Musar for Sanhedrin 171:13
סבר מאחיו לאפוקי עבדים בני ישראל למעוטי מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין מבני ישראל למעוטי מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין הוי מיעוט אחר מיעוט ואין מיעוט אחר מיעוט אלא לרבות
But the Rabbis maintain: He [the slave] is his brother in [obligation to fulfil] the [Divine] precepts. Now, in this case [abduction], how is the verse interpreted? — R. Judah maintains, [If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel:] of his brethren excludes slaves; the children of Israel excludes a semi-slave, and a semi-freeman; of the children of Israel<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Of' (Heb [H]) being partitive, implies limitation. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
לא תרצח לא תנאף לא תגנוב לא תענה לא תחמוד. These last five commandments are called תורת אדם. Israel is called אדם. This fact lies at the root of the concept of כנסת ישראל. This corresponds to the name א-ד-נ-י, the source of Israel as we explained earlier. These last five commandments, if violated, would blemish the Holy Name of G–d. The murderer definitely diminishes G–d's image, seeing that G–d had imparted His image to man when He created him in His image and His likeness. Man's G–d-given soul was already within the womb of his mother before he was born. This is what is called the מלכות שם א-ד-נ-י, the union between the two separate names of י-ה-ו-ה and א-ד-נ-י. The union between איש and אשה is parallel to the relationship between these two names of G–d we have just mentioned. The commandment not to steal refers to kidnapping of a human being. Doing this means uprooting the kidnapped person from his destiny as a human being, depriving him of the appellation that symbolises the purpose of his existence. Testifying falsely against a human being has the same detrimental effect upon that human being as the kidnapping of him. A human being created in G–d's image is reduced to something not worthy of that image by means of the testimony of the false witness.
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