Insight, Revelation, and Unmasking
(כב) לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר פָּדָ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם לֹֽא־עַתָּ֤ה יֵבוֹשׁ֙ יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְלֹ֥א עַתָּ֖ה פָּנָ֥יו יֶֽחֱוָֽרוּ׃ (כג) כִּ֣י בִ֠רְאֹת֠וֹ יְלָדָ֞יו מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדַ֛י בְּקִרְבּ֖וֹ יַקְדִּ֣ישֽׁוּ שְׁמִ֑י וְהִקְדִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ אֶת־קְד֣וֹשׁ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְאֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יַעֲרִֽיצוּ׃ (כד) וְיָדְע֥וּ תֹֽעֵי־ר֖וּחַ בִּינָ֑ה וְרוֹגְנִ֖ים יִלְמְדוּ־לֶֽקַח׃ {ס}
(22) Assuredly, thus said the LORD to the House of Jacob, Who redeemed Abraham:-g

No more shall Jacob be shamed,
No longer his face grow pale.
(23) For when he—that is, his children—behold what My hands have wrought in his midst, they will hallow My name.

Men will hallow the Holy One of Jacob
And stand in awe of the God of Israel.
(24) And the confused shall acquire insight
And grumblers accept instruction.
והנה ה' נצב עליו. הנה זאת ידוע כי עיקר התגלות הש"י בעולם הוא ע"י שלשה היינו עולם, שנה, נפש. עולם הוא מקום המקדש אשר שם הוא התגלות אלוקותו ית', ושנה היא בהמבחר שבזמנים הוא שבת שבו נמצא התגלות אלקותו, ונפש הוא על נפשות מישראל יתגלה שכינתו. והנה כאן היו אלה השלשה בשלימות, מקום המקדש שנא' אין זה כי אם בית אלקים, והזמן המבחר כי בטח היה התגלות הזאת בשבת קודש, ונפש הוא יעקב אבינו המובחר שבנפשות שבו נכללו כל נפשות ישראל כמ"ש (ישעיה כ"ט,כ"ג) והקדישו את קדוש יעקב.
“And behold God was standing on him ….” (Bereshit, 28:13)
God’s revelation in the world depends on three factors, place, time, and person. Place is the Holy Temple, where there is a revelation of His Godliness. The choicest of times is Shabbat, a time of the revelation of His Godliness. And person, the souls of Israel unto whom He is revealed. Here these three factors are complete; the place of the Temple, as it is said, “this is none other than the house of God”; the choicest of times, for surely this revelation took place on the holy Shabbat; and person, this is Yaakov Avinu, the choicest of souls, in whom all the souls of Israel are included, as it is written (Yesahya, 29:23), “Yaakov shall not be ashamed … for when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Yaakov …”
והנה ה' נצב עליו. זה הפסוק בעצמו הוא ברכה, וביאר זה כמו שקדושת שבת היא קבוע וקיימא בלי שום הקדשה ואתערותא מישראל רק מצד הש"י בעצמו הוא קדוש, לא כימים טובים שישראל מקדשין אותם, כך הוא קדושת יעקב אבינו כקדושת שבת, שקדוש מצד הש"י ואינו צריך לשום אתערותא, וע"כ לא נאמר עומד עליו רק נצב כי עומד משמע שעתה עומד עליו ולא מקודם והיינו מכח אתערותא דיליה, אבל נצב היינו שתמיד מקושר עמו.
“And behold God was standing on him ….” (Bereshit, 28:13)
This verse is in itself a blessing. Just as the Kedusha (sanctity) of Shabbat is fixed and exists without any act of sanctification or awakening from below on the part of Israel, as it is sanctified only by God Himself, unlike the other festivals where Israel sanctifies them, so the Kedusha of Yaakov Avinu is like the Kedusha of Shabbat, sanctified by God and needing no awakening from below. Therefore the verse does not say “omed alav” (the normal way of saying “standing on him”) but rather “nitsav” (a special kind of standing). The meaning of omed is that now He is standing on him but not before, only now from the power of his own awakening, while nitsav that He was always connected to him.
אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא בַּר חֲנִינָא: גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם שֶׁאֵין בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי מֵאִיר כְּמוֹתוֹ, וּמִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא קָבְעוּ הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ? שֶׁלֹּא יָכְלוּ חֲבֵירָיו לַעֲמוֹד עַל סוֹף דַּעְתּוֹ. שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר עַל טָמֵא טָהוֹר וּמַרְאֶה לוֹ פָּנִים, עַל טָהוֹר טָמֵא וּמַרְאֶה לוֹ פָּנִים.
On the topic of Rabbi Meir and his Torah study, the Gemara cites an additional statement. Rabbi Aḥa bar Ḥanina said: It is revealed and known before the One Who spoke and the world came into being that in the generation of Rabbi Meir there was no one of the Sages who is his equal. Why then didn’t the Sages establish the halakha in accordance with his opinion? It is because his colleagues were unable to ascertain the profundity of his opinion. He was so brilliant that he could present a cogent argument for any position, even if it was not consistent with the prevalent halakha. As he would state with regard to a ritually impure item that it is pure, and display justification for that ruling, and likewise he would state with regard to a ritually pure item that it is impure, and display justification for that ruling. The Sages were unable to distinguish between the statements that were halakha and those that were not.

