“And you shall not commit wrong, one man to his fellow Jew, and you shall fear your Hashem...” (Vayikrah 25:17)
Rav Tzvi Hirsch HaKohain Katz ZT”L (778-1846) better known as the Riminover Rebbe, asks in his Sefer, “Be’eros HaMayim” why this verse repeats what has already been said in an earlier verse. The earlier verse says in pertinent part, “ ... do not commit wrong, one man to his brother.” (Vayikrah 25:14)
The Gemorah in Bava Metziah (58b) asks the same question and responds that there are two prohibitions being discussed. The first verse (25:14) discusses the prohibition of committing a wrong in business matters, while the later verse (25:17) discusses the prohibition of committing a wrong through one’s speech (i.e. verbal abuse).
The Riminover Rebbe states a well-known concept that in Hebrew the letter, “Ayin” and the letter, “Aleph” are often interchangeable. Therefore, he explains that the later verse also contains an additional point. As stated above, this verse says, “And you shall not commit wrong, one man to his “עֲֲמִִ יתו” – to his fellow Jew. However, because of the interchangeability of the letters, this can also be read, “ותיאֲֲ מִִ” – to his truth. Meaning, that a person should not commit wrong against his own sense of truth – he needs to remain honest.
We see from here a remarkable admonition! We are born with an innate sense of what is just and true. However, as we go through life, we can lose our sensitivity to the truth. Those that we associate with and that influence us, may chip away at the honesty and integrity that was bequeathed to us as an inheritance from our forefather, Yaakov. The lesson from this verse is telling us to be on guard, and to always stand up for honesty and integrity!
Using this lesson, we can additionally suggest an understanding of the words that follow immediately in the verse, “... and you shall fear your Hashem”. This may indicate that this obligation of maintaining our innate sense of honesty is the hallmark of anyone who truly fears Hashem.
