Musar for Sanhedrin 197:23

רבי עקיבא אומר

But R. Johanan interprets: 'him that is far off' — that is [and has been] far from sin; 'him that is near' — that was near to sin, but is now far off. R. Hiyya b. Abba also said in R. Johanan's name: All the prophets prophesied only in respect of him who marries his daughter to a scholar, or engages in business on behalf of a scholar,22 or benefits a scholar with his possessions; but as for scholars themselves, — 'the eye hath not seen, O God, beside thee etc.' What does 'the eye hath not seen' refer to? — R. Joshua b. Levi said: To the wine that has been kept [maturing] with its grapes since the six days of Creation. Resh Lakish said: To Eden, which no eye has ever seen; and should you demur, Where then did Adam live? in the Garden. And should you object, The Garden and Eden are one: therefore Scripture teaches, And a river issued from Eden to water the garden.23 AND HE WHO MAINTAINS THAT THE TORAH WAS NOT DIVINELY REVEALED. Our Rabbis taught: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off:24 this refers to him who maintains that the Torah is not from Heaven. Another rendering: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, refers to an epikoros. Another rendering: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, refers to one who gives an interpretation of the Torah25 [not according to the halachah]. And hath broken his commandment: this means one who abolishes the covenant of flesh.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., who neglects the precept of circumcision. Weiss, Dor. II. p. 8 states that the Rabbinic teachings in praise of circumcision and their emphasis on the penalty of its neglect were directed against the Christians, who substituted baptism for it; v. also n. 5 for another interpretation. ');">26 That soul shall utterly be cut off [hikkareth tikkareth]: 'hikkareth' [to be cut off] implies in this world; 'tikkareth' [it shall be cut off], in the next.27 Hence R. Eliezer of Modi'im taught: He who defiles the sacred food, despises the festivals,28 abolishes the covenant of our father Abraham,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Graetz. Gesch., IV, p. 73, n. 1. suggests that this refers to epiplasm, I.e., drawing a skin over the circumcision so as to hide it. This was resorted to by the Judeo-Christians in order to evade the Fiscus Judaicus, I.e., the Temple Tax which Vespasian converted into a per capita tax for the upkeep of Jupiter's Temple. The galling nature of such conversion, added to the fact that it singled out the Jews as definitely not being full citizens of the Roman Empire with all the privileges and exemptions appertaining thereto, and the severity with which Domitian, a later emperor, applied it, combined to induce a number of these semi-Jews to deny their Judaism altogether and to hide the marks of their circumcision. ');">29 gives an interpretation of the Torah not according to the halachah, and publicly shames his neighbour, even if he hath learning and good deeds to his credit, hath no portion in the future world.30 Another [Baraitha] taught: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord — this refers to him who maintains that the Torah is not from Heaven. And even if he asserts that the whole Torah is from Heaven, excepting a particular verse, which [he maintains] was not uttered by God but by Moses himself, he is included in 'because he hath despised the word of the Lord.' And even if he admits that the whole Torah is from Heaven, excepting a single point, a particular ad majus deduction or a certain gezerah shawah, — he is still included in 'because he hath despised the word of the Lord'. It has been taught: R. Meir used to say: He who studies the Torah but does not teach it is alluded to in 'he hath despised the word of the Lord'. R. Nathan said: [it refers to] whoever pays no heed to the Mishnah.31 R. Nehorai said: Whosoever can engage in the study of the Torah but fails to do so. R. Ishmael said: This refers to heathens. How is this implied? — Even as the school of Ishmael taught: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord — this applies to one who despises the words spoken to Moses at Sinai, viz., I am the Lord thy God … Thou shalt have no other gods before me.32 R. Joshua b. Karha said: Whosoever studies the Torah and does not revise it is likened unto one who sows without reaping. R. Joshua said: He who studies the Torah and then forgets it is like a woman who bears [a child] and buries [it.] R. Akiba said:

Shemirat HaLashon

And Rabbeinu Yonah has written in Iggereth Hatshuvah that "when men finish their work and their dealings and go to their houses or idle on the [street] corners or speak idle talk, their evil is very great and their sin exceedingly severe, for they [thereby] shame the Torah. For if they believed that there is no end to its reward, why would they not turn their feet to the house of study to learn? Does not a man rush to work knowing that all is vanity? And how can he forget the life of the world to come and not devote a day or an hour to learning? And let him not say: 'There is yet time to do for the L-rd, to learn Torah, and to occupy oneself with mitzvoth and tzedakoth.' He is guilty! He has sinned greatly against the L-rd! And Chazal have said on the verse (Bamidbar 15:31): 'For the word of the L-rd he has despised, and His commandments he has broken. Cut off shall be that soul; its transgression is in it,' that if it is possible for one to occupy himself with Torah but he does not do so, he shames the word of the L-rd. Therefore, every man is obligated to set aside a place in his house in which to learn halachoth or Scripture, each according to his ability. And when he is finished with his dealings or with his work, he must turn in there to study. And by doing so, he will "do wonders" for his soul, to rescue it from the pit. And he must reflect upon his end and consider his latter end, as Chazal have said: 'Consider three things and you will not come to transgression, etc.' And it is fitting that one find himself a pashut or a half [(types of coins)] to give charity for every day he fails to go to the house of study or to a place where he has one of the holy books to learn from."

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Shemirat HaLashon

Therefore, if one wishes to cleanse his soul, let him reflect upon the greatness of the issur of levity in several respects. For aside from the fact that he [the mocker] sins himself, it [levity] being one of the four things because of which one does not receive the Shechinah, as Chazal have said (Sotah 42a), he also causes many to sin, bringing them to multiply mockery. And the punishment of causing many to sin is well known, it not being granted one to repent because of this, as Chazal have stated (Avoth 5:18). And, aside from all this, involvement in idle talk, even if it contained nothing forbidden, causes one to lose the time that he could have spent in Torah study and the acquisition of the world to come. And he gives the impression that he scorns the words of the L-rd and the reward of the world to come, as stated in Sanhedrin 99a on the verse (Bamidbar 15:31): "For he has scorned the word of the L-rd" — R. Nehorai said: ['This refers to] one who could have studied Torah but did not do so.'"

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Shemirat HaLashon

It is public knowledge to all of Israel, both young and old alike, that the Torah is read, with the sanctity of a sefer Torah, only when it is entirely written without even one letter missing. Only then is it called (Psalms 19:8): "The Torah of the L-rd is complete." But if a letter is lacking, it does not possess the sanctity of a sefer Torah, but only the sanctity of parshiyoth. So is it with the Jew. When is he included in the congregation of Israel, having a share in the world to come? Only when he believes that the entire Torah was given by the L-rd from heaven. But one who denies it — even one letter of it — is not in the congregation of Israel (see Sanhedrin 99a; Rambam, Hilchoth Teshuvah 3:5; Yoreh Deah 158).

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