"Unmasking the faces of Torah" can mean showing the differences between its various parts: some came from the divine behest, others from Moses' initiative [NOTE: editor Gordon Tucker's comment about Documentary Hypothesis]. When the Palestinian Talmud equates this with one who says, "the Torah was not given from heaven," it refers to one who says, not all the Torah is of divine origin. Rashi similarly interprets megaleh panim ba-Torah as unmasking one's own face toward the Torah: "One who comes to the Torah with naked arrogance and brazen face, like Manasseh who remarked contemptuously, "Had Moses nothing better to write than that Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz?'" [NOTE: Rashi on Shevuot 13a, s.v. megaleh panim]. As we shall see, this was a proverbial reference to the view that Moses wrote some parts of the Torah on his own initiative.

-- A.J. Heschel, Heavenly Torah, p.376

Megaleh panim ba-Torah means literally, "revealing face[s] in/of/at the Torah." Debunking is the most derogatory form of revealing. Panim ("face") can also mean "aspect" or "meaning." Shiv'im panim la-Torah -- "[every item in] the Torah has seventy possible meanings." The skeptic or debunker is adept in uncovering those meanings which subvert the traditional outlook. Similarly, Entdecktes Judentum ("Judaism Unveiled") was the title of a famous anti-Semitic tract. -- Gordon Tucker's note to Heavenly Torah, p.375

בעומד במרדו ורבי היא דתניא רבי אומר על כל עבירות שבתורה בין עשה תשובה בין לא עשה תשובה יום הכפורים מכפר חוץ מפורק עול ומגלה פנים בתורה ומפר ברית בבשר שאם עשה תשובה יום הכפורים מכפר ואם לאו אין יום הכפורים מכפר
The mishna is referring to a case where the person did not repent and persists in his rebellion, and it is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, that even for such a case Yom Kippur and the scapegoat will atone. As it is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: For all transgressions that are stated in the Torah, whether one repented, or whether one did not repent, Yom Kippur atones, except for one who divests himself of the yoke of Heaven, by denying God’s existence, and one who reveals facets of the Torah that differ from its true meaning, and one who nullifies the covenant of circumcision of the flesh. For these, if one repented, Yom Kippur atones, and if not, Yom Kippur does not atone.
מגלה פנים בתורה - בא על דברי תורה בחוצפא ובגלוי עזות פניו כגון (סנהדרין דף צט:) מנשה שהיה יושב ודורש באגדות של דופי לא היה למשה לכתוב אלא ותמנע היתה פלגש וילך ראובן בימי קציר חטים (בראשית ל׳:י״ד):

...רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר הֱבִיאַנִי אֶל בֵּית הַיָּין, לַמַּרְתֵּף הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁל יַיִן, זֶה סִינַי, וְלִמְדַנִי משֶׁה תּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא נִדְרֶשֶׁת מ"ט פָּנִים....

