ASHĔR 2

1 A person then may with words help the good for the sake of the evil, yet the issue of the action leads to mischief.

2 There is a man who has no mercy on the one who serves his turn in evil; there are two aspects of this, but the whole is wicked.

3 And there is a man who loves the one who does the evil, as he is himself involved in evil, so that he would choose to die in evil for the evildoer’s sake. There are also two aspects of this, but the situation as a whole is evil.

4 Although indeed love is there, yet in wickedness is evil concealed; in name it is as though it were good, but the outcome of the act is to do evil.

5 Someone steals, deals unjustly, robs, cheats, but yet has pity on the poor. This also has two aspects, but is evil as a whole.

6 He who cheats his neighbor provokes Elohim’s wrath; he who serves falsely before the Most High, and yet has mercy on the poor, disregards 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who uttered the Torah’s Commands; he provokes Him, and yet he alleviates the plight of the poor day laborer.

7 He defiles the soul and takes pride in his own body; he kills many, yet has pity on a few. This also has two aspects, but is evil as a whole.

8 Someone else commits adultery and is sexually promiscuous, yet is moderate in his eating. While fasting, he is committing evil deeds. Through the power of his wealth he ravages many, and yet in spite of his excessive evil, he performs the Commandments.

9 This also has two aspects, but is evil as a whole. Such persons are hares, because although they are halfway clean, in truth they are unclean.

10 For this is what Elohim has said on the tablets of the Commandments.