It is one of the ways of awe to refrain from disparaging any creature in the world without cause. Thus the Zohar warns in Parashas Yisro (68b) that all the creatures in the world are the handiwork of the Holy One Blessed is He and all are needed. Therefore one should never kill any creature without cause. Even those that are dangerous like the snake or the spider should not be killed unless they are chasing after a person to harm him [see what I wrote in Part I, Chapter 18].
Come see what is stated in the Zohar in Parashas Yisro: Rabbi Elazar was traveling along the road accompanied by Rabbi Chizkiyah when they saw a snake. Rabbi Chizkiyah arose intending to kill it but Rabbi Elazar said to him, “Leave it alone and do not kill it.” “But it is an evil creature that kills people!” Rabbi Chizkiyah observed. Rabbi Elazar replied, “It is stated, ‘A snake does not bite without a whisper and there is no benefit to the master of the tongue’ (Koheles 10:11). A snake never bites a person unless it receives a whisper from On High, saying, ‘Go kill So-and-so!’ “And just as it receives a whisper and kills in accordance with the command of the Holy One Blessed is He, so too it is sometimes the agent through which a miracle is performed on someone’s behalf. It is all in the hands of the Holy One Blessed is He. For all creatures are His handiwork and if they were not all needed He would not have created them. Therefore a person should not disparage any of the creatures in the world or any of the handiwork of the Holy One Blessed is He.” Therefore those who shoot arrows and bullets at non- kosher birds and animals for no reason other than to practice their shooting skills, thereby killing living creatures in vain, will one day give reckoning for it. This is not the way of Israel, the holy community. Their way is never to harm any creature in vain. This is true not only of animate creatures but also of trees and herbs and other types of foliage. All were created for a purpose; therefore one must not treat any of them disdainfully without cause.
Come and see what is stated in the Zohar in Parashas Yisro (80a): Rabbi Yose said: One time I was walking with my son Rabbi Chiya, when we came across a man gathering herbs in the field. We approached him and I inquired, “Of what use are these bundles of herbs to you?” But the man did not raise his head, nor did he say anything. So I returned and asked him again, but again he said nothing. Then I said to my son Rabbi Chiya, “This man is either an imbecile or deaf, or else he is wiser than us.” We sat down beside him and observed that after he gathered the herbs he covered them with grape leaves. Then he said to us, “I see that you are Jews. They say that Jews are cleverer than other people. If I did not have mercy upon you now you would have be separated from others like lepers who are avoided by all. For I see that the fumes of a certain herb that you passed by have entered into your bodies and would have caused you to become leprous for three days. But I will tell you a remedy for it. Eat some of the wild garlic growing in this field and you will be healed!” So we did as he said. We ate the wild garlic that we found there and afterwards my son and I fell asleep. For several hours sweat poured from us until at last we awoke. The man told us, “Your God was been with you and caused you to meet me. Therefore I invite you to come with me and I will teach you, for your bodies have been healed by me.”
So we went with him and he said to us, “You noticed that I did not raise my eyes or my head, nor did I speak with you. This is because with regard to herbs I am the most knowledgeable person of the generation. I learned the ways of all the herbs from my father and I live all year along among them. As for this plant that you saw me cover with grape leaves ׀ there is one herb that is unique among all others and it was very near to where you were sitting. I wished to take some of it because in a place near my house to the north, there is a spring and a mill. Every day a man with two heads comes out from the mill with a sword in his hand and he harries us. It was on account of this that I gathered the herb. Now follow me.” While we were on the road he bent down over a hole in the earth and placed some of the herb into the hole and a snake with a large head emerged.
He took a rope and bound the snake just as one binds a young goat. We were afraid but he said to us, “Follow me.” So we followed him until we came to his house. In the dark we saw there the place of which he had spoken. It was behind a wall. He took a lamp and lit a fire all around the mill, warning us, “Do not be frightened by what you see and do not say anything.” In the meantime he released the snake from its bonds and ground some of the herb in a mortar and put it on the head of the snake. The snake entered an opening in the mill and we heard a sound that caused the entire place to shudder. We wanted to leave but the man held onto our hands and said to us, “Do not be afraid. Keep close to me.” In the meantime the snake came out dripping with blood. Again the man took some of the herb and placed it on the head of the snake. The snake once again entered the opening of the mill and in a short while we saw the man with two heads appear from the opening with the snake wrapped around his neck. The man with two heads called out, “Zekita! Zekita!” [This is the name of a small creature that kills snakes.]