הֱבִיאַנִי אֶל בֵּית הַיָּיִן, רַבִּי מֵאִיר וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הֻשְׁלַט בִּי יֵצֶר הָרָע כַּיַּיִן, וְאָמַרְתִּי לָעֵגֶל (שמות לב, ד): אֵלֶּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָדֵין חַמְרָא כַּד עָלֵל בְּבַר נָשׁ הֲוָה מְעַרְבֵּב לֵיהּ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה דַּיֶּךָ מֵאִיר אֵין דּוֹרְשִׁין שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים לִגְנַאי אֶלָּא לְשֶׁבַח, שֶׁלֹא נִתַּן שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים אֶלָּא לְשִׁבְחָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמַהוּ, הֱבִיאַנִי אֶל בֵּית הַיָּיִן, אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֱבִיאַנִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַרְתֵּף גָּדוֹל שֶׁל יַיִן, זֶה סִינַי, וְנָתַן לִי שָׁם דִּגְלֵי תּוֹרָה וּמִצְווֹת וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, וּבְאַהֲבָה גְדוֹלָה קִבַּלְתִּי אוֹתָם.

רַבִּי אַבָּא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר, אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֱבִיאַנִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַרְתֵּף גָּדוֹל שֶׁל יַיִן, זֶה סִינַי, וְנָתַן לִי מִשָּׁם הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁנִּדְרֶשֶׁת מ"ט פָּנִים טָהוֹר וּמ"ט פָּנִים טָמֵא, מִנְיַן וְדִגְלוֹ, וּמֵאַהֲבָה גְדוֹלָה קִבַּלְתִּיהָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְדִגְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה.

“He brought me to the wine house, and his banner over me is love” (Song of Songs 2:4).
“He brought me to the wine house,” Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Meir says: The congregation of Israel said: ‘The evil inclination gained control over me like wine, and I said of the calf: “This is your god, Israel”’ (Exodus 32:4). When wine enters a person, it confuses him. Rabbi Yehuda said to him: Enough, Meir, one does not expound Song of Songs disparagingly, but rather, favorably, as Song of Songs was given only in praise of Israel. What, then, is “he brought me to the wine house”? The congregation of Israel said: The Holy One blessed be He brought me to a large wine cellar, this is Sinai. He gave me there banners of Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds, and I accepted them with great love.


Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: The congregation of Israel said: The Holy One blessed be He brought me to a large wine cellar, this is Sinai. He gave me there the Torah, which is expounded with forty-nine approaches for purity and with forty-nine approaches for impurity, the numerical value of “his banner [vediglo]. I accepted it with great love, as it is stated: “And his banner over me is love.”....

