[Avodah] Redemption

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 10:49:17PM -0400, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
: I must admit that I never before noticed that "lo sikom v'lo sitor"
: only applies to Jews. I had always presumed it to be a general law of
: morality and ethics, much like Lashon Hara. I never thought it to be
: in the "Ribis" category.
: 
: There seem to be three categories: (A) Things that may may not do even
: to non-Jews, such as stealing. (B) Things that are technically allowed
: against non-Jews, but we are taught to avoid it, such as Lashon Hara.
: (C) Things that we may not do to a Jew, but are clearly allowed with a
: non-Jew, such as Ribis. I had thought Nekama was in category A, but I
: admit my error. I would like to know more clearly whether it is in B
: or C. (I can even imagine some saying that it is in a fourth category,
: things that we may not to do a Jew, but are *encouraged* to do to a
: non-Jew.)

IOW:

(A) Things that are morally wrong to the point of being prohibited.

(B) Things that are morally wrong, but only to the point of prohibition
when you do them against your sibling.

(C) Things that not not morally wrong, simply a betrayal of the family
nature of Kelal Yisrael. "Vekhi yamukh ACHIKHA... Al tiqqach mei'ito
neshekh vesarbit".

As for neqamah, I argued from quotes like kol hama'avir al midosav and
ne'elavim ve'eino olvin that it's in (B). I would add now that this is
implied by the Rambam's inclusion of these two issurim (lo siqom velo
sitor) in Hil' Dei'os p' 7 that he is considering the middah bad, not
only the act wrong. Interesting to note, the Rambam puts them after LH.

Also, I noted that the only commentaries on the Rambam that I could
find that discuss his change in terminology between Dei'os 7:7 and 7:8
explain that he is prohibiting neqamah against all chaveirim but netirah
"mei'echad meYisrael". Meaning you now need a B' and C' where the category
is only observant Jews. (And I still have a nagging recollection that
the Rambam's "chaveirim" in general includes geirei toshav and other
observant Noachides.) And neqamah is in one of those. So, (B').

How you get such a distinction in two issurim that are written in the
pasuq as verbs sharing the same object is a good one.

But the Avodas haMelekh says that the Maharshal reaches the same
conclusion in his commentary to the Semag, and I see the Semag uses
the same difference in nouns. Lav #11 - "[Lo siqom.] Hanoqeim al
chaveiro". #12 - "Kol hanoteir le'echad miYisrael".

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Man is equipped with such far-reaching vision,
micha at aishdas.org        yet the smallest coin can obstruct his view.
http://www.aishdas.org                         - Rav Yisrael Salanter
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