Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

To not seduce one of Israel to worship idolatry: To not seduce one of Israel to worship idolatry. And one who does so is called a seducer. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 13:12), “and they shall not continue to do like this evil in your midst.”

The root of this commandment is revealed to all.

The laws of the commandment are, for example, that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 67a), [that] how is the matter of the seduction of the seducer? For example, one who says to his fellow, “Let us go and worship idolatry x,” or “Let us go and sacrifice,” or “Let us go and burn incense,” or “Let us go and pour a libation,” or “Let us go and bow down”; or if he said to his fellow in the singular form, “I will go and worship, I will go and sacrifice,” or “I will burn incense, I will pour a libation, I will bow down” — whether it is in the singular form or whether it is in the plural form — behold, this is called a seducer. And even though no act was done, such that they did not worship idolatry — not the seducer and not the seduced — nonetheless, their sentence is like that of a seducer because of speech alone. And [also] that which they said (Sanhedrin 67a) [about] one who seduces two, they are his witnesses, and they bring him to court and we stone him upon their [testimony]. And [also] that which they said (Sanhedrin 80b) that a seducer does not require a warning because of the severity of the matter, as it is an evil thing — and so did they, may their memory be blessed, say (Ketuvot 33a) about plotting witnesses, that they not require a warning due to their great evil, and as we will write with God’s help in the Order of Shoftim (Sefer HaChinukh 523). And [also] that which they said (Sanhedrin 67a) [about] one who seduces one, that the seduced is obligated to say to him, “I have fellows that want from this, say it to them also”; and that this is done so that two will testify against him and he will be sentenced by a court. And they, may their memory be blessed, said further that if he does not want to seduce two, it is a commandment to conceal witnesses for him. And the matter is that he hides witnesses in a place that they will see the seducer and he will not see them, and [then] he enters with him into things that he said to him in isolation. And [then] the seduced answers him, “How can we leave our God in the Heavens and serve wood and stones?” And if the seducer recants or is quiet, he is exempted. But if he says to him, “So is it fitting to do and so is it proper for us,” those witnesses bring him to court. And with no other death penalty besides this do we conceal witnesses for them. And this whole matter is to distance idolatry. And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sifrei Devarim 89:8) that it is a commandment in the hand of the seduced himself to kill him after the court has sentenced him; and about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 13:10), “your hand shall be upon him first to put him to death.” And this commandment to kill him is part of the commandment, and we should not consider it as a [separate] commandment on its own. [These] and its other details are in Tractate Sanhedrin.

And this prohibition is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it — whether he is a commoner, a sage or a prophet — and seduces any man or woman from Israel in the way that we said is liable for stoning.