גלי, גָּלָה (b. h.) 1) to be uncovered. Tosef. Mikv. III, 1 a pit שגָּלַת ed. Zuck. which was left open.—Part. pass. גָּלוּי open, revealed. Sabb. 55ᵃ ג׳ וידוע וכ׳ it is open and known to me. Ber. 60ᵇ; a. fr. V. גָּלוּי. —2) (of a place) to become bare of inhabitants (v. Jud. XVIII, 30; Jer. I, 3); (of the inhabitants) to leave home, go into exile. Y. Taan. I, 64ᵃ top בכ"מ שגָּלוּ … גָּלַת וכ׳ whithersoever Israel went as exiles, the Divine Majesty went with them (ref. to נגלה, I Sam. II, 27); Meg. 29ᵃ; a. e.—Pesik. Haḥod. p. 48ᵃ אם ג׳ אחד מכם … כאילו גְּלִיתֶם כולכם if one of you is banished (by the Roman Government) to &c.: … as though ye all had been banished; Pesik. R. s. 15; Cant. R. to II, 8. Arakh. 12ᵃ; Meg. 11ᵇ גָּלוּ בשבע they were transported to Babylonia in the seventh year (after the subjection of Jojakim). Macc. II, 1 אלו הן הַגּוֹלִין the following (involuntary homicides) have to leave for the city of refuge. Ib. אינו גוֹלֶה is not bound to flee to &c. Ib. 3 האב גולה ע"י הבן a father is banished for killing his son; a. fr.
Hif. - הֶגְלָה to banish, carry into captivity. Macc. 12ᵇ היו … מַגְלִין וכ׳ the Israelites executed the law of banishment in the desert. Num. R. s. 23, end. Ruth R. to I, 1 ומַגְלָם מארצם and is the cause of their exile &c.; a. fr.—Koh. R. to XII, 6 (play on גלת ib.) ‘the golden bowl’ is the gullet, שהיא מַגְלָה את הזהב ומריצה וכ׳ (not שהיה; Lev. R. s. 18 שמכלה, corr. acc.) which banishes the gold and makes the silver run, i.e. which impoverishes the glutton.
Nif. - נִגְלָה to be discovered, exposed to view; to reveal one’s self, appear. Tanḥ. Sh’moth 19 נ׳ עליו בקולו וכ׳ He revealed Himself to Moses with the voice of Amram &c.; Ex. R. s. 3. Ex. R. s. 2, end בכ"מ שהשכינה נִגְלֵית wherever the Divine Glory appears. Snh. II, 1, v. כָּסָה II; a. fr.
Pi. - גִּלָּה, גִּילָּה to uncover, remove; to discover, reveal, publish. Ex. R. s. 15, beg. גִּלּוּ הצדיקים וכ׳ the righteous uncovered their heads. Sot. V, 2; Gen. R. s. 21 מי יְגַלֶּה עפר וכ׳ Oh that one would remove the dust from over thy eyes, i.e. Oh, that thou wouldst resurrect!; Y. Ber. IX, 13ᵈ bot.—Sabb. 88ᵃ מי גי׳ וכ׳ who revealed this secret to my children? Meg. 3ᵃ; a. fr.—ג׳ משפחות to expose to suspicion the legitimacy of families. Tosef. Naz. I, 3; Kidd. 71ᵃ.—ג׳ פנים בתורה (שלא כהלכה) a) to interpret the Law in opposition to the adopted sense, tomisinterpret, pervert. Ab. III, 11; a. e. b) to put the Law to shame by treating its teachers irreverently. Snh. 99ᵃ; a. e.—ג׳ פנים (in gen.) to expose, put to shame. Pirké d’R. El. ch. XLIV, v. לָבַן II.—Part. pass. מְגוּלֶּה, f. מְגוּלָּה uncovered. Par. XI, 1; Ḥull. 9ᵇ; a. fr. Pl. מְגוּלִּין. Ib.; a. fr.
Nithpa. - נִתְגַּלֶּה, נִתְגַּל to be revealed; to be exposed. Pirké d’R. El. ch. XXIII ונתגל בתוך האהל his nakedness was exposed &c. Yoma 9ᵇ נתג׳ עונם their sins were public (they did not hide them); נתג׳ קיצם the end of their captivity was revealed (through prophecy). Naz. 23ᵇ נ׳ קלונו his disgrace is published.—Pes. 119ᵃ; a. fr.—Tanḥ. Mishp. 6; Yalk. Prov. 956, v. גָּלַע.