Afterwards he lamented that it was his misfortune to be born in this place, for here he could do nothing since the owner of the house was such an expert in herbs. Then he cried out, “Woe! Woe to my mother who brought me to this place!” In the meantime the mill was uprooted from its place and both the man with two heads as well as the snake came out and fell dead. The man said to us, “This is the power of the herb that I picked in front of you. That is why I neither spoke with you nor raised my head when you approached.”
He said further, “If people only knew of all the things that the Holy One Blessed is He has planted upon the earth and all that is to be found in the world they would appreciate the power of their Master in His great wisdom. But the Holy One Blessed is He concealed this knowledge from people lest they stray from His ways and rely upon their wisdom, forgetting all about Him, Heaven forbid!”
A person whom God has blessed with insight and understanding must learn from all this and take it as a warning not to cause pain to any creature, nor even to take lightly the inanimate herbs and plants. And how much more so must one refrain from disparaging one’s fellow Jew, the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. And even if God has blessed a person with wealth, property and position let him take great care not to conduct himself haughtily, Heaven forbid, towards the congregation of Hashem, His holy flock. Every arrogant or disdainful word that a person utters towards a Jew is immediately inscribed and recorded in a ledger On High. The iniquity remains engraved and preserved there until the time comes that he will be made to suffer severe afflictions on account of it. How much more so must one refrain from denigrating Torah scholars, the punishment for which is many times greater. It is related in the Zohar in Parashas Pekudei (247b) that the angels called serafim are appointed to punish and afflict a person in this world and the next, especially if he shamed someone from whom he learned even one word of Torah, rather than showing him honor and respect. How much more severely, then, will they punish someone who made personal use of a Torah scholar, unless he knew for certain that the scholar had forgiven his honor!
One must learn from the example of the Holy One Blessed is He. For He is the King of the Kings of Kings, yet He chose us out of all the peoples and tongues and called us “My firstborn son Israel” (Shemos 4:22), “the treasured people” (Devarim 7:6) and “Yeshurun” [a straight and honest people] (Devarim 32:15, Yeshayahu 44:2). However, if the children of Israel ignore the will of the Omnipresent, and follow their heart’s desire to engage in commerce and worldly pleasures, what satisfaction can the blessed Creator derive from them? Moreover, even if a person prays and dons tefillin and tzitzis on occasion, he prays hurriedly, giving only lip service to Hashem, while his heart is preoccupied with foreign thoughts. Then immediately after he finishes praying he runs to eat and drink. Concerning such a one the verse declares, “He labors with iniquity and brings forth falsehood” (Tehillim 7:15). Then, one day death suddenly strikes and the person discovers that he has prepared no provisions for the journey that lies before him.
On the other hand, if a person spends his time involved in acts of lovingkindness and Torah study the Holy One Blessed is He displays His love for him in this world and the next. Thus is it stated, “Is Efrayim not a precious son to me; a child of delight! Even while I speak of him I remember him further!” (Yirmeyahu 31:19). Thus the Holy One Blessed is He loves the righteous, saying of them, “You are sons to Hashem your God” (Devarim 14:1). How much more so, then, should human beings love the righteous. Then they will be rewarded many fold, Amein.
אֶחָד מִדַּרְכֵי הַיִּרְאָה הוּא דְּלָא לְאַנְהָגָא קְלָנָא בְּשׁוּם בְּרִיָּה בָּעוֹלָם עַל חִנָּם, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמַּזְהִיר עַל זֶה בַּזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת יִתְרוֹ, שֶׁכָּל הַנִּבְרָאִים הֵן מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְכֻלָּן הֵן צָרְכֵי הָעוֹלָם, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא יַהֲרֹג אָדָם שׁוּם בְּרִיָּה עַל חִנָּם, וַאֲפִלּוּ דָּבָר הַמַּזִּיק לַבְּרִיּוֹת, כְּגוֹן נָחָשׁ וּשְׂמָמִית, אִם אֵינוֹ רוֹדֵף אַחֲרָיו לְהַזִּיקוֹ. (וְעַיֵּן לְעֵיל בְּחֵלֶק רִאשׁוֹן מַה שֶּׁכָּתַבְתִּי בְּפֶרֶק יח).
