אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִּשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ. שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, אֵין הַמְּנָאֲפִים נוֹאֲפִים עַד שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס בָּהֶם רוּחַ שְׁטוּת. שֶׁכֵּן כְּתִיב: כִּי תִּשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ, הֲרֵי לָמַדְנוּ לָאִשָּׁה. לָאִישׁ מִנַּיִן. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: נוֹאֵף אִשָּׁה חֲסַר לֵב (משלי ו, לב). דָּבָר אַחֵר, אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִּשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: אִם יִסָּתֵר אִישׁ בַּמִּסְתָּרִים (ירמיה כג, כד). הֲרֵי כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר, בְּכָל מָקוֹם עֵינֵי ה' מְשׁוֹטְטוֹת בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ צוֹפוֹת רָעִים וְטוֹבִים (משלי טו, ג). וְכֵן, עֵינֵי ה' הֵמָּה מְשׁוֹטְטִים (זכריה ד, י). וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: וַאֲנִי לֹא אֶרְאֶנּוּ. לֹא אֶרְאֶנּוּ וַאֲפַרְסֵם מַעֲשָׂיו לַבְּרִיּוֹת הֲלֹא אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲנִי מָלֵא (ירמיה כג, כד). אֲנִי מְמַלֵּא אֶת הָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְּאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדוֹם רַגְלַי (ישעיה סו, א). דָּבָר אַחֵר, אִם יִסָּתֵר אִישׁ בַּמִּסְתָּרִים. מָשָׁל לְאַרְכִיטֶקְטוֹן שֶׁהָיָה קַאטְרִיקוּס עַל מְדִינָה, הִתְחִילוּ בְּנֵי הַמְּדִינָה מַטְמִינִין כַּסְפָּם וּזְהָבָם לְתוֹךְ אוֹתָם הַמַּטְמוֹנִים שֶׁהָיוּ בָּהּ. אָמַר לָהֶם הָאַרְכִיטֶקְטוֹן, אֲנִי בָּנִיתִי הַמְּדִינָה וַאֲנִי עָשִׂיתִי אֶת הַמַּטְמוֹנִים, שֶׁמָּא מִמֶּנִּי אַתֶּם מַטְמִינִים. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַמְּנָאֲפִים, מִמֶּנִּי אַתֶּם מַסְתִּירִים עַצְמְכֶם, אִם יִסָּתֵר אִישׁ בַּמִּסְתָּרִים. אֲנִי בָּרָאתִי אֶתְכֶם וְעָשִׂיתִי אֶתְכֶם מְחִילִים מְחִילִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַתִּשְׁכַּח אֵל מְחוֹלְלֶךָּ (דברים לב, יח). מַהוּ אֵל מְחוֹלְלֶךָּ לָאֵל שֶׁעָשָׂה אוֹתְךָ מְחִילִים מְחִילִים, אֵין אַתֶּם יְכוֹלִין לְהַטְמִין עַצְמְכֶם. לָמָּה, אֲנִי ה' חוֹקֵר לֵב בֹּחֵן כְּלָיוֹת לָתֵת לָאִישׁ כִּדְרָכָיו כִּפְרִי מַעֲלָלָיו (ירמיה יז, י). וַאֲנִי הוּא שֶׁמְּקָרֵב אוֹתָם לַמִּשְׁפָּט, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְקָרַבְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם לַמִּשְׁפָּט וְהָיִיתִי עֵד מְמַהֵר בַּמְכַשְּׁפִים וּבַמְנָאֲפִים וּבַנִּשְׁבָּעִים בִּשְׁמִי לַשָּׁקֶר וּבְעֹשְׁקֵי שְׂכַר שָׂכִיר אַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם וּמַטֵּי גֵּר וְלֹא יְרֵאוּנִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת (מלאכי ג, ה). לְכָךְ אַל תִּהְיוּ טוֹעִים אַחַר יֵצֶר הָרַע, וְשֶׁלֹּא תִּשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל אֶחָד מִכֶּם, בְּמַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בָּעִנְיָן אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִּשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אִישׁ אִישׁ, לְלַמֶּדְךָ, שֶׁמּוֹעֶלֶת וְכוֹפֶרֶת בִּשְׁנַיִם, בְּאִישׁ מִלְחָמָה שֶׁלְּמַעֲלָן, וּבְאִישָׁהּ שֶׁלְּמַטָּן. אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בְּאִישֵׁךְ אַתְּ מְשַׁקֶּרֶת. שֶׁמָּא בִּי אֶת יְכוֹלָה לְשַׁקֵּר. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לְאִישׁ שֶׁהוּא חָבוּשׁ בְּתוֹךְ שְׁנֵי בָּתִּים זֶה לִפְנִים מִזֶּה, וְהָיוּ שָׁם שְׁנֵי שׁוֹמְרִים אֶחָד בִּפְנִים וְאֶחָד בַּחוּץ. פָּתַח אֶת הַפְּנִימִי וְיָצָא, וְלֹא הִרְגִּישׁ בּוֹ הַשּׁוֹמֵר. בָּא לָצֵאת מִן הַחִיצוֹן, הִרְגִּישׁ בּוֹ הַשּׁוֹמֵר שֶׁבַּחִיצוֹן. תְּפָשׂוֹ וְאָמַר לֵיהּ: בְּאוֹתוֹ שֶׁבִּפְנִים שָׂחַקְתָּ, אֲבָל בִּי אֵין אַתָּה יָכֹל לִשְׂחֹק. וְכֵן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר לָאִשָּׁה הַמְּנָאֶפֶת, בְּאִישֵׁךְ אֶת מְשַׂחֶקֶת, אֲבָל בִּי אֵין אֶת יְכוֹלָה לִשְׂחֹק. וַאֲנִי יוֹשֵׁב וּמְשַׂחֵק עַל בְּרִיּוֹתַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחַק, ה' יִלְעַג לָמוֹ (תהלים ב, ד). (Numb. 5:12:) “If anyone has his wife go astray (tisteh).” Our masters have taught, “The adulterers do not commit adultery, until a spirit of madness (shetut)31In the unpointed Hebrew text, shetut and tisteh appear to have the same root. enters them. Thus it is stated (ibid.), ‘If anyone has his wife go astray.’” [Here] we have learned about the woman. Where is it shown about the man? Where it is stated (in Prov. 6:32), “The one who commits adultery with a woman is has no sense (literally, is lacking heart).”32Cf. Numb. 9:6. Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” This text is related (to Jer. 23:24), “If someone hides in secret places, [shall I not see him?]” See, is it not already written (Psalms 16:3), “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the bad and the good.”33Numb. R. 9:9. And so too is it written (in Zech. 4:10; cf. II Chron. 16:9), “the eyes of the Lord; they roam around all the earth.” [So] what do we learn to say (in Jer. 23:24), “Shall I not see Him (ar'ennu)?” [Interpret these words34In the Hebrew text this question and the one which follows each consists of the one word, ar’ennu. as follows:] Shall I not show him (ar'ennu) to the people and publish his works? (Jer. 23:24, cont.), “’Do I not fill the heavens and the earth,’ says the Lord.” I fill the realms above and the realms below, as stated (Is. 66:1), “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool.” Another interpretation of (Jer. 23:24), “[If someone hides in secret places], shall I not see him? It is comparable to an architect35Gk.: architekton; cf. Lat.: architectus. The parable appears in Numb. R. 9:1; Gen. R. 24:1. [who] went out as a katarikos (tax official) over a certain province. The inhabitants of the province began hiding their silver and gold within the very caves [that he had built]. The architect said to them, ‘I built the province, and I made the hidden treasuries. Will you hide [anything] from me?” Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, has said to adulterers, “Will you hide yourselves from me?” [It is as in (Jer. 23:24),] “If someone hides in secret places, I have created you and made your every cavity (mehilim mehilim).” [It is so stated (in Deut. 32:18),] “but you forgot the God who generated you (meholelekha).” Nothing will be useful to you, wherever you hide yourselves, because (according to Jer. 17:10:) “I the Lord search the heart, probe the kidneys, to render to each according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” I am the one who brings (rt.: qrb) you to judgment, as stated (in Mal. 3:5), “Then I will draw near (rt.: qrb) unto you in judgment; and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers […].” Therefore, you shall not go astray after the evil drive, so that none of you have his wife go astray, according to what is stated (in Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:12), “If anyone (literally, if a man a man) [has his wife go astray].” [These words are] to teach you that she is going astray and being false with two, with the “Man of war” (as in Exod 15:3) above and with her man (husband) below.36Numb. R. 9:2. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to her, “You lie to your husband, can you perhaps lie to Me? A parable: To what is the matter comparable?37Numb. R. 9:9. To someone who was imprisoned within two houses, one inside the other. Now two guards were there, one on the inside and one on the outside. [The prisoner] opened [the door of] the inner [house] and left, and the guard did not notice him. When he came to leave the outer one, [the guard] did notice him. He seized him and said to him, “At that [guard] on the inside you laughed, but at me you cannot laugh.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, has said to the adulterous woman, “At your husband you laugh, but at me you cannot laugh. Rather I sit and laugh at My creatures.” It is so stated (in Ps. 2:4), “The One sitting in the heavens shall laugh […].