. For if someone should mock at the commands of a king, is his life worth anything? Moreover, one who scoffs also causes others to sin in that they will not observe the commandments for fear of his mockery. But one may mock idolatry (Sanhedrin 63:2), and he also may scoff at those who commit transgressions, in order to withhold them from sin. Then, too, others will not commit sins if people scoff a them for so doing.

And now we shall speak about the faculty of hearing. Hearing, in itself, is good, as it is written (Isaiah 55:3): "Hear, and let your souls live." And (Mishlei 15:31): "The ear that hears the reproof of life, in the midst of the wise will it reside." And hearing works on a man to cause him to satisfy [an obligation] by hearing as if he had performed it himself. A proof may be adduced from the reading of the Megillah, the blowing of the shofar, and other such things, such as [the recitation of] Kiddush and the grace over meals, where one makes the blessing and all the listeners satisfy the obligation. Similarly, all of the receiving of the Torah was through hearing. All this, for good things. The reverse is true for bad things, G-d forbid. Hearing [bad things] also greatly affects a man's soul. It is well known what our sages of blessed memory have said (Kethuvoth 5b): "The Rabbis taught: 'Let a man not allow idle speech to be heard by his ears, for they are the first of the organs to be "burnt."'" How much more so [does this apply] to one who intends to cause rechiluth to be heard by his ears, this being proscribed by a negative commandment in the Torah, viz. (Shemoth 23:1): "You shall not bear a false report," or to one who hears, with intent, lashon hara and other forbidden things, or frivolous speech or leitzanuth (levity), in which instance his sin is too great to bear. And our sages of blessed memory have said about the scoffer (Avodah Zarah 18b) that suffering comes upon him, as it is written (Isaiah 28:22): "Do not scoff, lest your bonds be strengthened." And they have also said (Shabbath 33a): "Even he who listens [to obscenity] and remains silent [is condemned], it being written (Mishlei 22:14): 'The abhorred of the L-rd will abide there' [next to the speaker of obscenity.]"