It is one of the ways of awe to refrain from disparaging any creature in the world without cause. Thus the Zohar warns in Parashas Yisro (68b) that all the creatures in the world are the handiwork of the Holy One Blessed is He and all are needed. Therefore one should never kill any creature without cause. Even those that are dangerous like the snake or the spider should not be killed unless they are chasing after a person to harm him [see what I wrote in Part I, Chapter 18].
וּבוֹא וּרְאֵה מַה דְּאִיתָא שָׁם בַּזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת יִתְרוֹ: רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הֲוֵי אָזִיל בְּאוֹרְחָא, וַהֲוֵי אָזִיל עִמֵּיהּ רַבִּי חִזְקִיָּה וְרַבִּי חִיָּא. חֲמוּ חַד חִוְיָא. קָם רַבִּי חִיָּא וּבָעֵי לְמִקְטְלֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר לְרַבִּי חִזְקִיָּה: שְׁבוֹק לֵיהּ, לָא תִּקְטְלִינֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ: וַהֲלֹא מִלָּא בִּישָׁא אִיהוּ, דְּקָטִיל בְּנֵי נָשָׁא? אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: וְהָא כְּתִיב: אִם יִשֹּׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ בְּלֹא לַחַשׁ, וּמַה יִּתְרוֹן לְבַעַל הַלָּשׁוֹן? לֹא נָשִׁיךְ חִוְיָא לְבַר נָשׁ עַד דְּלַחֲשִׁין מִלְּעֵילָא וְאַמְרִין: זִיל קְטִיל לֵיהּ לִפְלַנְיָא. וּמַה דְּנָשַׁךְ וּמֵמִית לִפְעָמִים, הוּא עַל פִּי צִוּוּי שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְכֵן לִפְעָמִים אִתְרַחִישׁ נִסָּא אַף עַל יְדֵי נָחָשׁ לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְכֻלְּהוּ בִּידָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תַּלְיָא, וְכֻלְּהוּ אִינְהוּ עוּבְדֵי יְדוֹי, וְאִצְטָרֵךְ עָלְמָא בְּהוּ, וְאִי לָא דְּאִצְטָרֵךְ לוֹן לְעָלְמָא, לָא עָבִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהוֹן, וְעַל דָּא לָא בָּעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְאַנְהָגָא קְלָנָא בְּמִלֵּי דְּעָלְמָא, שֶׁאֵלּוּ הַבְּרִיּוֹת עוּבְדֵיהוֹן דְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְעַל כֵּן בְּוַדַּאי עֲתִידִין לִתֵּן אֶת הַדִּין אוֹתָן בְּנֵי אָדָם, הַמּוֹרִים חִצִּים וּבְלִיסְטְרָאוֹת (שֶׁקּוֹרִין בִּיקְסִין) אַחַר עוֹפוֹת וְחַיּוֹת טְמֵאוֹת שֶׁלֹּא לְצֹרֶךְ כְּלָל, כִּי אִם לְלַמֵּד קֶשֶׁת גִּבּוֹרִים, וְהוֹרְגִים בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים חִנָּם. וְאֵין מִדַּרְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲדַת קֹדֶשׁ לַעֲשׂוֹת רָעָה לְשׁוּם בְּרִיָּה חִנָּם, וְלֹא לְדָבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ חַיּוּת לְבַד, אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ גַּם לְאִילָנוֹת וַעֲשָׂבִים וּשְׁאָר גִּדּוּלֵי קַרְקַע, שֶׁכֻּלָּן נִבְרְאוּ לְצֹרֶךְ, וְלָכֵן אֵין לִנְהֹג בָּהֶם בִּזָּיוֹן שֶׁלֹּא לְצֹרֶךְ.
Come see what is stated in the Zohar in Parashas Yisro: Rabbi Elazar was traveling along the road accompanied by Rabbi Chizkiyah when they saw a snake. Rabbi Chizkiyah arose intending to kill it but Rabbi Elazar said to him, “Leave it alone and do not kill it.” “But it is an evil creature that kills people!” Rabbi Chizkiyah observed. Rabbi Elazar replied, “It is stated, ‘A snake does not bite without a whisper and there is no benefit to the master of the tongue’ (Koheles 10:11). A snake never bites a person unless it receives a whisper from On High, saying, ‘Go kill So-and-so!’ “And just as it receives a whisper and kills in accordance with the command of the Holy One Blessed is He, so too it is sometimes the agent through which a miracle is performed on someone’s behalf. It is all in the hands of the Holy One Blessed is He. For all creatures are His handiwork and if they were not all needed He would not have created them. Therefore a person should not disparage any of the creatures in the world or any of the handiwork of the Holy One Blessed is He.” Therefore those who shoot arrows and bullets at non- kosher birds and animals for no reason other than to practice their shooting skills, thereby killing living creatures in vain, will one day give reckoning for it. This is not the way of Israel, the holy community. Their way is never to harm any creature in vain. This is true not only of animate creatures but also of trees and herbs and other types of foliage. All were created for a purpose; therefore one must not treat any of them disdainfully without cause.
