Reeh 13:8 · unit 1

TT #131 · Parashas Reeh · Third Aliyah · Passuk 13:8

The Complete Passuk

מֵאֱלֹהֵ֣י הָֽעַמִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁר֙ סְבִיבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם הַקְּרֹבִ֣ים אֵלֶ֔יךָ א֖וֹ הָרְחֹקִ֣ים מִמֶּ֑ךָּ מִקְצֵ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ וְעַד־קְצֵ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃

From the gods of the peoples that are around you, the near ones to you or the far ones from you, from the end of the earth to the end of the earth.

Chabad.org — 13:8

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
הַקְּרֹבִים אֵלֶיךָ – וְכִי מַה לִּי קְרוֹבִים מַה לִּי רְחוֹקִים, אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר, מִטִּיבוּתָן שֶׁל קְרוֹבִים אַתָּה לָמֵד טִיבוּתָן שֶׁל רְחוֹקִים.

English: “The near ones to you” — What difference is there between near and far? Rather, this is what it means: from the nature of the near ones you learn the nature of the far ones.

On the daf / in context: The mesis characteristically points to distant deities; the verse teaches that one should examine the nearby cults, whose emptiness is evident, and thereby judge the distant ones as well.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Sanhedrin) — using the near to evaluate the far.

What Is Learned

From the emptiness of the nearby gods one may deduce the emptiness of the distant gods that the mesis promotes.