פָּנִים c. pl. (b. h.; front, face; countenance, person. Pesik. Baḥod., p. 110ᵃ, a. e. (פ׳ זעופות) פ׳ זועפות, v. זָעַף. Mekh. B’shall., Vayassʿa, s. 2; Yalk. Ex. 258, v. חָשׁוּךְ. Gen. R. s. 91 (ref. to Gen. XLI, 56) אין פְּנֵי הארץ אלא עשירים ‘the face of the land’ means the wealthy; בזמן שאדם עשיר יש לו פ׳ שמחים וכ׳ when a man is rich, he has a countenance which is glad to see his friend, but when he is poor אין לו פ׳ לראות וכ׳ he has not the face to see (his friend), because he is ashamed &c. Keth. 7ᵇ והוא שבאו פ׳ חדשות provided a new face appears, i.e., a person that has not attended the wedding festivities before this. Ib. 8ᵃ אי איכא פ׳ חדשות if there is a new guest.—B. Kam. 96ᵇ פ׳ חדשות באו לכאן things have assumed a new face, i.e. the object after its transmutation is no longer the same as the one stolen; a. v. fr.—נשא פ׳; גלה פ׳ &c., v. נָשָׂא, גָּלָה &c.—Cant. R. to VII, 9 מהדרין פ׳, v. פָּנָה.—לחם הפ׳, v. לֶחֶם.—Euphem. פ׳ של מטה, or פ׳ pudenda. Sabb. 41ᵃ. Ber. 24ᵃ יכולה לכסות פָּנֶיהָ וכ׳ she can cover her nakedness &c. Nidd. 14ᵇ; a. fr.—Trnsf. aspect, manner, way of interpretation. Cant. R. to II, 4 התורה שנדרשת מ"ט פ׳ טהור ומ"ט פ׳ טמא the Torah on the laws of which arguments are held, forty-nine in favor of ‘clean’ (permitted), and forty nine in favor of ‘unclean’ (forbidden); Num. R. s. 2 תורה שהיא נדרשת מ"ט פ׳ the Torah which is interpreted in forty-nine ways; a. fr.—לְפָ׳ a) for appearance sake, formally. Meg. 12ᵃ הם לא עשו אלא לפ׳ … אלא לפ׳ they (in bowing to the idol) acted merely for show (yielding to force), so the Lord dealt with them merely formally (not in full earnest, ref. to Lam. III, 33).—b) in front; (of time) before this, in the past. Ḥag. II, 1 מה לפ׳ ומה לאחור what was before (creation), and what will be in the future (when the world will be no more; Gen. R. s. 1 מה בי"ת זה סתום … ופתוח מִלְּפָנָיו וכ׳ as the letter ב (of בראשית, Gen. I, 1) is closed on all sides and open in front, so art thou not permitted to ask what is above and what is below, what was before and what will be hereafter; [oth. opin. מה לפ׳ ומה לאחור what is in the extreme east beyond the sphere, and what in the west; v., however, Rashi Hag. l. c. (Ḥag. 11ᵇ), a. Ḥag. 16ᵃ].—Ber. 5ᵇ לפני מטתי in front of my bed, expl. סמוך למיטתי immediately after rising. Ib. 7ᵃ, a. fr. יהי רצון מִלְּפָנֶיךָ (abbrev. יהר"מ may it be thy will. Ib. יהי רצון מִלְּפָנַי may it be my will. Ib. שלשה דברים בקש משה מִלִּפְנֵי וכ׳ for three things Moses prayed I before the Lord. Ib. I, 4 שתים לְפָנֶיהָ two benedictions preceding it (the reading of the Sh’mʿa); a. v. fr.—Sifra Vayikra, Ḥobah, Par. 13, ch. XXIII אמש ושֶׁלְּפָנָיו ושֶׁלִּפְנֵי פנָיו yesterday and the day before yesterday, and the day before that.—לִפְנֵי עִוֵּר (also לפני only, v. עִוֵּר I) the law prohibiting an act which may lead a person to sin (Lev. XIX, 14). Ab. Zar. 14ᵃ וליחוש … אל׳ מפקדינן אל׳ דל׳ לא וכ׳ (Ms. M. אל׳ עור) but should we not apprehend, that he might sell (the incense) to others, who will burn it for idols? Said A., we are commanded to guard against an act directly leading to sin, but not against one that may indirectly cause sin; ib. 21ᵃ.—מִפְּנֵי for the sake of, on account of; מפני ש־ because. Sabb. II, 5 מ׳ שהוא מתיירא מ׳ גוים וכ׳ because he is afraid of invaders, of robbers, or of an evil wind. Ber. I, 3 וסכנתי בעצמי מ׳ וכ׳, v. סָכַן II. Ib. 3ᵃ מ׳ מה נכנסת וכ׳ why didst thou enter these ruins? Ib. מ׳ שלשה דברים for three reasons; מ׳ חשד because you give cause to suspicion; מ׳ המפולת because debris may fall on you; מ׳ המזיקין on account of demons; a. v. fr.