וּבוֹא וּרְאֵה מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הַזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת יִתְרוֹ: תַּנְיָא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: זִמְנָא חֲדָא אָזִילְנָא בְּאוֹרְחָא, וַהֲוֵי רַבִּי חִיָּא בְּרִי עִמִּי. עַד דַּהֲוֵי אָזִילְנָא, אַשְׁכַּחְנָא חַד גְּבַר דַּהֲוֵי לָקִיט עֲשָׂבִים בְּחַקְלָא. קָרִיבְנָא לְגַבֵּיהּ. אֲמִינָא לְהַאי בַּר נָשׁ: לָמָּה לְךָ הַנֵּי קִשְׁרִין דַּעֲשָׂבִים הָאֵלּוּ? לֹא זָקִיף רֵישֵׁיהּ, וְלֹא אָמַר מִידִי. אַהֲדָרְנָא שֵׁנִית וּשְׁאִילְנָא לֵיהּ, וְלָא אָמַר מִידִי. אֲמִינָא לְרַבִּי חִיָּא: בְּרִי, הַאי אִינַשׁ שַׁטְיָא הוּא אוֹ חֵרֵשׁ אוֹ חַכִּימָא מִנַּן. יָתִיבְנָא גַּבֵּיהּ וַחֲמִינָא לֵיהּ, וּבָתַר דְּלָקִיט עֲשָׂבִין, כָּסֵי הָעֲשָׂבִים בַּעֲלֵי גְּפָנִים. אָמַר הַאי גַּבְרָא: חֲמִינָא דְּגֻבְרִין דִּיהוּדָאִין אַתּוּן. וִיהוּדָאִין אַמְרִין, דְּאִנּוּן חַכִּימִין יַתִּיר מִשְּׁאָר בְּנֵי נָשָׁא. אִי לָא דַּהֲוִינָא חַיִס עֲלַיְכוּ הַשְׁתָּא, הֲוִיתוּן רְחִיקִין מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא כִּמְסָאֳבָא דְּרָחֲקִין לֵיהּ מִכֹּלָּא. (רָצָה לוֹמַר, דַּהֲוִיתּוּן כִּמְצֹרָע מֻחְלָט וּמֻסְגָּר) דַּחֲמִינָא חַד עִשְׂבָּא, דַּהֲוֵי קָרִיב לְגַבֵּיכוֹן אָעִיל לְגוּפַיְכוּ, וְתֶהֱוִין מְצֹרָעִים תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין, וְהַשְׁתָּא אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לְכוֹן רְפוּאָה: אָכִילוֹ אִלֵּין תּוּמֵי בָּרָא, הַגָּדֵל בְּשָׂדֶה זֶה, וְתִתְרַפְּאוּן. עַבְדֵי הָכֵי וְאַכְלִין הַנֵּי תּוּמֵי בָּרָא, דַּהֲוֵי שְׁכִיחֵי תַּמָּן, וְאַחַר כָּךְ אִדְמַכְנָא אֲנִי וּבְרִי, וַהֲוֵי זֵעָה יוֹצֵאת מִנַּן כַּמָּה שָׁעוֹת, וּלְבָתַר אִתְעַרְנָא. אָמַר לְהוֹן הַאי גַּבְרָא: אֱלָהֲכוֹן עִמְּכוֹן, דְּאִשְׁכַּחְתּוּן יָתִי, וַאֲנִי אַזְמִין לְכוֹן וְאַגִּיד לְכוֹן, דְּהָא אַסְוָתָא דְּגוּפֵיכוֹן עַל יָדִי אִשְׁתְּלִים.
