תּוֹרָה מג - לְהִתְרַחֵק מִדִּבּוּרִים שֶׁל רָשָׁע

Torah 1988

Know: that the speech of a wicked person who possesses da'as [understanding] — generates immorality [ni'uf] in the listener. And one must be careful not to listen to his words. For they are poisonous words of immorality — he speaks and brings forth from his mouth vapours and poisonous airs of immorality. And the listener who hears his words and breathes in the breaths — introduces these airs into his body. And therefore regarding Bil'am — who was the da'as of the husk — who was the counterpart of the holy da'as — as our Sages of blessed memory said: ""among the nations there arose one like Moshe — and who is that? — Bil'am"" [Zohar 21b] — he produced poisonous airs of immorality in Midyan — as it is written [Numbers 31:16]: ""behold they were to the children of Israel through the word of Bil'am."" ""Through the word"" specifically — through his words — which is the revelation of his da'as. And when they came back from the war of Midyan it is written: ""and we bring near Hashem's offering etc. to atone for our souls before Hashem"" [ibid.]. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: ""if we escaped from transgression — we did not escape from [impure] thought"" [Shabbos 64a].