Can We Still Love Harry Potter?

Ben Zoma said:Who is wise? One who learns from every person, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms 119:99). Who is mighty? One who subdues their [evil] inclination, as it is said: “A person who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and a person who rules their spirit [greater] than one who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:3). Who is rich? One who rejoices in their lot, as it is said: “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2) “You shall be happy” in this world, “and you shall prosper” in the world to come. Who is one who is honored? One who honors their fellow human beings as it is said: “For I honor those that honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored” (I Samuel 2:30).

(2) Even heresy has a melody and song that is particular to heretical wisdom. This is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: And Acher [Elisha ben Abuya], what was his shortcoming? A Greek song never ceased from his lips, and when he would rise from his studies, books of heresy would fall from [his bosom] (Chagigah 15b). For one is dependent upon the other: because of the aforementioned song that did not cease from his lips, the books of the heretics would fall from him. This is because that song was particular to this heresy of his.

When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said: In the West, Eretz Yisrael, they say: Rabbi Meir ate a half-ripe date and threw the peel away. In other words, he was able to extract the important content from the inedible shell. Rava taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “I went down into the garden of nuts, to look at the green plants of the valley” (Song of Songs 6:11)? Why are Torah scholars compared to nuts? To tell you: Just as this nut, despite being soiled with mud and excrement, its content is not made repulsive, as only its shell is soiled; so too a Torah scholar, although they have sinned, their Torah is not made repulsive. The Gemara relates: Rabba bar Sheila found Elijah the prophet, who had appeared to him. He said to Elijah: What is the Holy One, Blessed be God, doing? Elijah said to him: God is stating halakhot transmitted by all of the Sages, but in the name of Rabbi Meir, God will not speak. He said to him: Why? He replied: Because he [Rabbi Meir] learned halakhot from the mouth of Aḥer. He said to him: Why should he be judged unfavorably for that? Rabbi Meir found a pomegranate and ate its contents while throwing away its peel. He said to him: Indeed, your defense has been heard above.

(3) One who learns from their fellow one chapter, or one halakhah, or one verse, or one word, or even one letter, is obligated to treat their fellow with honor; for so we find with David, king of Israel, who learned from Ahitophel no more than two things, yet called him his master, his guide and his beloved friend, as it is said, “But it was you, a man mine equal, my guide and my beloved friend” (Psalms 55:14). Is this not [an instance of the argument] “from the less to the greater” (kal vehomer)? If David, king of Israel who learned from Ahitophel no more than two things, nevertheless called him his master, his guide and his beloved friend; then in the case of one who learns from their fellow one chapter, or one halakhah, or one verse, or one word, or even one letter, all the more so they are under obligation to treat that person with honor. And “honor’” means nothing but Torah, as it is said, “It is honor that sages inherit” (Proverbs 3:35). “And the perfect shall inherit good” (Proverbs 28:10), and “good” means nothing but Torah, as it is said, “For I give you good instruction; do not forsake my Torah” (Proverbs 4:2).

The Sages taught: The verse states: “But in righteousness shall you judge your colleague” (Leviticus 19:15), from which it is derived: The court must ensure that there will not be a situation where one litigant is sitting and one litigant is standing, or a situation where one litigant says everything that they need to say to present their case and one litigant, the judge says to them: Curtail your statement. Alternatively, it is derived from the verse: “But in righteousness shall you judge your colleague,” that you should judge another favorably, and seek to find justification for their actions, even if when interpreted differently their actions could be judged unfavorably.

(1) Twenty-four things delay teshuvah (repentance). Four of them are a great sin and anyone who does one of them, the Holy Blessed One does not assist that person in repentance because of the seriousness of their sin, and they are: (1) Someone who causes others to sin; and included in this sin is anyone who delays others from repenting. (2) Someone who turns their friend away from a good path to a bad one, like someone who persuades and tempts [toward idolatry]. (3) Someone who sees their child taking on bad habits and does not prevent them – since the child is in the parent’s control, if the parent would prevent the child, they would certainly stop, so the parent is considered causing the child to sin. And included in this sin is anyone who has the ability to prevent someone else [from sinning], whether one person or many, and leaves them to their mistake instead of preventing them. (4) Someone who says, “I will sin and I will repent,” and this includes a person who says, “I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone for me.”

(3) What is repentance? It is when a person abandons the sin that they sinned and removes it from their thoughts and commits in their heart that they will not do it again, as it says, The wicked should abandon their path etc. (Isaiah 55:7). And also that they regret sinning, as it says, After I returned I regretted (Jeremiah 31:18). And the One Who Knows Hidden Things testifies about them that they will never return to this sin, as it says, And we will no longer call the work of our hands “god” etc. (Hosea 14:4). And they must confess verbally and say these things that they have committed in their heart.

(6) It is very praiseworthy for the penitent to confess in public and disclose their sins to them, and reveal interpersonal sins to others and tell them: “I surely sinned against so-and-so and did such-and-such to them; but today, behold, I return and regret.” But anyone who is prideful and does not disclose, but rather hides their sins – their repentance is not complete, as it says, One who covers their transgressions shall not prosper (Proverbs 28:13).