Come and see what is stated in the Zohar in Parashas Yisro (80a): Rabbi Yose said: One time I was walking with my son Rabbi Chiya, when we came across a man gathering herbs in the field. We approached him and I inquired, “Of what use are these bundles of herbs to you?” But the man did not raise his head, nor did he say anything. So I returned and asked him again, but again he said nothing. Then I said to my son Rabbi Chiya, “This man is either an imbecile or deaf, or else he is wiser than us.” We sat down beside him and observed that after he gathered the herbs he covered them with grape leaves. Then he said to us, “I see that you are Jews. They say that Jews are cleverer than other people. If I did not have mercy upon you now you would have be separated from others like lepers who are avoided by all. For I see that the fumes of a certain herb that you passed by have entered into your bodies and would have caused you to become leprous for three days. But I will tell you a remedy for it. Eat some of the wild garlic growing in this field and you will be healed!” So we did as he said. We ate the wild garlic that we found there and afterwards my son and I fell asleep. For several hours sweat poured from us until at last we awoke. The man told us, “Your God was been with you and caused you to meet me. Therefore I invite you to come with me and I will teach you, for your bodies have been healed by me.”
וַהֲוֵינָא אָזְלִין עִמֵּיהּ. אָמַר לְהוֹן הַאי בַּר נָשׁ: חֲמִיתוּן, דְּלָא זָקִיפְנָא עֵינַי וְלֹא רֵישָׁאִי וְלֹא מְלִילְנָא בַּהֲדַיְכוּ? מִשּׁוּם דְּאַבָּא חַכִּים בַּעֲשָׂבִין מִכָּל בְּנֵי דָּרָא, וְאוֹלִיפְנָא מֵאֲבוֹי אוֹרְחוֹי דְּכָל עֲשָׂבִין, וַאֲנָא בְּכָל שַׁתָּא מְדוֹרָאִי בֵּינַיְהוּ. וְהַאי (עֲשָׂבִים) דַּחֲמִיתוּן, שֶׁכִּסִּיתִי הָעֲשָׂבִים בַּעֲלֵי גְּפָנִים, בַּאֲשֶׁר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בַּעֲשָׂבִים עֵשֶׂב, וְהַאי עֵשֶׂב קָרִיב הָיָה לְגַבֵּיכוֹן, הָיִיתִי נָסִיב מִנְּהוֹן, בַּאֲשֶׁר שֶׁבֵּבֵיתִי מָקוֹם חַד וְהוּא לְצַד צָפוֹן, וְשָׁם מַעְיָן חַד, ורֵחַיָּא שָׁם. מֵהַהוּא רֵחַיָּא נָפִיק חַד גְּבָר בִּתְרֵין רֵישִׁין, וְחַרְבּוֹ שְׁלוּפָה בְּיָדוֹ, וּבְכָל יוֹמָא קָא מְצַעֵר לָן, וַאֲנָא לָקִיטְנָא הַאי עִשְׂבָּא וְגוֹ'. וְזִילוּ אֲבַתְרָאִי. עַד דַּהֲוִינָא אַזְלֵי בְּאוֹרְחֵי, מָאִיךְ לְחַד נוּקְבָא בְּעַפְרָא. וְשַׁוֵּי מֵהַאי עִשְׂבִּין לְנֻקְבָּא. נָפִיק חַד חִוְיָא, וְרֵישֵׁיהּ דִּילֵיהּ סַגִּיא.
So we went with him and he said to us, “You noticed that I did not raise my eyes or my head, nor did I speak with you. This is because with regard to herbs I am the most knowledgeable person of the generation. I learned the ways of all the herbs from my father and I live all year along among them. As for this plant that you saw me cover with grape leaves ׀ there is one herb that is unique among all others and it was very near to where you were sitting. I wished to take some of it because in a place near my house to the north, there is a spring and a mill. Every day a man with two heads comes out from the mill with a sword in his hand and he harries us. It was on account of this that I gathered the herb. Now follow me.” While we were on the road he bent down over a hole in the earth and placed some of the herb into the hole and a snake with a large head emerged.
