| 1God spoke to Moses, saying, |
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אוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָֹ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר: |
| 2“You must tell the Israelites: ‘Any individual Israelite or any convert who dwells among the nation of Israel who hands over any of his offspring to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land must pelt him with stones. |
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בוְאֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֘ תֹּאמַר֒ אִ֣ישׁ אִישׁ֩ מִבְּנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל וּמִן־הַגֵּ֣ר | הַגָּ֣ר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִתֵּ֧ן מִזַּרְע֛וֹ לַמֹּ֖לֶךְ מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֑ת עַ֥ם הָאָ֖רֶץ יִרְגְּמֻ֥הוּ בָאָֽבֶן: |
| וְאֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תֹּאמַר - (lit.) And to the Israelites you must say - the punishments for the prohibitions stated at the end of parashat Acharei. |
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וְאֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תֹּאמַר.
עוֹנְשִׁין עַל הָאַזְהָרוֹת:
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| מוֹת יוּמָת - Must be put to death - by the court; and if the court does not have sufficient power to carry out the sentence, “the people of the land” must assist them. |
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מוֹת יוּמָת.
בְּבֵית דִּין, וְאִם אֵין כֹּחַ בְּבֵית דִּין, עַם הָאָרֶץ מְסַיְּעִין אוֹתָן (ספרא):
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| עַם הָאָרֶץ - The people of the land - i.e., the people for whose sake the land (i.e., the entire earth) was created. Another explanation: The people who will possess the land of Israel through observing these commandments. |
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עַם הָאָרֶץ.
עַם שֶׁבְּגִינוֹ נִבְרֵאת הָאָרֶץ, עַם שֶׁעֲתִידִין לִירַשׁ הָאָרֶץ עַל יְדֵי מִצְווֹת הַלָּלוּ (שם):
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| 3I will set My attention upon that man, and I will cut him off from amid his people because he gave of his offspring to Molech, thereby defiling My holy people and profaning My holy Name. |
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גוַֽאֲנִ֞י אֶתֵּ֤ן אֶת־פָּנַי֙ בָּאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י אֹת֖וֹ מִקֶּ֣רֶב עַמּ֑וֹ כִּ֤י מִזַּרְעוֹ֙ נָתַ֣ן לַמֹּ֔לֶךְ לְמַ֗עַן טַמֵּא֙ אֶת־מִקְדָּשִׁ֔י וּלְחַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם קָדְשִֽׁי: |
| אֶתֵּן אֶת־פָּנַי - Will set (lit.) My face - means here: My attention; i.e., I will turn away from all My other occupations and occupy Myself only with him. |
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אֶתֵּן אֶת־פָּנַי.
פְּנַאי שֶׁלִּי — פּוֹנֶה אֲנִי מִכָּל עֲסָקַי וְעוֹסֵק בּוֹ (שם):
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| בָּאִישׁ - Upon [that] man - but not upon an entire community acting collectively, for an entire community is never punished with excision. |
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בָּאִישׁ.
וְלֹא בַצִּבּוּר (שם), שֶׁאֵין כָּל הַצִּבּוּר נִכְרָתִין:
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| כִּי מִזַּרְעוֹ נָתַן לַמֹּלֶךְ - Because he gave of his offspring to Molech. Since it says: “one who passes his son or daughter through fire,” from where do I know that the prohibition applies to passing his son’s son or his daughter’s son? From the fact that Scripture states here: “Because he gave of his offspring to Molech.” From where do I know that it applies also to illegitimate offspring? From the fact that Scripture states again: “when he gives of his offspring to Molech.” |
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כִּי מִזַּרְעוֹ נָתַן לַמֹּלֶךְ.
לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ (דברים י"ח), בֶּן בְּנוֹ וּבֶן בִּתּוֹ מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמָר כִּי מִזַּרְעוֹ נָתַן לַמֹּלֶךְ, זֶרַע פָּסוּל מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמָר בְּתִתּוֹ מִזַּרְעוֹ לַמֹּלֶךְ (ספרא; סנהדרין ס"ד):
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| לְמַעַן טַמֵּא אֶת־מִקְדָּשִׁי - (lit.) So as to defile My Sanctuary - i.e., the community of Israel, who is sanctified to Me. The term מִקְדָּשִׁי is used here in a similar sense as in וְלֹא יְחַלֵּל אֶת מִקְדָּשַׁי “He must not desecrate My holy things,” where it refers to sacrifices, not the Sanctuary. |
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לְמַעַן טַמֵּא אֶת־מִקְדָּשִׁי.
אֶת כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהִיא מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת לִי, כִּלְשׁוֹן וְלֹא יְחַלֵּל אֶת מִקְדָּשַׁי (ויקרא כ"א):
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| 4If the people of the land ignore that man when he gives of his offspring to Molech, neglecting to put him to death, |
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דוְאִ֡ם הַעְלֵ֣ם יַעְלִ֩ימוּ֩ עַ֨ם הָאָ֜רֶץ אֶת־עֵֽינֵיהֶם֙ מִן־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא בְּתִתּ֥וֹ מִזַּרְע֖וֹ לַמֹּ֑לֶךְ לְבִלְתִּ֖י הָמִ֥ית אֹתֽוֹ: |
| וְאִם הַעְלֵם יַעְלִימוּ - If they ignore - the doubled verb implies: If they ignore one matter, they will ultimately ignore many matters; if the lesser Sanhedrin ignores, the great Sanhedrin will also ultimately ignore. |
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וְאִם הַעְלֵם יַעְלִימוּ.
אִם הֶעְלִימוּ בְּדָבָר אֶחָד, סוֹף שֶׁיַּעְלִימוּ בִדְבָרִים הַרְבֵּה; אִם הֶעְלִימוּ סַנְהֶדְרֵי קְטַנָּה, סוֹף שֶׁיַּעְלִימוּ סַנְהֶדְרֵי גְדוֹלָה (ספרא):
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| 5I will set My attention upon that man and upon his family. I will cut off from amid their people him and all who stray after the Molech-worshiper by themselves straying after the cult of Molech. |
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הוְשַׂמְתִּ֨י אֲנִ֧י אֶת־פָּנַ֛י בָּאִ֥ישׁ הַה֖וּא וּבְמִשְׁפַּחְתּ֑וֹ וְהִכְרַתִּ֨י אֹת֜וֹ וְאֵ֣ת | כָּל־הַזֹּנִ֣ים אַֽחֲרָ֗יו לִזְנ֛וֹת אַֽחֲרֵ֥י הַמֹּ֖לֶךְ מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמָּֽם: |
| וּבְמִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ - And upon his family. Rabbi Shimon said: But what did his family do to sin? This is only said in order to teach you that there is no family in which there is a tax-collector that is not all considered tax-collectors, for they all cover up for him, and are thus implicated in his dishonesty. |
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וּבְמִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ.
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעון וכִי מִשְׁפָּחָה מֶה חָטְאָה? אֶלָּא לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין לְךָ מִשְׁפָּחָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ מוֹכֵס שֶׁאֵין כֻּלָּם מוֹכְסִין — שֶׁכֻּלָּן מְחַפִּין עָלָיו (ספרא; שבועות ל"ט):
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| וְהִכְרַתִּי אֹתוֹ - I will cut him off. Why is this mentioned? The answer is that since it says: “and upon his family,” I might have thought that the entire family incurs excision. Scripture therefore states: אֹתוֹ “him” – he will be cut off, but the entire family is not cut off, but punished with suffering. |
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וְהִכְרַתִּי אֹתוֹ.
לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ובמשפחתו יָכוֹל יִהְיוּ כָל הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה בְּהִכָּרֵת, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמָר אֹתוֹ — אוֹתוֹ בְּהִכָּרֵת וְלֹא כָל הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה בְּהִכָּרֵת אֶלָּא בְּיִסּוּרִין (שם):
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| לִזְנוֹת אַֽחֲרֵי הַמֹּלֶךְ - By straying after Molech. This additional phrase includes liability for worshiping other deities using the same rite as Molech-worship, even if they are not usually worshiped that way. |
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לִזְנוֹת אַֽחֲרֵי הַמֹּלֶךְ.
לְרַבּוֹת שְׁאַר עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁעֲבָדָהּ בְּכָךְ וַאֲפִלּוּ אֵין זוֹ עֲבוֹדָתָהּ (ספרא):
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| 6Regarding the person who practices spirit-divination or yadu’a-divination, thus straying after them, I will set My attention upon that person, and I will cut him off from amid his people. |
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ווְהַנֶּ֗פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּפְנֶ֤ה אֶל־הָֽאֹבֹת֙ וְאֶל־הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֔ים לִזְנֹ֖ת אַֽחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם וְנָֽתַתִּ֤י אֶת־פָּנַי֙ בַּנֶּ֣פֶשׁ הַהִ֔וא וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י אֹת֖וֹ מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמּֽוֹ: |
| 7You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am God, your God. |
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זוְהִ֨תְקַדִּשְׁתֶּ֔ם וִֽהְיִיתֶ֖ם קְדשִׁ֑ים כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֹ֖ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶֽם: |
| וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם - You must sanctify yourselves - this refers to keeping totally distanced from idolatry. |
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וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם.
זוֹ פְּרִישׁוּת עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה (שם):
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