סימן קפ"א-כשמתקשרים בקשר וכו'

Siman One Hundred and Eighty-One — Keshe'miskashr'im B'Kesherסימן קפא — כשמתקשרים בקשר There — in this discourse: "and when they try to bring someone down — the essential fall is to the desire of immorality [niuf] — G-d spare us." I heard from my paternal grandfather — of blessed memory — that through this the Sages' teaching is well understood: "and they were jealous of Moshe in the camp" [vayikne'u l'Moshe bamachaneh] — that each one was jealous about his wife — concerning Moshe. And the Sages said further: that they suspected him of a married woman. And this is a great wonder — and the words of the commentators on this are known. But according to the above it is well understood even according to the plain meaning: for since they supposed — that through the dispute [machalukes] against Moshe they would cause him to fall, G-d forbid. And the essential fall is to the desire of immorality — therefore they suspected him as above.