הלכה אויף דברים 13:14

No city is pronounced a seduced city unless its seducers be her own citizens, of the same tribe even as it is said: "From the midst of thee, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city" (Deut. 13.14.), numbering two or more than two even as it is said: "Certain base fellows are gone out" (Ibid.), having seduced up to a majority of the citizens, the majority being more than one hundred even to the majority of the tribe, but if an actual majority of the tribe was seduced they are judged as individuals, for it is said: "the inhabitants of their city" (Ibid.) which means neither a village nor a large city, and every place of less than one hundred citizens is a village and of a majority of a tribe is a large city. Likewise, if women or small children seduced it, or it was seduced by an individual person, or only a minority of its citizens was seduced, or they themselves brought about the seduction, or its seducers were outsiders, the law of a seduced city is not applied to it, but they are judged as individuals who worshiped idolatry, and whosoever did transgress is stoned, and their property is inherited by their lawful successors as the law is concerning all upon whom the tribunal pronounces a sentence of death.²Sanhedrin, 111a-b; Ibid. 15b; Ibid. 112a. C.

Anyone who averts his eyes from [the need of] tzedakah is called Belial ["Wickedness"], just as the idolaters worship Belial, and of the idolaters Scripture says, (Deut. 13:14) That some scoundrels [children of Belial] from among you have gone [and subverted the inhabitants of their town] by averting their eyes from [the need of] tzedakah. It says, (Deut. 15:9) Beware lest you harbor a base [belial] thought.¹⁸⁰See Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 68a. And such a person is called, "wicked," as it is said, (Prov. 12:10) The compassion of the wicked is cruelty. Such a person is called, "a sinner," as it is said, (Deut. 15:9) He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur a sin.¹⁸¹See Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 10a. The translation reads, "guilt," but the connection here is through "sin." The Holy One, Blessed Be He, is close to the cries of the poor, as it is said, (Job 34:28) He listens to the cry of the needy.¹⁸²Maimonides does not quote this exactly. Therefore, one needs to be especially sensitive to their cries, for they [the poor] have a covenant established [between them and God], as it is said, (Exodus 22:26) Therefore, if he cries out to Me, I will pay heed, for I am compassionate.

And [also] included in this commandment is that a person should not have cling to his money that God has graced him with justly, other money that is from theft, extortion, interest or from any ugly thing; since all of this is included in the auxiliaries of idolatry. As the evil impulse of a man’s heart desires it and brings it to his house — and the evil impulse is called by the name “idolatry”; for like they, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 10a) that about it is it stated (Deuteronomy 15:9), “lest there be a wanton thing with your heart,” and it is written about the matter of idolatry (Deuteronomy 13:14), “Wanton men have gone out from you and have induced, etc.” And about monies like this that we mentioned and about the auxiliaries of idolatry — about all of them — is it stated (Deuteronomy 7:26), “and you will be an anathema like it”; meaning to say that all that clings to it is anathema. As the blessing of God is not found in it, and [so] it disappears and is lost; like the matter that they, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 71a) that a small coin of interest makes several treasuries of money disappear. As this comes and destroys that.