נָטִיל חַד סִנְדְּרָא (פֵּרוּשׁ: חֶבֶל) וְקָטִיר לֵיהּ לְהַנָּחָשׁ כְּחַד גַּדְיָא. דָּחִילְנָא. אָמַר לָן: זִילוּ אֲבַתְרָאִי. עַד דְּמָטִינָא לְבֵיתֵיהּ. חֲמִינָא הַהוּא אֲתַר בַּחֲשֵׁכָא בָּתַר חַד כּוֹתְלָא. נָטִיל חַד שְׁרָגָא וְדָלִיק דְּלֵקָה סְבִיב הַהוּא רֵחַיָּא. אָמַר לָן: מִמַּאי דְּתֶחֱמוּן לָא תִּדְחֲלוּן וְלָא תִּשְׁתָּעוּן מִידִי. אַדְהָכֵי שָׁארֵי חִוְיָא מִקִּטְרוֹי. פֵּרוּשׁ: רָצָה לוֹמַר: הִתִּיר הַנָּחָשׁ מִקְּשָׁרָיו, שֶׁקָּשַׁר אוֹתוֹ, וְקָטִיר בְּקִסְטְרָא מֵהַהוּא עִשְׂבָּא וְשַׁוֵּיהּ בְּרֵישֵׁיהּ דְּחִוְיָא. עָאל חִוְיָא בְּחַד עֵינָא דְּרֵחַיָּא וְשָׁמַעְנָא קָלָא, דְּכָל אֲתָר מִזְדַּעְזְעֵי. בָּעֵינָא לְמֵפַּק. אָחִיד הַאי גַּבְרָא בְּיָדָנָא וְאָמַר לָן: לָא תִּדְחֲלוּן, קְרִיבוּ גַּבָּאִי. אַדְהָכֵי נָפִיק חִוְיָא וְשָׁתִית דָּמָא. נָקַט הַאי גַּבְרָא מֵהַהוּא עִשְׂבָּא וְשַׁוְיָא בְּרֵישֵׁיהּ כְּקַדְמֵיתָא. עָאל בְּהַהוּא עֵינָא דְּרֵחַיָּא, וּלְשָׁעָה מוּעֶטֶת חֲמִינָא דְּנַפְקִין מֵהַהוּא עֵינָא חַד גַּבְרָא בִּתְרֵין רָאשִׁין, וְחִוְיָא שָׁרִי סְבִיב הָעֹרֶף, וַהֲוֵי הַאי גַּבְרָא בִּתְרֵין רָאשִׁין וְאָמַר: זְקִיטָא! זְקִיטָא! (פֵּרוּשׁ: דַּהֲוֵי קָרִי לִבְרִיָּה קַלָּה זְקִיטָה שְׁמֵיהּ, וְהַאי בְּרִיָּה קַלָּה קָטִיל לְחִוְיָא.)
He took a rope and bound the snake just as one binds a young goat. We were afraid but he said to us, “Follow me.” So we followed him until we came to his house. In the dark we saw there the place of which he had spoken. It was behind a wall. He took a lamp and lit a fire all around the mill, warning us, “Do not be frightened by what you see and do not say anything.” In the meantime he released the snake from its bonds and ground some of the herb in a mortar and put it on the head of the snake. The snake entered an opening in the mill and we heard a sound that caused the entire place to shudder. We wanted to leave but the man held onto our hands and said to us, “Do not be afraid. Keep close to me.” In the meantime the snake came out dripping with blood. Again the man took some of the herb and placed it on the head of the snake. The snake once again entered the opening of the mill and in a short while we saw the man with two heads appear from the opening with the snake wrapped around his neck. The man with two heads called out, “Zekita! Zekita!” [This is the name of a small creature that kills snakes.]
וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר לְרֹעַ מַזָּלוֹ שֶׁהָיָה נוֹלָד בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה, שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּלוּם מֵחֲמַת שֶׁגָּבַר עָלָיו יָד שֶׁל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת, שֶׁהָיָה בָּקִי בַּעֲשָׂבִים, וְצָוַח: וַי, וַי לְאִמָּא, דִּלְהַהוּא אֲתָר אוֹבִיל לֵיהּ. אַדְהָכֵי אִתְעַקָּר רֵחַיָּא מֵאַתְרֵיהּ וְנַפְקוּ גַּבְרָא בִּתְרֵין רָאשִׁין וְהַהוּא חִוְיָא, וְנָפְלוּ תַּרְוַיְהוּ וּמִיתוּ. אָמַר לוֹן הַאי גַּבְרָא: דָּא הֲוֵי חֵילָא דְּעִשְׂבָּא, דַּאֲנָא לָקִיטְנָא קַמַּיְכוּ, וּבְגִין כָּךְ לָא אִשְׁתָּעֵינָא בַּהֲדַיְכוּ וְלָא נָקִיטְנָא וְזָקַפְנָא רֵישָׁאִי בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּקָרִיבְתּוּ גַּבָּאִי.