—בִּפְנֵי in the presence of. Ib.ᵇ ב׳ המת in the presence of a dead person. Ib. 31ᵇ המורה הלכה ב׳ רבו he who gives a decision in his teacher’s presence; a. v. fr.—Kidd. 64ᵇ הנודר עד פְּנֵי פסח וכ׳; Ned. VIII, 2 הנודר עד לִפְנֵי הפסח וכ׳ if one says in his vow, ‘until p’né (lifné) Passover’, R. M. says, he is bound until Passover begins; R. J. says, until it is passed; Kidd. 65ᵃ, v. פְּנֵי I.
הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם. פֵּרְשׁוּ בְּאָבוֹת דְּרַבִּי נָתָן, כֵּיצַד הָיָה אַהֲרֹן אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם, כְּשֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם מִתְקוֹטְטִים הָיָה הוֹלֵךְ לְכָל אֶחָד מֵהֶם שֶׁלֹּא מִדַּעַת חֲבֵרוֹ, וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ רְאֵה חֲבֵרְךָ אֵיךְ הוּא מִתְחָרֵט וּמַכֶּה אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל שֶׁחָטָא לְךָ, וְהוּא אָמַר לִי שֶׁאָבֹא אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁתִּמְחַל לוֹ, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ כְּשֶׁהָיוּ פּוֹגְעִים זֶה בָּזֶה הָיוּ מְנַשְּׁקִים זֶה אֶת זֶה. וְכֵיצַד הָיָה מְקָרֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת לַתּוֹרָה, כְּשֶׁהָיָה יוֹדֵעַ בְּאָדָם שֶׁעָבַר עֲבֵרָה הָיָה מִתְחַבֵּר עִמּוֹ וּמַרְאֶה לוֹ פָּנִים צְהֻבּוֹת, וְהָיָה אוֹתוֹ אָדָם מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ וְאוֹמֵר אִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ צַדִּיק זֶה מַעֲשַׂי הָרָעִים כַּמָּה הָיָה מִתְרַחֵק מִמֶּנִּי, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ הָיָה חוֹזֵר לַמּוּטָב. הוּא שֶׁהַנָּבִיא מֵעִיד עָלָיו (מלאכי ב׳:ו׳) בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְמִישׁוֹר הָלַךְ אִתִּי וְרַבִּים הֵשִׁיב מֵעָוֹן:
"Be of the disciples of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace": They explained in Avot DeRabbi Natan how Aharon loved peace: When he would see two people quarreling, he would go to each one of them without the knowledge of his fellow and say to him, “Behold how your fellow is regretting and afflicting himself that he sinned against you; and he told me that I should come to you so that you will forgive him. And as a result of this, when they bumped into each other, they would kiss each other. And how would he bring people closer to the Torah? When he would know about someone that he committed a sin, he would befriend him and show him a friendly demeanor; and that man would be embarrassed and say [to himself], “If that righteous man would know my evil deeds, how much would he distance himself from me? And as a result of this, [that man] would change for the better. And this is what the prophet testifies about [Aharon] (Malachi 2), “In peace and in straightness did he walk with Me and he brought back many from sinning."
כן לב האדם לאדם. חברו לפי מה שאדם יודע שחבירו אוהבו כן הוא מראה לו פנים:
is the heart of a man to a man his friend. According to how much a man knows that his friend loves him, so he will show him his face.
לא מצי למיקם אליביה - על עיקרי טעמיה שהיה אומר על טמא טהור ומראה לו פנים ועל טהור טמא ומראה לו פנים: