To not entice the Children of Israel towards idolatry: To not call people to worship idolatry and to urge them about it. And even though the one who calls does not worship it and does not do any of the actions [of idolatry] — just the calling alone — this is called an enticer. And so did they say in Sanhedrin 63b, “‘It should not be heard on your mouth’ — that is a warning to the enticer.” And so did they say in the Mekhilta.
Its laws are in the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin. And one who only entices one person in this manner is not called an enticer (mediach) but rather a seducer (mesit). And in the Order of Re’eh Anokhi (Sefer HaChinukh 462), we will write [about] the prohibition of the seducer, with God’s help. But when he entices two people or more, he is called an enticer. And [about] that which you find all of these distancings about idolatry and the greatness of the punishment for it and that it is repeated in forty-four places in the Torah and that Torah refers to God, blessed be He, as jealous about its worshipers — do not let it come into your heart that the jealousy of God and all of these distancings were written except from the side of the worshipers. As there is no angle of addition or subtraction that occurs in the glory of God, blessed be He and blessed be His name, if people worship Him or worship an angel or a sphere or a star or one of all of His creatures. As total glory and majesty cannot be added to or subtracted from, on account of anything — even as we are His creations, His doings, the people of bodies. Rather, know that truthfully all of these matters are said from the angle of the receivers — that it be said that at the time that a person completely removes himself and strips [his] faith in God, blessed be He, and takes his body and entangles his thoughts to follow vanity, he will not be fit at all that any blessing and any good should rest upon him. Rather, he will be fit that everything that is the opposite of blessing — and that is curse and malediction and sicknesses and all bad things — rest upon him. As he has completely distanced all boundaries of the good from himself and, so, only evil will come to him from every angle. And by way of a metaphor, it is said about Him, as if God, may He be blessed, Who is the Master of good, becomes his enemy and blocks all good from him; and as if He is jealous about him, due to his leaving His service and serving others. However, God, blessed be He, is not indebted to any man, nor jealous of any man. As it is in His hand to reverse them all — together with the rest of the world — to null and void, by resting His will on nullification; in the same way that He created them by resting his will on creation. [Rather], God, blessed be He, is referred to as jealous, by way of the deeds of men. As there is no greater hatred among them than one who is jealous of a man about any thing, or one who is jealous about his wife for her licentiousness with others. And hence, these comparisons were written in the Torah about Him, blessed be He, in order that they should enter the ears of the hearer. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 4.)
And this prohibition is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. But the law of one who transgresses it — whether a man or a woman — which is stoning, is only in the place that is fitting for judgment, and that is the Chosen Land.
שֶׁלֹּא לְהַדִּיחַ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחַר עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה – שֶׁלֹּא יִקְרָא אָדָם בְּנֵי אָדָם לַעֲבֹד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וִיזָרֵז אוֹתָם עַל כָּךְ, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁזֶּה הַקּוֹרֵא לֹא יַעַבְדֶנָּה וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה לָהּ פְּעֻלָּה מִן הַפְּעֻלּוֹת רַק הַקְּרִיאָה לְבַד, וְזֶהוּ הַנִּקְרָא מַדִּיחַ. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין (סג ב) לֹא יִשָּׁמַע עַל פִּיךָ אַזְהָרָה לְמַדִּיחַ, וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בַּמְּכִילְתָּא.
To not entice the Children of Israel towards idolatry: To not call people to worship idolatry and to urge them about it. And even though the one who calls does not worship it and does not do any of the actions [of idolatry] — just the calling alone — this is called an enticer. And so did they say in Sanhedrin 63b, “‘It should not be heard on your mouth’ — that is a warning to the enticer.” And so did they say in the Mekhilta.
שֹׁרֶשׁ הַמִּצְוָה יָדוּעַ.
The root of this commandment is well-known.
דִּינֶיהָ בְּפֶרֶק עֲשִׂירִי מִסַּנְהֶדְרִין. וּמִי שֶׁלֹּא הִדִּיחַ בְּעִנְיָן זֶה אֶלָּא אָדָם אֶחָד, אֵינוֹ נִקְרָא מַדִּיחַ אֶלָּא מֵסִית, וּבְסֵדֶר רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נִכְתֹּב אַזְהָרַת מֵסִית בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁמַּדִּיחַ שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים אוֹ יוֹתֵר נִקְרָא מַדִּיחַ. וְזֶה שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹצֵא כָּל הַרְחָקוֹת אֵלּוּ בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְגֹדֶל הָעֹנֶשׁ בָּהּ עַד שֶׁנִּכְפְּלָה בְּאַרְבָּעִים וְאַרְבָּעָה מְקוֹמוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה, וְשֶׁתְּכַנֶּה הַתּוֹרָה לַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא קַנָּא עַל עוֹבְדֶיהָ, אַל יַעֲלֶה בְּלִבְּךָ שֶׁקִּנְאַת הָאֵל וְהַרְחָקוֹת אֵלּוּ נִכְתְּבוּ זוּלָתִי מִצַּד הָעוֹבְדִים, כִּי הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבָרוּךְ שְׁמוֹ בֵּין שֶׁיַּעַבְדוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם אוֹ יַעַבְדוּ מַלְאָךְ אוֹ גַּלְגַּל אוֹ כּוֹכָב אוֹ אֶחָד מִכָּל בְּרוּאָיו אֵין שׁוּם צַד תּוֹסֶפֶת וְגֵרוּעַ נוֹפֵל בָּזֶה בִּכְבוֹדוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כִּי תַּכְלִית הַכָּבוֹד וְהַהוֹד לֹא נוֹסָף וְלֹא נִגְרָע בִּשְׁבִיל דָּבָר, אַף כִּי בְּמַעֲשָׂיו אֲנַחְנוּ פְּעֻלּוֹתָיו אַנְשֵׁי הַגּוּפוֹת. אַךְ תֵּדַע בֶּאֱמֶת כִּי כָּל עִנְיָנִים אֵלֶּה נֶאֱמָרִים עַל צַד הַמְּקַבְּלִים, יֹאמַר כִּי בְּעֵת שֶׁהָאָדָם מוֹצִיא עַצְמוֹ לְגַמְרֵי וּמִתְפַּשֵּׁט מֵאֱמוּנַת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּמוֹלִיךְ גּוּפוֹ וּמַתְפִּיס מַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל, לֹא יִהְיֶה רָאוּי כְּלָל לְהַנִּיחַ בּוֹ שׁוּם בְּרָכָה וְשׁוּם טוֹבָה, אֲבָל יִהְיֶה רָאוּי לְהַנִּיחַ עָלָיו כָּל מָה שֶׁהוּא הֵפֶךְ הַבְּרָכָה, וְהוּא הַקְּלָלָה וְהַמְּאֵרָה וְהֶחֳלָאִים וְכָל רָעוֹת, כִּי הוּא נִתְרַחֵק תַּכְלִית הָרִחוּק מִכָּל גְּבוּלֵי הַטּוֹב, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא תַּשִּׂיגֵהוּ כִּי אִם רַע מִכָּל צְדָדָיו. וְעַל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַמָּשָׁל יֵאָמֵר עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁהוּא אֲדוֹן הַטּוֹבָה נַעֲשָׂה לוֹ לְאוֹיֵב וְעָצַר מִמֶּנּוּ כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת, וּכְאִלּוּ הוּא מְקַנֵּא בּוֹ בְּהַנִּיחוֹ עֲבוֹדָתוֹ וְעוֹבֵד אֶת אֲחֵרִים. וְאוּלָם הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא יְחַיֵּב לְכָל נִבְרָא וְלֹא יְקַנֵּא בְּבֶן אָדָם כִּי בְּיָדוֹ לְהַחֲזִירָם כֻּלָּם עִם כָּל שְׁאָר הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ לְתֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ בְּהַנָּחַת חֶפְצוֹ בְּבִטּוּל כַּאֲשֶׁר בְּרָאָם בְּהַנָּחַת חֶפְצוֹ בִּבְרִיאָה, אֲבָל יְכַנֶּה שְׁמוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּקַנָּא עַל דֶּרֶךְ מַעֲשֵׂה בְּנֵי אָדָם לְפִי שֶׁאֵין בֵּינֵיהֶם שִׂנְאָה גְּדוֹלָה כְּמִי שֶׁמְּקַנֵּא בְּאִישׁ עַל שׁוּם דָּבָר אוֹ מְקַנֵּא בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ בִּזְנוּתָהּ עִם אֲחֵרִים. וְעַל כֵּן נִכְתְּבוּ בַּתּוֹרָה דִּמְיוֹנוֹת אֵלּוּ אֶצְלוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס לְאֹזֶן הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ [פ"ד מהל' ע"א].
Its laws are in the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin. And one who only entices one person in this manner is not called an enticer (mediach) but rather a seducer (mesit). And in the Order of Re’eh Anokhi (Sefer HaChinukh 462), we will write [about] the prohibition of the seducer, with God’s help. But when he entices two people or more, he is called an enticer. And [about] that which you find all of these distancings about idolatry and the greatness of the punishment for it and that it is repeated in forty-four places in the Torah and that Torah refers to God, blessed be He, as jealous about its worshipers — do not let it come into your heart that the jealousy of God and all of these distancings were written except from the side of the worshipers. As there is no angle of addition or subtraction that occurs in the glory of God, blessed be He and blessed be His name, if people worship Him or worship an angel or a sphere or a star or one of all of His creatures. As total glory and majesty cannot be added to or subtracted from, on account of anything — even as we are His creations, His doings, the people of bodies. Rather, know that truthfully all of these matters are said from the angle of the receivers — that it be said that at the time that a person completely removes himself and strips [his] faith in God, blessed be He, and takes his body and entangles his thoughts to follow vanity, he will not be fit at all that any blessing and any good should rest upon him. Rather, he will be fit that everything that is the opposite of blessing — and that is curse and malediction and sicknesses and all bad things — rest upon him. As he has completely distanced all boundaries of the good from himself and, so, only evil will come to him from every angle. And by way of a metaphor, it is said about Him, as if God, may He be blessed, Who is the Master of good, becomes his enemy and blocks all good from him; and as if He is jealous about him, due to his leaving His service and serving others. However, God, blessed be He, is not indebted to any man, nor jealous of any man. As it is in His hand to reverse them all — together with the rest of the world — to null and void, by resting His will on nullification; in the same way that He created them by resting his will on creation. [Rather], God, blessed be He, is referred to as jealous, by way of the deeds of men. As there is no greater hatred among them than one who is jealous of a man about any thing, or one who is jealous about his wife for her licentiousness with others. And hence, these comparisons were written in the Torah about Him, blessed be He, in order that they should enter the ears of the hearer. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 4.)
וְנוֹהֵג אִסּוּר זֶה בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן בִּזְכָרִים וּבִנְקֵבוֹת. אֲבָל דִּין הָעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ בֵּין אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה שֶׁהֵם בִּסְקִילָה, אֵינָן אֶלָּא בְּמָקוֹם הָרָאוּי לַמִּשְׁפָּט שֶׁהִיא הָאָרֶץ הַנִּבְחֶרֶת.
And this prohibition is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. But the law of one who transgresses it — whether a man or a woman — which is stoning, is only in the place that is fitting for judgment, and that is the Chosen Land.