Afterwards he lamented that it was his misfortune to be born in this place, for here he could do nothing since the owner of the house was such an expert in herbs. Then he cried out, “Woe! Woe to my mother who brought me to this place!” In the meantime the mill was uprooted from its place and both the man with two heads as well as the snake came out and fell dead. The man said to us, “This is the power of the herb that I picked in front of you. That is why I neither spoke with you nor raised my head when you approached.”
אָמַר הַאי גַּבְרָא: אִלּוּ הֲווּ יָדְעִין בְּנֵי נָשָׁא כָּל מַה דְּנָטַע הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּאַרְעָא, וְכָל מַה דְּאִשְׁתַּכַּח בְּעָלְמָא, יִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעוּן חֵילָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן בְּחָכְמְתָא סַגִּי, אֲבָל לֹא טָמִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חָכְמְתָא דָּא מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּלָא סָטָן מֵאוֹרְחֵיהּ, וְלָא יִהְיוּ רְחִיצָן בְּהַהוּא חָכְמְתָא וְיִנְשׁוּן לֵיהּ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.
He said further, “If people only knew of all the things that the Holy One Blessed is He has planted upon the earth and all that is to be found in the world they would appreciate the power of their Master in His great wisdom. But the Holy One Blessed is He concealed this knowledge from people lest they stray from His ways and rely upon their wisdom, forgetting all about Him, Heaven forbid!”
וּמִכָּל זֶה יִלְמַד הָאָדָם וְיִתְבּוֹנֵן, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן אֱלֹהִים שֵׂכֶל וְדַעַת בְּלִבּוֹ, אִם כֵּן הָאַזְהָרָה שֶׁלֹּא לְצַעֵר שׁוּם בְּרִיָּה, אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְהָקֵל בַּעֲשָׂבִים וּבִצְמָחִים, שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם חַיּוּת, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה שֶׁלֹּא לִנְהֹג בִּזָּיוֹן אָדָם בַּחֲבֵרוֹ, שֶׁהֵן בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב. וְאַף אִם נָתַן אֱלֹהִים לָאָדָם עשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וּמֶמְשָׁלָה — יִזָּהֵר בְּיוֹתֵר דְּלֹא יַנְהִיג חַס וְשָׁלוֹם בִּשְׁבִיל כֵּן בִּזָּיוֹן בַּעֲדַת ה', צֹאן קֳדָשִׁים, כִּי כָּל דִּבּוּר אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר הָאָדָם בְּגַאֲוָה וָבוּז נֶגֶד שׁוּם יִשְׂרָאֵל — אוֹתוֹ הַדִּבּוּר כָּתוּב וְרָשׁוּם מִיָּד בְּפִנְקָס שֶׁל מַעְלָה, וְעָווֹן זֶה חָקוּק וְשָׁמוּר, עַד שֶׁצָּרִיךְ הָאָדָם לִסְבֹּל דִּין הַקָּשֶׁה. וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן מִי שֶׁמְּבַזֶּה לְתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים, אֲזַי עָנְשׁוֹ הוּא כָּפוּל וּמְכֻפָּל, כִּדְאִיתָא בַּזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת פְּקוּדֵי, דְּאֵלּוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים, הַנִּקְרָאִים שְׂרָפִים, הֵם מְמֻנִּים לְעַנֵּשׁ וּלְיַסֵּר הָאָדָם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּבָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וּבִפְרָט אִם אָדָם מְבַיֵּשׁ לְבַר נָשׁ, דְּאוֹלִיף מִנֵּיהּ אֲפִלּוּ מִלָּה חֲדָא דְּאוֹרַיְתָא, וְאֵינוֹ נוֹהֵג בּוֹ כָּבוֹד וִיקָר. וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁהַמַּלְאָכִים מְעַנְּשִׁין לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה אֵיזֶה שֵׁרוּת בְּתַלְמִיד חָכָם, אִם לֹא שֶׁיָּדַע בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁמָּחַל הַתַּלְמִיד חָכָם עַל כְּבוֹדוֹ.
