Page 271 - V1

Introduction to החיתפ
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפסל
Aseen - A8
ט השע - ןישע

(8), the speaker also violates the Aseh of (Vayikrah 19:32) “and you רכזנש המו שמוחב י"שרב הז אבוהו ,וירבד תא
shall honor the presence of a zakayn.” (The entire pasuk reads as
9
follows “One must rise in the presence of an old person and you םא וליפא ונייה בא ארומ ןינעל ב"ל ןישודיקב
shall honor the presence of a sage and you shall revere your G‑d, I .ג"עצו םכחו ןקז ונניא ויבא
am Hashem”). Even though ”zakayn” means a “Chacham \ sage”
and “honor” refers to the “zakayn,” the word “honor” also relates
back to the “old person” referred to in the beginning of that pasuk. .ןויס א"י 'א רדא 'א ,ירשת ב"כ - תרבועמ הנש .ןויס א"כ ,טבש א"כ ,ירשת ב"כ - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
Extending “honor” means honoring him with your speech, meaning,
to speak to him with honor as one would speak to a revered master. םייחה רוקמ
But where this old person is disgraced, then of course this is not
“honor.” So too, if this subject is a Chacham, even if he isn't an )ט( ,וינפבּ הזבּ וּהנּגו ,ןהֹכּ אוּה רפּסְמֶּשׁ יִמ לע םִאו )ט(
ְ
ִ
ָ
ֵ
ַ
ֵ
ְ
ָ
ֶ
ָ
ָ
ַ
ְ
“old person,” the speaker violates this Aseh. When the pasuk says
ְ
ִ
ַ
ַ
ְ
ַ
ֵ
ַ
ֵ
“old person” it means a Chacham, as Chazal teach, that he has ."וֹתְּשׁדּקִו"דּ )'ח א"כ ארָקְיּו( הֵשֲׂע תוצִמ לע ןכּ םגּ רבוֹע
ִ
ַ
acquired wisdom. (Apart from this, the speaker violates yet another וילע רבּדְַמֶּשׁ ןויכו ,הבּרְה דוֹבכּ ןהבּ גֹהנִל הזבּ וּניוּטצנֶּשׁ
ָ
ֵ
ִ
ָ
ְ
ַ
ֶ
ֵ
ָ
ְ
ֶ
ְ
ֵ
ַ
ָ
ָ
ֵ
ָ
severe esur of belittling a Torah scholar and in so doing the law says
ֶ
ָ
ָ
ָ
ַ
ֵ
ַ
ְ
ַ
ַ
ֵ
ְ
(Gemara Sanhedrin 99b) he enters the realm of apostasy. I will וֹדבּכְמ וֹניא יאדּובּ הזבּ ,וּהזּבְמוּ תוּליִכרְ וֹא ערָה ןוֹשׁל
elaborate on this further on, with G‑d's help). And if this subject .רבוֹעו
ְ
ֵ
is both an old person and a Torah scholar the speaker doubles the
violation of this Aseh.
םייח םימ ראב
Be’er Mayim Chayim
תוכלהמ 'ד קרפב ם"במרה ל"זש .ותשדקוד 'וכו ימ לע םאו )ט(
(A8) an old person,… even if this old person is someone who
is ignorant and unlearned: This is the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch 'וכו םשדקלו םינהכה לידבהל השע תוצמו 'א הכלה שדקמה ילכ
Yoreh De'Ah, section # 244, the 1 paragraph, please see that reference. םתוא םידקהלו הברה דובכ ןהב גוהנל לארשימ םדא לכ בייחו
st
I will explain what I wrote that “old person” and “rise and honor” apply
both to the sage and to the old person, as is taught by the Se’Mag in his הזב אצויכו ,'וכו ןושאר הרותב חותפל השודקבש רבד לכל
th
listing of the 13 Aseh, as follows: One must say that “rise” and “honor” קספנ ןכו ש"יע ב"ל הוצמ ולש תוצמה רפסב ם"במרה בתכ
both apply to an “old person,” meaning to both a “sage” and to an “old
person.” Thus “rise” and “honor” are written in that pasuk between “old לשמ הבורמ ותשוב ןהכל שייבמהד כ"ת ןמיסב טפשמ ןשחב
person” and “sage,” and the Torah did not say “rise in the presence of an .לארשי
old person and honor the presence of a sage” We find that G‑d commands
us to rise and to respect both the “sage” and the “old person” who is not הזבד רשפאו ,ןקז יבגד ל"נה ינווגב ונייה רבועד םינפב ש"מו
a sage (quoted up until this point). What I wrote, that “extending honor”
הרות הדיפקהד ןניזחד ןויכ רבוע וינפב אלשו לבקמה ףא ןכ םג
ונויזב תא עמושו ונזא הטמש הזבד רשפא ,ןהכה לש ודובכ לע
Although “zakayn” is used in our everyday speech to mean “old person,”
here the Torah uses the word as meaning a “sage.” .וז השע תוצמ לע ןכ םג רבוע וינפב אלש ופרחמ וא
241 244
volume 1 volume 1