Page 133 - Tzurba M'Rabanan Volume1

ןנברמ אברוצ םנועמו ,ףשכמ ,שחנמ תוכלה · 131

Introduction

The Torah commands us: “You shall be wholehearted with the Lord your God” (Devarim 18:13). From this
verse, it is derived that one may not consult fortune tellers or star gazers to determine one’s future. As we will
see, there are a number of other similar prohibitions as well. The reason for all of them is that what befalls a
person is not determined by happenstance, but rather by Hashem, as noted by the Sefer HaChinuch.

r Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzva 249 טמר הוצמ | ךוניחה רפס 1 .

The root of this prohibition is that these matters are lunacy ירבד םה הלא םינינעש יפל ,הוצמה ישרשמ
1
and utter nonsense. For a true holy nation chosen by G-d, רשא יתימא שודק םעלו ,הרומג תולכסו ןועגש
it is not appropriate for them to dabble in words of falsity. .רקש ירבדב ועשיש םהל תואי אל לאה רחב
Furthermore, [doing so] is a reason that could push someone םשה תנומאמ םדאה חידהל הבס םהש דועו
away from faith in Hashem and His holy Torah. For one will הריפכל םכותמ אובלו .השודקה ותרותמו
come to complete heresy through this, by thinking that all רשא לכו ותערו ותבוט לכ בושחיש ,הרומג
good and bad things that happen to him are mere coincidence,
as opposed to Divine providence from his Creator. The result תאמ החגשהב אל ,ירקמ רבד אוהש והרקי
will be that one abandons all the basic tenets of religion. לע .תדה ירקע לכמ ךכב אצוי אצמנו ,וארוב
Therefore, since G-d wants what is best for us, He commanded ונבלמ ריסהל ונויצ ,ונתבוטב םשה ץפח יכ ,ןכ
us to remove these thoughts from our minds and entrench in תוערה לכ יכ וניבבלב עובקלו וז הבשחמ
our hearts the notion that all good and bad things happen from םא םדאה השעמ יפל הנאצת ןוילע יפמ בוטהו
above, according to the actions of a person be it good or bad. ,ןידירומ אלו ןילעמ אל םישחנהו ,ער םאו בוט
All the omens do not add or subtract, as it is written (Bamidbar בקעיב שחנ אל יכ ]גכ:גכ רבדמב[ בותכש ומכו
23:23): “There are none among Yaakov who predict by omens, .לארשיב םסק אלו
nor diviners among Israel.”

1. The Sefer HaChinuch here follows the Rambam’s opinion about this issue that any attempt to determine the future in such manners is utter
nonsense (see, e.g., Rambam, Perush HaMishnayot, Avoda Zara chapter 4; Responsa of the Rambam 218). On the other hand, the Ramban
(Devarim 18:9) and the Gra (to Yoreh Deah, Siman 179), among other commentaries, acknowledge that sorcery and other similar actions can
potentially be effective, but the Torah forbids us from engaging in them nevertheless.

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