A person whom God has blessed with insight and understanding must learn from all this and take it as a warning not to cause pain to any creature, nor even to take lightly the inanimate herbs and plants. And how much more so must one refrain from disparaging one’s fellow Jew, the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. And even if God has blessed a person with wealth, property and position let him take great care not to conduct himself haughtily, Heaven forbid, towards the congregation of Hashem, His holy flock. Every arrogant or disdainful word that a person utters towards a Jew is immediately inscribed and recorded in a ledger On High. The iniquity remains engraved and preserved there until the time comes that he will be made to suffer severe afflictions on account of it. How much more so must one refrain from denigrating Torah scholars, the punishment for which is many times greater. It is related in the Zohar in Parashas Pekudei (247b) that the angels called serafim are appointed to punish and afflict a person in this world and the next, especially if he shamed someone from whom he learned even one word of Torah, rather than showing him honor and respect. How much more severely, then, will they punish someone who made personal use of a Torah scholar, unless he knew for certain that the scholar had forgiven his honor!
וְכָל אָדָם צָרִיךְ לִקַּח רְאָיָה מִן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהוּא מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, וּבָחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל עַם וְלָשׁוֹן וְקָרָא לָן 'בְּנִי בְּכוֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל', 'עַם סְגֻלָּה', 'עֲדַת יְשֻׁרוּן'. וְאִם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵין עוֹשִׂין רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם וְהוֹלְכִין אַחַר שְׁרִירוּת לִבָּם, וְתָמִיד עוֹסְקִין בְּמַשָּׂא וּמַתָּן וּבַהֲנָאוֹת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה — מַה יַּעֲשֶׂה הָאָדָם נַחַת רוּחַ בָּזֶה לְהַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ?! וְלֹא עוֹד אַף לִפְעָמִים הוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל וּמַנִּיחַ תְּפִלִּין וְצִיצִית וּמִתְפַּלֵּל בִּמְהִירוּת דֶּרֶךְ הַעֲבָרַת פֶּה, וּבְלִבּוֹ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת זָרוֹת, וְתֵכֶף אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה הוּא לָהוּט אַחַר אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, וְעַל אָדָם כָּזֶה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב: הָרָה עָמַל וְיָלַד שֶׁקֶר. וּפִתְאֹם הַמָּוֶת בָּא, וְאֵין צֵידָה וּמָזוֹן לְפָנָיו.
One must learn from the example of the Holy One Blessed is He. For He is the King of the Kings of Kings, yet He chose us out of all the peoples and tongues and called us “My firstborn son Israel” (Shemos 4:22), “the treasured people” (Devarim 7:6) and “Yeshurun” [a straight and honest people] (Devarim 32:15, Yeshayahu 44:2). However, if the children of Israel ignore the will of the Omnipresent, and follow their heart’s desire to engage in commerce and worldly pleasures, what satisfaction can the blessed Creator derive from them? Moreover, even if a person prays and dons tefillin and tzitzis on occasion, he prays hurriedly, giving only lip service to Hashem, while his heart is preoccupied with foreign thoughts. Then immediately after he finishes praying he runs to eat and drink. Concerning such a one the verse declares, “He labors with iniquity and brings forth falsehood” (Tehillim 7:15). Then, one day death suddenly strikes and the person discovers that he has prepared no provisions for the journey that lies before him.
אֲבָל מִי שֶׁמְּבַלֶּה זְמַנּוֹ בִּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים וּבְלִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה — אֲזַי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹהֵב אוֹתוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּבָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: הֲבֵן יַקִּיר לִי אֶפְרַיִם, אִם יֶלֶד שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים? כִּי מִדֵּי דַּבְּרִי בּוֹ, זָכוֹר אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ עוֹד. וְאִם כֵּן, אִם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹהֵב אֶת הַצַּדִּיקִים וְקָרָא אוֹתָן 'בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם', מִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם צְרִיכִין לֶאֱהֹב אֶת הַצַּדִּיקִים, וְאָז שְׂכָרָן יִהְיֶה כָּפוּל וּמְכֻפָּל. אָמֵן.
On the other hand, if a person spends his time involved in acts of lovingkindness and Torah study the Holy One Blessed is He displays His love for him in this world and the next. Thus is it stated, “Is Efrayim not a precious son to me; a child of delight! Even while I speak of him I remember him further!” (Yirmeyahu 31:19). Thus the Holy One Blessed is He loves the righteous, saying of them, “You are sons to Hashem your God” (Devarim 14:1). How much more so, then, should human beings love the righteous. Then they will be rewarded many fold, Amein.